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When using a proxy client for the first time, you may wonder why pages still will not open after installation, or where the nodes come from. Treat installation, obtaining a configuration, choosing a node, and sending an application request as separate tasks to see how far you have progressed. The goal is to complete a request you can verify on the connections page, beyond simply turning on a switch.
What else do you need after installing the client?
The installed app provides the management interface and proxy core; nodes and rules in the configuration determine how web traffic is forwarded. Locate these items in the client interface to check which setup step you have completed.
- Graphical client
- Manages subscriptions, policy groups, the system proxy, TUN, logs, and updates.
- Proxy core
- Mihomo is a proxy core: it reads YAML, matches rules, and establishes direct or proxied connections. The graphical client manages it.
- Subscription link
- A credential-bearing remote address that returns nodes, groups, and rules during updates.
- Nodes
- A server used to connect to remote networks; its availability, protocol, and connection are determined by the provider.
Downloading Clash Verge Rev, FlClash, or another client does not automatically provide nodes, and this site does not provide subscriptions. A subscription is one way to obtain a configuration; local configurations also work. Confirm that a client can read the relevant format before choosing it.
Choose a maintained client that matches your device
Before downloading
| What to inspect | Why |
|---|---|
| Operating system and chip architecture | Windows x64, Windows ARM64, Apple Silicon, Intel, and Android packages are not interchangeable |
| Is the project still maintained? | The releases page, recent versions, and issue activity indicate current status |
| Which core it uses | Determines whether configuration fields, protocols, and features are compatible |
Desktop clients can be downloaded from an actively maintained project's Release page. For Android, verify the APK architecture and signing source. Clash in the name does not imply the same author or that menus from an old tutorial still exist.
After installation, confirm that the interface opens and the core remains stable. No subscription is imported yet, so if the program already crashes or reports core failed, address installation and the local environment instead of blaming a node.
Update the subscription and make it the active profile
From a link to the current configuration
Copy a Clash- or Mihomo-compatible subscription
Copy the complete HTTPS address, and do not send its token to an unfamiliar conversion site.
Add it on the Profiles / configuration screen
Give it a local name that identifies its source.
Update once manually
Wait for a new update time and watch for download failed or parse error.
Set it as the current configuration
The selection marker should be on the Profile you just updated.
A name in the list does not mean the import succeeded. After successful parsing, policy groups and nodes appear on the Proxies screen. If it remains empty, inspect the response format, account status, and current configuration instead of pasting the same address repeatedly.
Select a working node in the policy group
Entries such as “Auto Select,” “Fallback,” and “AI Services” on the Proxies screen are usually policy groups; expand them to find nodes. You manually choose in a select group, url-test selects according to probe latency, and fallback switches in order when the current node becomes unavailable.
Do not rely on an automatic group for the first connection. Choose one specific node and restore automatic selection only after a real request succeeds. Otherwise, you cannot tell whether the node failed or a health check switched outbound routes.
When choosing the first node, confirm
- Whether you clicked a policy group or a specific node
- Whether the group contains at least one node
- Node latency is only a probe result, not an availability guarantee
- Which outbound route the primary service group ultimately references
Starting your first connection on desktop and Android
The desktop example below uses System Proxy in Clash Verge Rev on Windows/macOS to test a browser. On Android, establish a VPN connection in your client and grant the system permission. See the Android installation and subscription guide for those steps.
Desktop TUN captures more TCP and UDP traffic through a virtual adapter, requiring extra permissions and affecting routing and DNS. If a desktop browser is not connected yet, check the subscription, node, and system proxy first. On Android, check the authorized VPN and per-app settings instead of applying desktop toggles.
When to use TUN on desktop
| Symptom | Action |
|---|---|
| The browser and common software work | Keep the system proxy |
| The browser works, but the terminal has no connection records | Configure the tool's proxy or compare with TUN |
| A connection appears but matches the wrong rule | Fix the rule; there is no need to expand the entry path |
| Every connection shows timeout | Inspect the node and network; TUN cannot revive a node |
Complete your first connection and check Connections
Make your first browser request with Clash Verge Rev on Windows/macOS
Check the active profile
The Profile has been updated and selected, and Proxies shows groups and nodes.
Pin one node
Select a working node in the active profile’s main selection group and keep Rule mode. Rule uses the configured rules to decide whether to connect directly, use a proxy, or reject the connection. Disable automatic switching for the test.
Enable System Proxy
Let the current client set the system proxy. For the first browser test, do not also enable desktop TUN or change DNS.
Send a new request and read its record
Reopen a familiar website and check the destination, rule, and actual outbound route in Connections. A latency-test button does not replace a web request.
After the page loads, find the new request in Connections and check its destination, matched rule, and actual outbound route. Seeing the selected node proves that this request used it; DIRECT means the rule sent it directly. If there is no record or the request still reports timeout, use the decision table below to locate the problem. A toggle’s color does not prove success.
Reading the first connection’s result
| What you see | Next step |
|---|---|
| The page works and uses the expected node | This request used the selected node. |
| The page works, but the record shows DIRECT | The rule sent this request directly. To test a proxy node, use a destination that should be proxied. |
| There is still no record after a new request | On desktop, check System Proxy and the system proxy address. On Android, use the dedicated guide to check the VPN connection and per-app settings. |
| The request uses a node but still reports timeout | Compare with another verified working node and keep the rule and error records. |
How do Rule, Global, and Direct affect this connection?
Rule matches the current configuration’s rules from top to bottom. A connection may use DIRECT, a proxy policy group, or REJECT. The configuration determines the result. Global sends all connections entering Clash to the global group, while Direct sends them directly.
Everyday use normally starts with Rule. If a site will not open, inspect its matched rule in Connections. Do not use Global as a permanent universal switch or assume that DIRECT means the client failed.
proxy-groups:
- name: 默认代理
type: select
include-all: true
proxies:
- DIRECT
rules:
- DOMAIN-SUFFIX,lan.example,DIRECT
- DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,默认代理
- MATCH,默认代理Is the error in the profile, app proxy settings, or node?
Profile shows 401 / 403
The subscription credential or account status has a problem; do not reinstall the client.
Profile shows parse error
The response is incompatible with the core format; preserve the specific line number.
Proxies has nodes, but the page creates no Connections record
If a new request still produces no record, check the desktop system proxy or Android VPN/per-app settings.
Connections matches DIRECT
The rule chose direct access; determine whether that is expected.
Connections uses a node and then shows timeout
Compare the specific node, access network, and logs.
Keep the old profile if a subscription update fails, and change only the node if one node fails. If a new request still has no record in Connections, check the platform’s proxy entry and included apps before deciding whether to change how traffic is captured.