Clicking Download on the Profiles page and getting an error? Match the message against the cases below, ordered by frequency.
1: network errors (timeout / ECONNREFUSED / ENOTFOUND)
The subscription domain is unreachable from your current network - ISP-level blocking of subscription hosts is routine. Three ways out:
- Any working node in CFW? Connect through it first, then retry the update (updates go through the proxy).
- Providers usually publish several subscription domains - try each.
- No working node at all: tether the PC to a phone hotspot, import, then switch back.
2: update fails, but the old profile still works
The cached config keeps working; only refreshing fails. Besides the network causes above, check whether the plan has expired - many providers return 4xx for lapsed accounts. Confirm in the user panel.
3: Invalid YAML / unsupported format
What downloaded is not a Clash config:
- You copied a V2Ray/SSR/base64 link → find the Clash-specific subscription on the provider's site, or convert the generic link with a subscription converter.
- The link requires login and returned an HTML login page → re-copy the complete tokenized URL.
4: certificate errors (certificate has expired / unable to verify)
The subscription site's HTTPS certificate failed validation. First confirm your system clock is correct (clock skew fails all certificate checks); if it persists, contact the provider.
5: 403 Forbidden
Some providers filter by User-Agent or rate-limit. Wait a few minutes; or reset the subscription URL in the panel (the old one may be banned).
6: fails only when the proxy is on (loopback deadlock)
Some configs route the subscription domain through the proxy while the current node is dead - a deadlock: updating needs the proxy, the proxy needs the update. Switch to Direct mode temporarily, or add a DIRECT rule for the subscription domain.