What Is a Clash Subscription URL?

A subscription URL is an HTTPS link provided by your proxy service provider that points to a dynamically generated YAML configuration file. This file contains all available proxy node details: server addresses, ports, protocol types (Shadowsocks, VMess, Trojan, VLESS, Hysteria2, etc.), and encryption parameters.

The key advantage of subscriptions is dynamic updating — Clash periodically fetches this URL to pull the latest node list. When your provider adds, replaces, or removes nodes, you just hit "Update" in the client to sync instantly, without re-entering the link. This means you always have access to the fastest, most reliable nodes without any manual maintenance.

Behind the scenes, when Clash fetches your subscription URL, it downloads a YAML-format config file that follows the Clash/Mihomo configuration spec. This file defines not just individual nodes (under the proxies: key), but also proxy groups (under proxy-groups:) that bundle nodes into logical selections — Auto Select, Fallback, Load Balance, and so on. A well-structured subscription from a quality provider will come with pre-built rule sets and routing policies that work out of the box.

Your subscription URL contains authentication credentials tied to your account. Never share it publicly — doing so could allow others to consume your data quota or lock you out entirely.

Supported Subscription Formats

Clash clients can handle several common subscription formats automatically:

  • Standard YAML: The native Clash/Mihomo config format. Contains full configuration including proxies, groups, and rules — no parsing required. Most providers supply this format.
  • Base64-encoded share links: A compact URL beginning with ss://, vmess://, or similar prefixes. Clash clients decode these automatically on import. Commonly used for single-node or small collections.
  • Clash-compatible conversions: Providers that use V2Ray or Shadowsocks protocols sometimes expose an API endpoint that returns standard YAML when Clash's User-Agent header is detected. This is transparent to you — just paste the URL and Clash handles the format detection.

In practice, you'll almost always receive a standard YAML subscription URL from your provider. If you receive a vmess:// or ss:// URI, import it the same way — Clash Verge Rev will parse it correctly.

How to Import a Subscription URL

The steps below use Clash Verge Rev as the example. The process is nearly identical in FlClash and Clash Nyanpasu.

1

Open the Profiles Page

Launch Clash Verge Rev and click the "Profiles" icon in the left sidebar. The list will be empty on first launch — that's expected.

2

Import a Remote Subscription

Click the "Import" button in the top-right corner, select "Remote", paste your full subscription URL into the input field, and confirm. Clash will immediately fetch and download the config file — this typically takes just a few seconds. If the import fails immediately, check your internet connection; your subscription URL itself may need a proxy to reach, in which case try enabling System Proxy first with a working node and then retry.

3

Activate the Profile

Once downloaded, a subscription card appears in the list showing the node count and last updated time. Click the card to activate it — a blue bar on the left edge confirms it's the active profile.

4

Test Connectivity Before Enabling

After activating the profile, navigate to the "Proxies" tab and run a latency test (the lightning bolt icon). This sends concurrent test requests to all nodes and displays results in color — green (fast), yellow (slow), red (timeout). Pick a green node, then head to "Settings" and enable System Proxy. Your traffic is now routed through Clash.

Setting Up Auto-Update

Providers periodically refresh their node pools — some daily, some weekly. Enable auto-update to keep your config current without manual effort. In Clash Verge Rev, right-click a subscription card (or use its three-dot menu icon) and select "Edit" to access these settings:

  • Update Interval: Set to 24 (hours) for daily silent background syncs with no interruption. You can also set it to 12 for more frequent updates if your provider refreshes nodes often.
  • Update via Proxy: If your subscription URL itself requires a proxy to access (hosted on a blocked domain), enable this so Clash uses its current active proxy when fetching updates. This is essential for providers whose control panels are region-restricted.
  • User-Agent: Some providers serve different config formats based on the requesting client's User-Agent. Clash Verge Rev sends a Clash-compatible User-Agent automatically, so this usually doesn't need manual adjustment.

For a manual update, click the refresh icon on the subscription card at any time. It completes in about 5 seconds and doesn't interrupt your active proxy connection. Manual updates are useful right after your provider announces new nodes or after a node outage is resolved.

Managing Multiple Subscriptions

Clash Verge Rev lets you store and switch between multiple subscription profiles. Common use cases include:

  • Backup provider: When your primary subscription's nodes all time out, switch to a backup subscription in one click — no re-import needed.
  • Context switching: Use a low-latency regional subscription during work hours and a streaming-optimized international one for entertainment in the evening.
  • Comparison testing: Import multiple providers side-by-side to benchmark real-world speed and reliability before committing to a paid plan.
  • Protocol testing: Test a Shadowsocks subscription against a VLESS/Reality one to see which protocol performs better on your network path.

Switching profiles is instant — just click the target subscription card in the Profiles tab. All saved URLs and update histories are preserved; you never need to re-import a subscription. Note that each profile may have a different set of proxy groups and rules, so your "selected node" resets to the profile's default when you switch.

Subscription Override (Advanced)

Clash Verge Rev includes a powerful Override feature that lets you inject custom YAML snippets on top of your subscription without modifying the original. This is useful when you want to add personal routing rules, custom DNS settings, or additional proxy groups while keeping the base subscription intact and updatable.

To use overrides: right-click a subscription card → "Edit" → enable "Override". You can then write YAML rules that will be merged into the config at activation time. For example, you might add a DOMAIN-SUFFIX,mycompany.intranet,DIRECT rule to ensure corporate traffic bypasses the proxy — without editing the provider's YAML (which would be overwritten on the next update).

This approach is especially useful for power users who want the convenience of a managed subscription while retaining fine-grained routing control.

Fixing Common Subscription Issues

If updates fail or imports return errors, work through these checks in order:

  • System Proxy is off: Some subscription URLs require a proxy to reach. Make sure Clash's System Proxy is enabled with a working node, or enable "Update via Proxy" in the subscription settings, then retry.
  • Subscription expired: Free trials and time-limited plans expire. An expired account returns an empty config even if the URL looks valid. Log in to your provider's dashboard to check account status and renew if needed.
  • Data quota exhausted: Some providers return an empty config or a quota-exceeded landing page when your monthly bandwidth runs out. Check your remaining data in the dashboard. The subscription URL itself is still valid — it will work normally after your quota resets.
  • Malformed URL: Confirm the link starts with https:// and contains no extra spaces or line breaks. When in doubt, re-copy it directly from your provider's dashboard rather than forwarding it through a messaging app (which may wrap long URLs).
  • All nodes timed out after update: The subscription file was fetched successfully but the nodes inside have gone offline or been blocked. Contact your provider and request a node refresh. Once they push new nodes, click the manual update button to sync immediately.
  • Profile shows 0 nodes: The config was downloaded but the YAML parser found no valid proxies. This usually means the subscription format isn't compatible with your Clash version. Try switching to a different Clash client (e.g., FlClash or Clash Nyanpasu) to test compatibility, or ask your provider for a "Mihomo-compatible" subscription link.

Running into other Clash issues? Visit our Help Center or check the full tutorial for platform-specific setup guides.

Subscription Profiles Auto-Update Clash Verge Rev