This guide is for iPhone and iPad users who already have their own subscription in Shadowrocket and want to understand the Global Routing choices on Home. Learn how Config, Proxy, Direct, and Scene differ; find the setting; and verify what happens to a new request. The routing mode, selected connection, active configuration, and VPN connection status are separate checks—confirm all four before troubleshooting.
1. What Global Routing controls
Global Routing determines how Shadowrocket handles traffic while its system VPN connection is active. It selects a routing approach; it does not choose or validate a subscription, create a connection configuration, or guarantee that a destination is reachable. The selected mode is one part of the path between an app’s request and its destination.
In everyday use, the four labels are Config, Proxy, Direct, and Scene. Config means routing according to rules in the active configuration. Proxy applies a proxy route broadly rather than using the configuration’s usual per-domain decisions. Direct sends handled traffic directly instead of through a proxy. Scene uses the routing setup associated with the selected scene. A mode is not a speed setting, and selecting one does not prove that the current request followed the intended route.
There are two different uses of the word Config. The Config screen is where configuration files are managed and selected; Config in Global Routing is a routing mode. Selecting a file does not necessarily mean Global Routing is set to use its rules. Before a test, note both the active file and the mode shown on Home.
The VPN status indicator answers whether a tunnel is connected; it does not, on its own, tell you whether a particular request was proxied. Likewise, seeing a selected server in Home does not show which route a website used. Record the mode, active connection, and result of a fresh request separately.
2. How Config, Proxy, Direct, and Scene differ
Choose a mode according to the routing behavior you need, not just the wording of a website test. For rule-based everyday use, Config is generally the appropriate starting point when the active configuration contains the intended rules. For a temporary broad proxy test, Proxy can help determine whether a request works when it is not being sent directly by a matching rule. Use Direct to check a direct path or isolate whether proxy handling is involved. Use Scene only when you have configured and selected a scene for the behavior you want.
Follows the rules in the active configuration. A matching rule can send traffic through a proxy or directly; the fallback applies when no earlier rule matches.
Suitable for: everyday rule-based routing
Uses a proxy route broadly, rather than making the usual per-destination decision from the active rule list. The selected connection still needs to be usable.
Suitable for: a temporary proxy-path check
Sends handled traffic directly instead of through a proxy. It is useful for testing direct access, but it does not turn off the system VPN connection.
Suitable for: isolating direct connectivity
Uses the selected scene’s routing setup. The outcome depends on the scene and its settings; selecting Scene alone does not define a route.
Suitable for: a scene you have already configured
With Config, rule order matters. For example, DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,PROXY directs matching domains to the proxy policy, while a rule with DIRECT sends matching traffic directly. FINAL is the fallback when no preceding rule matches. A test site may therefore behave differently from another site even when the mode is unchanged. If the selected configuration has a broad or unexpected rule, changing the server may not address the cause.
With Proxy, a failed page load is not proof that Global Routing ignored the selection. The selected connection, its protocol settings, the destination, and network conditions can all affect the result. With Direct, failure can simply mean the destination is not reachable directly from the current network. Treat each mode as a way to test a path, not as a guarantee that every request will succeed.
Scene is not a synonym for Config or a universal “smart” mode. A scene’s behavior depends on how it has been set up and which scene is selected. If you have not intentionally configured scenes, do not choose Scene as a shortcut to rule-based routing; select Config and verify the active configuration instead.
3. Find the setting and choose a mode
On iPhone or iPad, open Shadowrocket and go to Home. Find Global Routing and select the mode you want to test. Interface layout can vary, so follow the English label rather than expecting a particular screen position. Before changing it, make a note of the current selection; that makes it easier to restore your everyday setup after a temporary test.
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Check Home
Open
Home. Confirm that the connection you intend to use is selected and that the connection switch reflects the state you expect. A selected entry is not the same as an active VPN connection. -
Check the file
Open
Configand confirm that the intended configuration is selected. If you use rule-based routing, check that this file contains the rules you expect, including an appropriateFINALfallback if one is part of your setup. -
Select a mode
Return to
Home→Global Routing. ChooseConfigfor rules,Proxyfor a temporary broad proxy-path test,Directfor a direct-path test, orSceneonly if you intend to use a configured scene. -
Test a request
Establish the connection if needed, then make a new request to a destination suitable for the test. Reopen the page or app to avoid relying on a long-lived connection created before the routing change.
