The Proxies page offers three modes: Rule, Global, Direct. They decide what happens to traffic once it reaches the core. Sitting in the wrong mode is one of the most common beginner problems — usually Direct, wondering why the proxy "does nothing".

The Clash rule engine deciding between proxy and direct connection per domain
In Rule mode every connection runs down your rule list until one matches

Rule mode: the everyday default

Every connection is matched top-to-bottom against the rule list in your config. A typical subscription's rules boil down to:

DOMAIN-SUFFIX,youtube.com,PROXY   # YouTube via proxy
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,intranet.local,DIRECT
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT                   # local IPs connect directly
MATCH,PROXY                       # everything else via proxy

The result: local sites stay fast and direct, foreign sites ride the tunnel automatically. You should be in Rule mode 95% of the time. The rules themselves are extendable — see the custom rules guide.

Global mode: the sledgehammer

Skips all rules; everything goes to your selected node. Two legitimate uses:

  • Debugging — suspect a rule is misrouting a site? Switch to Global and compare;
  • Special cases — the whole machine's traffic must exit in a specific country for a while.

Not a daily driver: local traffic detours through the proxy, everything slows down, and your quota drains for no benefit.

Direct mode: the pause button

All traffic connects directly, as if no proxy existed. Handy when you briefly need a clean connection without quitting the app. One subtlety: the system proxy still points at Clash, so traffic still flows through the core — it just skips the nodes. When debugging networks or capturing packets, remember this differs from actually exiting Clash Verge.

Beyond modes: the group selection matters too

Modes decide whether rules apply; which node the PROXY exit actually uses is decided by your selection in the proxy groups. Group types you will meet:

Group typeBehavior
selectManual — whatever you clicked
url-testAutomatically picks the lowest-latency node
fallbackSwitches to a backup when the primary dies
load-balanceSpreads traffic across nodes

How to read latency numbers and choose well is covered in node selection and latency testing.

Switching modes quickly

Right-click the tray icon — all three modes are right there, no main window needed. Assigning a global hotkey to mode switching is described in hotkeys and tray tips.