How to Import a Clash Subscription URL: Steps and Formats

Before Importing: Check the URL, Format, and Core

A Clash subscription URL is an address for retrieving a remote configuration, not a single proxy node. The client requests the URL, saves the response as a profile, and passes the resulting configuration to the core. A successful import only confirms that the configuration was fetched and parsed. You still need to check that usable nodes are available and that rules point to the right proxy groups.

Clash Nyanpasu is a desktop profile manager. Protocol support depends on the selected core and its version. The successor project to Clash Meta is called mihomo; configurations generated for mihomo may contain fields that older Clash versions do not recognize. If a subscription service offers multiple endpoints, choose the Clash or mihomo format that matches your current core instead of copying a generic proxy list.

• URL source: Copy the complete HTTPS link from your subscription account page. Do not copy the account-management page URL from your browser.
• Output format: Check that the service labels the format as Clash YAML, Clash Meta, or mihomo, and review its format documentation.
• Access credentials: Keep the query parameters intact. Tokens in the URL usually authenticate your request; removing part of the query string may cause it to be rejected.
• Current profile: Note the existing profile name and active proxy group so you have a reference point if you need to roll back.

How to Import a Subscription URL in Clash Nyanpasu

The steps below use the remote profile workflow. Depending on the release, the button may say “New” or “Import,” or appear as a plus icon. The process is the same: create a remote entry on the Profiles page, enter the URL, download it, and select the profile. Do not enter a subscription URL as a system proxy or external controller address.

1. Open Profiles. Select “Profiles” in the client sidebar and find the option to create or import a profile. If the client offers “Local” and “Remote” types, choose Remote.
2. Choose a distinct name. For example, “Everyday - Primary.” The name is only for local organization and does not change the proxy nodes returned by the service.
3. Paste the full URL. Check that it starts with https:// and has no extra spaces, line breaks, or smart quotes at the end. The & and = characters in the URL separate query parameters; do not remove them.
4. Import and wait for the result. Watch for download failures, authentication errors, or YAML parsing errors. If something goes wrong, keep your existing profile and avoid creating multiple copies of the same entry.
5. Select the new profile. Set the new entry as the active profile in the list. Saving a remote entry does not necessarily switch the configuration currently in use.
6. Check proxies and rules. Open the Proxies page and confirm that nodes or proxy groups appear. Then check the logs for core errors such as missing proxy groups or unknown proxy types.

Run a Quick Check After Importing

Keep Rule mode enabled, select an actual proxy node, and visit the site you want to test. Then check the connection log for the matched rule and outbound route. A successful latency test only confirms a connection to the test endpoint; it does not mean every site is reachable. If the profile contains only DIRECT, there are no proxy nodes to select, so an “active” profile does not prove that proxying works.

System proxy and TUN are ways to route traffic; they do not convert subscriptions into proxy nodes. For initial troubleshooting, try the system proxy first to avoid changing DNS, TUN, and routing at the same time. Whether a browser uses the proxy also depends on its settings. Apps that do not use the system proxy need separate configuration or another suitable connection method.

Clash YAML vs. Base64 vs. Single-Node Links

Neither a file extension nor a URL’s appearance is enough to identify a subscription format. A URL without a .yaml extension may return a Clash configuration, while a URL ending in .yaml may return a login page. Check the actual response body and whether its structure matches the target core.

Valid YAML does not guarantee a working configuration

YAML is a data format; colons and indentation alone do not make a configuration usable. Here is a minimal example to illustrate the structure: it listens on port 7890 and has a proxy group with only a direct connection, so it cannot proxy traffic. A real subscription also needs node definitions or a proxy provider to load them.

mixed-port: 7890
mode: rule
log-level: info

proxies: []

proxy-groups:
  - name: Manual Select
    type: select
    proxies:
      - DIRECT

rules:
  - MATCH,Manual Select

Every member of proxy-groups must resolve to a defined node, another valid proxy group, or a built-in outbound. In the example above, MATCH,Manual Select references a proxy group by name, so the names must match exactly. If you use a proxy provider, also check that use references an existing provider name. For details on all fields, see the YAML Configuration Guide.

