ShadowrocketThe second tab, Config Files, holds routing config, not the node list. In LOCAL FILES, the copy with the checkmark is the one in use — often named default.conf. Open it to see how many Rule lines you have. Updating a subscription only changes the server list on Home. It will not swap this config for you.
Many people keep rules and the subscription in the same note, then paste both into Subscribe. The app will not read rule text as routing. Import rules in Config, or add a remote config file. Node subscriptions and rule files both look like links. Read the label before you paste.
Three words are enough
PROXY: this traffic uses the node you selected on Home. Destinations that should go through the proxy usually land here.
DIRECT: no node. Local sites, LAN, and Apple services you want to keep fast often go here. Direct is not “the rule failed.” It is the rule saying do not detour.
REJECT: drop it. Ads, trackers, and hosts you do not want the device to reach use this. If you mark a daily site REJECT, it will not open, while node latency still looks fine. Test Rule will show that.
Daily use versus when to use global
Daily use is rule mode: keep local traffic and logins on DIRECT; send only the destinations that need the proxy through PROXY. That saves battery and keeps banking and payments off an unstable node. Global means almost all traffic uses the current node. It drains battery and can slow sites that were already fast locally.
Global is for comparison, not a long-term switch. If global works and rule mode fails, the rules are wrong, not the node. If global also fails, swap nodes first. Do not keep stacking files in Config.
Global Routing on Home is the comparison switch. Changing it does not edit the file in Config — it only changes the path right now. Switch it back after the test, so you do not wonder why local sites suddenly got slow.
How to accept a rule set
After import or update, open a local site. Speed should be close to a direct connection. Then open a destination that should use the node. If both are slow, the node may be carrying local traffic too, or the rules sent local domains to PROXY. If local is fast and the proxy destination does not move, swap nodes or check permission as in the previous article.
Test Rule in Config shows which policy a domain hits right now. Do not guess. Paste the failing hostname and read PROXY, DIRECT, or REJECT. If the result is not what you expected, change the rules or the config. That beats refreshing the browser twenty times.
Rule files go stale. If the remote list is not updated, new domains can land on the wrong policy. Updating rules and updating the node subscription are two actions — Config and Home. Do not update only one side and decide “Shadowrocket is broken.”
Do not stack many sets at once
Several remote configs on top of each other will fight. Later writes may not apply in the order you expect, and troubleshooting looks like random failure. When you need new rules, see which file has the checkmark, then decide to update it or replace it.
This site does not ship or recommend a specific rule repo. Use a source you trust, and read the date and notes. An unknown config can send daily domains to REJECT, or send traffic that should stay local entirely to PROXY.
Writing your own rules is fine — start with a small change. Verify one line with Test Rule, then widen the scope. Edit dozens at once and you will not know which line to undo.
See it together with nodes and backup
The node decides “which host, when you proxy.” Rules decide “whether to proxy.” With no node, even a perfect rule set has no PROXY exit. Many nodes plus a DIRECT hit on that domain feels like “connected but useless.”
When you switch phones, take both the rule file and the node list. Export servers and forget Config, and the new phone falls back to the default — it will look like a failed backup. Export and iCloud in Data help, but keep a copy of the important files yourself.
What you actually see in Config
Open Config Files: local files on top, remote subscribed configs possibly below. The active copy has a checkmark on the left. Open default.conf (or similar) to see General and Rule. Rule counts can be huge — you do not read every line. You need to update it, replace it, and Test Rule one domain.
A remote config needs its URL, much like adding a node subscription, but the door is Config, not the plus button on Home. Put it in the wrong place and Home grows odd entries, or Config does not change. When you are unsure, go back to the note you were given: does it say server, subscription, clash, or conf? This site does not hand out those URLs.
Apple’s own services, system updates, and some payment pages are picky about latency and certificates. Keep them DIRECT when you can. You do not need to force them into PROXY for “everything through the node.” Global comparison can do that temporarily. Daily use does not need it.
After you change rules, old page connections may still follow the previous path. Use a private window, or toggle Shadowrocket off and on, then test. Do not judge from the same tab you already had open.
More rules are not better. One config with a clear source and a recent date is easier than three remote files that overwrite each other. You should be able to name the file in effect. If you cannot, keep only one. Traffic follows the checkmark, not how pretty the node list looks on Home.
On-screen steps: Guide: rules. Connection checks: Connected, but pages still will not load. No client yet? Start at the download page and get the app from the App Store only.
The subscription answers where nodes come from. Rules answer where traffic goes. Do not cram both steps into the same field.