Shadowrocket Subscription Setup: Subscribe, Add Server, QR Codes & Clipboard

First, identify what you have: a subscription URL isn't a config file

Shadowrocket's import options handle different kinds of content. A node subscription fetches and updates multiple server entries. A remote configuration usually contains routing rules and global settings. A single share link describes one server. Even if all three look like text, they aren't interchangeable and require different import options.

Get the subscription link from your service provider. Don't mistake an account login page, purchase history, or explanatory text on a website for a subscription URL. HTTP or HTTPS describes how the address is accessed; it doesn't guarantee that the response is in a format Shadowrocket can recognize. Confirm the content type with your provider as well.

For example, if the link is https://example.com/sub?token=xxxx, copy the entire line, including everything after the question mark. This address is for illustration only and can't be used to connect. A token in a real subscription is an access credential; don't share it in screenshots, chat messages, or troubleshooting reports.

Subscribe: Know the difference between Home and Config subscriptions

To add multiple servers, use the add option in Home. Select Subscribe under Type, then enter the subscription URL from your service provider. After saving, check that a subscription group appears and that it contains server entries. If you see only a group name with no entries, the subscription may not have downloaded successfully or its contents couldn't be parsed. That doesn't mean the import is complete.

Subscribe in Config is for remote configuration subscriptions. It handles a different kind of content from Subscribe in Home, which imports servers. To add a remote configuration, enter its URL from Config's add option, download it, and then select the configuration. Subscribe lets you view or manage these configuration subscriptions. Don't enter an arbitrary node subscription URL in Config expecting it to create a complete rule configuration.

1. Check the URL

   Get the node subscription URL from your service provider and make sure it isn't a login page. When copying, keep ?, &, =, and all the parameters that follow.

2. Select the type

   Go to Home → +. In the Add Server form, select Subscribe under Type instead of reusing the protocol type from your last manual entry.

3. Enter the URL

   Paste the full URL into URL, add a recognizable note, and save. The name affects only how the entry is displayed; it doesn't change the URL or authentication details.

4. Check the entries

   Return to Home and wait for the initial fetch to finish. If needed, pull down to refresh, then check whether server entries appear under the subscription and whether their number matches what your provider described.

5. Keep the subscription

   Update the existing subscription group instead of adding the same URL again each time. An update may replace server fields, so temporary changes to individual entries may not persist.

Add Server: Enter connection details manually by protocol

If you have server details but no subscription URL, go to Home → + to open Add Server. Select a Type, then enter the address, port, and authentication details in the relevant fields. Shadowsocks, VMess, VLESS, Trojan, Hysteria2, and WireGuard require different fields. Don't copy the same set of values across Types just because they can all establish proxy connections.

For example, VLESS commonly uses a UUID as the user identifier, while Trojan uses Password. If TLS is enabled, also check the server name, certificate, and transport settings provided by your service provider. The address can be a domain name, and the port must be the integer specified by your provider. The example port 443 isn't a universal default.

Saving a manual entry stores only the current connection details; it won't track future changes made by your service provider. If the server domain, port, or authentication details change, edit the entry. If an existing subscription provides the same server, update the subscription instead to avoid maintaining two conflicting entries.

QR scanning: The code determines what gets imported

The scanner is at the top of Home. Allow camera access when prompted the first time you use it. If the camera won't open, check Shadowrocket's camera permission in system settings. Keep the entire QR code in the viewfinder; don't cover its edges or scan only the center.

A QR code is just a way to carry text; it doesn't necessarily contain a subscription. It may contain a single ss://, vmess://, vless://, or trojan:// share link, or it may contain an HTTPS URL. After scanning, check the import prompt to see whether it produced one server entry or a URL that should be handled as a subscription.

• No result: Check image clarity, glare, and framing. Increase the screen brightness and scan again, or ask your service provider for the original text link.
• A regular webpage was detected: The QR code may contain an information page or account page. Don't save it as a node subscription.
• An entry appears, but fields are missing: Check that the QR code is complete, the link hasn't been truncated, and the current protocol's parameters were parsed correctly.
• The QR code is on the same device: Use the photo library option in the scanner, if available, or copy the original link and import it from the clipboard. There's no need to scan the screen with another camera.

If your service provider replaces the QR code, manually imported entries won't update automatically. To keep a server list in sync, use the subscription URL they provide instead of relying on a one-time scan.

Clipboard import: Copy the full link, not the surrounding instructions

After copying a protocol share link, return to Home and check for a clipboard import prompt. You can also choose the clipboard import option from the add menu. When prompted to allow pasting, permit access for this import. If no prompt appears, make sure the clipboard still contains the link, then open the relevant import option again.

Share links often begin with a protocol prefix, such as ss://, vmess://, vless://, or trojan://. Encoded content, percent escapes, and query parameters are all part of the link. Don't decode or remove them, or replace them with punctuation. A server domain by itself isn't a complete share link.

For an HTTPS subscription URL, Home → + → Type → Subscribe makes it easier to confirm you're importing the right content. When copying multiple share links, put one link on each line and remove bullets, quotation marks, and explanatory text. After importing, check each entry's name and parameters. Clipboard read errors happen during import and are unrelated to whether a proxy connection succeeds.

After importing: Update, then test the connection and routing

A successful import only means the content was saved or parsed; it doesn't guarantee the remote service is reachable. Return to Home, select an entry, run Connectivity Test, and then turn on the connection. When connecting for the first time, allow Shadowrocket to add a VPN configuration when prompted. A test response only confirms that the tested path responded; verify the connection with your actual destination as well.

1. Check the selected entry: Make sure it's from the subscription group you just imported, not an older saved entry.
2. Check Global Routing: Proxy routes traffic through a proxy; Direct connects without one; Config routes traffic according to the selected configuration; Scene applies the settings for the selected scene. Accessing a website in Direct mode doesn't verify that the proxy works.
3. Check Config: In Config mode, make sure the intended configuration is selected. Rules are matched in order. For example, DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,DIRECT routes the matching domain through DIRECT, while FINAL acts as a fallback.
4. Check automatic connections: Settings → On Demand manages connections triggered by conditions. It doesn't download subscriptions or fix incorrect server details. While troubleshooting manually, first check the current connection status.

Updating a subscription and connecting to a server are separate network requests. The first can fail if the subscription URL has expired; the second can fail if an individual server is unreachable. When troubleshooting, note the exact error, which step it occurred at, and the current network type. Avoid vague reports such as “import failed” or “it doesn't work.”

Common errors: Troubleshoot by failure stage