Base64 Decoding Is Not Configuration Conversion

Base64 is an encoding method, not encryption. It does not provide rules, proxy groups, or DNS settings. Decoding it may simply give you a list of proxy URIs. Actual conversion requires parsing protocol parameters, mapping them to fields supported by the target core, creating proxy groups, and adding rules. Renaming the source file to config.yaml does none of this.

Subscription Conversion: Use a Native Format First

If the service provides a Clash or mihomo endpoint, use it first. This avoids issues caused by field mapping and template differences. Consider conversion only if you have a generic proxy subscription that the client cannot use directly as a profile.

1. Identify the source format. Distinguish between a full configuration, a proxy list, and a provider file. A proxy list has no routing rules, so do not assume conversion will preserve any existing routing policy.
2. Choose the target core. If you select or specify mihomo as the target, make sure the running core is compatible. A converter cannot add support for newer protocols to an older core.
3. Use a conversion method you control. Prefer a locally run tool or a conversion service you manage. A remote conversion service can access your source subscription URL and the proxy credentials in its response.
4. Review the converted output. Check the number of nodes, protocol types, TLS parameters, proxy group names, and final MATCH rule. Then import it as a separate test profile.

Update Intervals and Manual Edits: Two Separate Layers

Remote profile updates and proxy provider updates are separate mechanisms. The client downloads the entire profile for a remote update, while the core refreshes the node file according to the proxy-providers settings. They may use different URLs and update on different schedules.

Updating a Remote Profile in the Client

On the “Profiles” page, open the edit option for the entry and look for an update interval or auto-update setting. Depending on the version, the value may be in minutes or another unit; check the label next to the field. For example, if the unit is minutes, 360 means 6 hours. If the unit is seconds, 6 hours is 21600. Do not copy a value without checking its unit.

For subscriptions that rarely change, start with an update every 6 hours. Refresh manually if a node stops working or the service announces a change. Follow any request-frequency limits set by the service. Auto-update is not a precise wall-clock schedule when the client is closed, the device is asleep, or the network is offline.

Updating Core Proxy Providers

In mihomo, the interval for an HTTP proxy provider is measured in seconds. The snippet below refreshes the provider file every 3,600 seconds. The URL is for illustration only and will not work with a real subscription. Add this snippet to a complete configuration and reference the provider from a proxy group using use.

proxy-providers:
  remote-nodes:
    type: http
    url: "https://example.net/clash-provider.yaml"
    path: ./providers/remote-nodes.yaml
    interval: 3600

Edits made directly to a downloaded remote profile may be overwritten by the next update. To keep personal rules, ports, or DNS changes, use an override or merge mechanism supported by your version and inspect the final generated configuration. Do not assume local edits will be sent back to the subscription service, and avoid combining the original profile and personal changes into a file that is difficult to restore.

Troubleshooting Subscription Import Failures

Check each layer in order: did the request succeed, is the response in the right format, is the core compatible, and is traffic being routed through it? Change one thing at a time and note whether the error occurs during download or core startup. These require different fixes.

Why Does the Link Open in My Browser but Fail in the Client?

The browser and client may use different routes. The browser might include a login cookie or access the link through an existing proxy, while the client's subscription request may connect directly or use different request headers. Some services also return different formats based on the User-Agent. So seeing content in a browser does not prove that the client received the same YAML.

If the subscription domain must be accessed through a proxy, keep a working profile and check whether your client version has a proxy option for subscription updates. Do not delete your only working profile just to download a new subscription. Before sharing logs, redact the full URL, especially credentials in the request path and query parameters.

Post-Import Checklist

• The correct profile is active, and the result of its most recent update is clear.
• Nodes and proxy groups have loaded, and all names referenced by rules are present.
• The update interval value matches its unit; minutes have not been mistaken for seconds.
• Connection logs show the expected rule and outbound route, confirming that app traffic reaches the core.
• Personal changes are saved using a maintainable override method, and the previous profile is still available for rollback.

A successful subscription import depends on matching the URL response, configuration structure, and running core. Check the format and authentication first, then verify rules and traffic routing to avoid mistaking a network issue for a YAML problem. For your first setup, follow the Quick Start Guide to configure the system proxy and test a basic connection. For terms such as Profile and proxy group, see the Glossary.