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Restore your setup
After a temporary test, return to
Home→Global Routingand restore your normal mode. If your normal behavior uses the active configuration’s rules, selectConfig.
Use the following decision guide as a starting point. It describes the purpose of each mode, not a promise that a particular destination or network will work.
Choose by the question you need to answer
Everyday routing
- Want requests to follow configured domain and network rules? Select
Config. - Want a particular site to go direct or through a proxy? Check which rule matches it.
- Want a scene’s custom behavior? Select
Sceneonly after checking that scene.
Temporary diagnosis
- Testing whether a proxy path works broadly? Try
Proxyand use a fresh request. - Testing whether direct access works? Try
Directand compare the result. - Finished testing? Restore the everyday mode and record what changed.
Change one routing variable at a time; keep the selected connection and test destination consistent.
4. Verify the route and troubleshoot mismatches
A reliable check separates configuration, routing choice, tunnel status, and request outcome. If a site loads, that alone does not establish which mode handled it. If it fails, that alone does not establish that the mode was ignored. Use a repeatable test: keep the network and destination the same, change only the mode, and make a fresh request after each change.
| What you observe | What to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| A site’s route differs from what you expected in Config | Global Routing is set to Config; the intended file is active; an earlier rule or fallback matches the destination | Check the rule order and the policy on the matching line |
| Proxy is selected, but a page does not load | The VPN connection is active; the intended connection is selected; the destination request is new | Check the connection and test another appropriate destination without changing several settings at once |
| Direct is selected, but a page does not load | Whether the destination is reachable directly on the current network | Compare with the intended proxy path, then restore the normal mode |
| Scene behaves unexpectedly | Which scene is selected and how that scene is configured | Review the scene’s setup; use Config if you intend to follow the active configuration rules |
| VPN appears connected, but traffic seems direct | Global Routing and the matching rule, separately from VPN status | Check whether the request matched a DIRECT rule or used Direct mode |
When using Config, inspect the rules from top to bottom. A specific rule placed after a broader matching rule may never determine the result for that request. Check the actual destination domain and whether a rule matches the full domain, a suffix, an IP range, or another supported condition. Then check the policy at the end of the matching line. Do not infer the route from the server name or from the name of the configuration file.
Also distinguish a route from a connection trigger. On Demand controls when a VPN connection is requested under configured conditions; Global Routing controls the routing mode once traffic is handled. A connected VPN indicator therefore does not mean that every request uses a proxy. If the tunnel does not connect, resolve that connection-state issue before drawing conclusions from routing tests.
Keep a short test record: date and time, network type, active configuration, selected connection, Global Routing mode, destination, and observed result. If you switch modes, change only that one setting, repeat the same request, and then restore your usual mode. This makes a useful comparison possible without treating a single timeout or cached page as proof.
5. Quick checks for common questions
These checks address frequent points of confusion without replacing a controlled test. Start with the current value on Home, then confirm the active configuration and connection separately.
Does Config mean the Config screen is open?
No. Config in Global Routing is a mode that follows rules in the active configuration. The Config screen is where you manage and select configuration files. Check both when you want rule-based routing.
Does Direct turn off the VPN?
No. Direct changes the route for handled traffic; it does not, by itself, disable the system VPN connection. Check the connection state and Global Routing as separate items on Home.
Why does one site use a different route?
If Global Routing is Config, different domains can match different rules. In the active configuration, locate the destination’s matching rule and check whether its policy is PROXY or DIRECT.
Should I leave Proxy selected all the time?
Choose it only if its broad proxy behavior matches your intended setup. If your everyday setup depends on per-destination rules, restore Config after a temporary test.
The practical default is to use the mode that matches the setup you have actually configured. For rule-based everyday use, verify the selected file and choose Config. Use Proxy and Direct as deliberate diagnostic choices, and use Scene only when you have checked the selected scene. After any change, verify a fresh request and restore your normal routing mode.