How to Import a Clash Subscription Link: Formats & Setup Guide

What Is a Subscription Link

A subscription link is a URL generated by your service provider. Your client sends a request to that URL on a schedule and gets back a list of proxy nodes — server addresses, ports, encryption methods, and protocol types, anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred entries at once. Unlike a single-node share link (ss://, vmess://, trojan://), a subscription link describes a constantly changing group of nodes rather than one fixed server.

The URL usually contains a unique user identifier (a token). Your provider uses this token to recognize your account and return the nodes tied to your plan, along with a subscription-userinfo response header showing data used, total data allowance, and expiration date. The remaining traffic shown in your client's interface comes straight from that header.

Subscription links vs. single-node links:

• Coverage: a single-node link holds one server; a subscription link delivers the entire node list in one go.
• Updates: change a parameter on a single-node link and you have to edit it by hand; a subscription link gets refreshed by the client, so added or removed nodes sync automatically.
• Content: a Clash-format subscription also bundles proxy groups and routing rules, while a single-node link only carries connection parameters.

Common Subscription Formats: Base64 vs. YAML

The same subscription URL can return different content formats depending on the server. The two most common are a Base64-encoded list of share links and native Clash YAML config. Before importing, figure out which one you're dealing with.

Base64 Subscription (Universal Subscription)

This format takes several ss://, vmess://, or trojan:// share links, joins them line by line, then Base64-encodes the whole block. It's a convention carried over from v2ray-style clients, and many providers label it a universal subscription. Decoded, it looks like this:

ss://[email protected]:8388#HK-01
trojan://[email protected]:443#JP-02
vmess://eyJ2IjoiMiIsInBzIjoiQ04tMDMifQ==

The encoded output is one long string with no line breaks; if the first node is an ss:// link, the encoded result starts with c3M6Ly9. A Base64 subscription only contains the nodes themselves — no proxy groups or routing rules. Most mihomo-core clients can read this format, but groups and rules have to come from the client's own built-in template.

Clash YAML Subscription

The server returns a complete Clash config directly, made up of three sections: proxies (nodes), proxy-groups (groups), and rules (routing rules). This is the native format for both Clash and Clash Meta (mihomo) cores, structured like this:

proxies:
  - name: "HK-01"
    type: ss
    server: 203.0.113.10
    port: 8388
    cipher: aes-256-gcm
    password: "pass"
proxy-groups:
  - name: "PROXY"
    type: select
    proxies:
      - "HK-01"
      - "DIRECT"
rules:
  - "DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,PROXY"
  - "MATCH,DIRECT"

What providers usually return is a full config: alongside the node list, it comes with a maintained set of routing rules that the client can use right after import. Some dashboards also offer a node-only YAML with just the proxies section, meant for advanced setups like proxy-providers references.

Format	Content Structure	Groups & Rules	Typical Source	mihomo Compatibility
Base64 list	Multiple share links encoded as one block	Not included	v2ray-style dashboards, providers labeling it universal subscription	Recognized by most clients
Full Clash YAML config	proxies + proxy-groups + rules	Included	Providers labeling it Clash subscription	Native support
proxies-only YAML	Node section only	Not included	Subscription converter output, proxy-providers references	Native support (as a node source)

General Steps to Import a Subscription Link

The interface varies by client, but the flow is the same: copy the link, create a new remote profile, paste it in, download it, and set it as the active profile. If you haven't installed a client yet, head to the download page and pick one for your platform.

1. Get your link. Log into your provider's dashboard and look for a button labeled Clash subscription or Copy subscription URL. If both a universal subscription and a Clash subscription are offered, grab the Clash one.
2. Open profile management. In Clash Verge Rev, it's the Profiles page in the sidebar; in FlClash, it's the Profile tab; in Clash Plus (iOS), it's the Config tab. Look for a New, Import, or plus-icon button.
3. Create a new remote profile. Set the type to URL or Remote, paste in the subscription link, give it a name you'll recognize, and save. The client will download and parse it immediately.
4. Set it as the active profile. Select the profile you just imported from the list to make it the one in use.
5. Check the connection. Go back to the home screen, pick Rule mode and a node, turn on the system proxy or TUN mode (see the glossary for details), then visit an IP lookup site to confirm your outbound IP has changed.

Quick Reference by Platform

• Windows / macOS (Clash Verge Rev): Profiles page → New → paste the URL → Save; use the refresh icon on the profile card to update it.
• Android (FlClash): Profile tab → New button (bottom right) → Import from URL.
• iOS (Clash Plus): Config → New Remote Profile → paste the URL → Download.

Subscription Conversion: When You Need It and What It Costs

Subscription conversion means turning one subscription format into another. The most common case is converting a Base64 universal subscription into Clash YAML, and the go-to tool for this is subconverter. A conversion link works by taking your original subscription URL and passing it as a parameter to the converter service's URL.

When you need conversion:

• Your provider only offers a universal subscription, but your client only accepts Clash configs.
• You need custom proxy groups or rule templates, and the provider's default output doesn't cut it.

What it costs you:

• The conversion service sees your full subscription content, including the token and every node's details. Once your subscription credential passes through a third party, your exposure risk goes up.
• The rule template in the converted output is maintained by the conversion service, so routing behavior might not match what you expect — spot-check key rules after importing.
• Order of preference: your provider's built-in Clash subscription endpoint beats a self-hosted converter, which beats a public conversion site.

Updating Subscriptions: Manual, Automatic, and Troubleshooting Failures

The node list changes as your provider makes adjustments on their end, so your subscription needs periodic updates.

• Manual update: use the Update or Refresh button on the profile card. This re-fetches the node list; nodes already selected in your groups are generally kept, matched by name.
• Automatic update: most clients support updating on a set interval. Node lists don't change that often, so once every 12–24 hours is plenty — shorter intervals don't gain you anything.
• Data usage and expiration: when the server sends back a subscription-userinfo header, the client shows remaining data and expiration date; if it doesn't, nothing is displayed, which is normal.

Troubleshooting Failed Updates

1. Network path: confirm the subscription server is directly reachable, and check whether your routing rules are accidentally proxying the subscription domain.
2. The link itself: check whether the link has been reset, or whether a stray space or line break snuck in when you copied it.
3. Account status: check whether your plan has expired or your data allowance is used up. Some providers return an empty response or an error page in that case.
4. Format mismatch: open the subscription link directly in a browser and check whether it returns a Base64 string or plain YAML text, then compare that against what your client expects.

FAQ

Import succeeds but the node list is empty

This is usually a format mismatch between the response and the client, or there are simply no available nodes on the account. Opening the subscription link in a browser to see the actual response is the fastest way to diagnose it.

Can one subscription be used on multiple devices?

Importing the same link on multiple devices generally works fine, but providers often cap the number of simultaneous connections or IPs, and you'll get disconnected past that limit. Check your provider's terms for the exact cap.

What if my subscription link leaks?

Reset your subscription link from your provider's dashboard. The old link stops working immediately, and every device will need to re-import using the new link. Node data already downloaded locally on a client still works, but it can no longer be updated.

Node names are garbled or duplicated

Node naming is entirely up to the provider. Some clients let you filter or rename nodes using regular expressions; if yours doesn't support that, you'll need to wait for the provider to fix it on their end.