For users who already have their own subscriptions and have imported more than one source into Shadowrocket. Note each subscription’s purpose and update results, then organize the list by source. If two nodes have the same name, compare their connection settings rather than relying on the name alone. Save your own URLs before removing unused sources.
Understand the difference between subscriptions, nodes, and the active connection
A Shadowrocket subscription is a source for retrieving a list of nodes. A node is a connection entry in that list, while the node selected in Home is the connection currently chosen. These are different things: deleting a node does not delete the subscription that provides it, and a subscription update may bring the node back. Before organizing multiple subscriptions, identify the source for each entry, then decide what to keep or remove.
This guide covers subscriptions you already have and does not address where to get them. To keep track of each source, add a note about its purpose, such as “Work” or “Backup.” Don’t put full subscription URLs or access credentials in public notes or screenshots. The address below illustrates the format of a URL; it is not a usable subscription:
https://example.com/sub?token=xxxxBefore organizing your subscriptions, make sure your current connection is working and note the selected node and its source. If the list changes after an update or cleanup, you can tell whether the source content changed, the display order changed, or you selected a different connection. Don’t assume a subscription is missing just because Home looks different.
Import subscriptions one at a time and keep a source list
When handling multiple URLs, add and check them one at a time. It’s easier to find problems this way than to paste them all at once. Pay particular attention to similar URLs with different purposes: links from the same provider may return different sets of nodes. Before adding each link, note its purpose in your own records.
Verify the source
Organize the subscription URLs you already have. Check the purpose of each link to avoid adding the same URL as two separate sources.
Open the add screen
Go to Home, tap + in the upper-right corner, then select Subscribe under Type. Don’t enter a subscription URL as the server address for an individual node.
Enter the URL
Enter your full URL in the URL field. If the screen has a notes field, add a source name that will help you recognize it. Before saving, check that there are no spaces at either end of the URL.
Check the list
After saving, return to Home and check that the source appears and its nodes have loaded. If no nodes appear, check the URL and network status first. Don’t repeatedly add the same link.
Review each entry
Before adding the next subscription, note the previous one’s display name and the nodes it returned. After adding all subscriptions, check for duplicate sources.
If a subscription temporarily won’t update, keep its original URL and troubleshoot it separately. An empty list may be caused by the link, your current network, or the returned content. Don’t assume other subscriptions are affected just because no nodes appear. Change one source at a time, then check Home for the result so you can distinguish the effects of each change.
Group by source, then consider the order
Grouping makes it easier to see where a node comes from when you’re choosing one. Use the subscription’s source label and any editable notes. Keep notes short and consistent, such as the purpose and region. Avoid including that day’s latency in the name: latency changes with network conditions, while the source name should help you recognize the same subscription after an update.
Keep the source’s position in the list separate from the order of nodes within that source. First check whether the entry in Home or its edit screen offers sorting controls. Reorder items only if the interface provides a drag handle or a relevant sorting option. If there’s no manual sorting control, don’t delete and re-add subscriptions to force a particular order. After an update, node order may still change based on the content returned by the source.
Identify entries by source
RecommendedAdd clear purpose notes to your subscriptions. When choosing a node, check its source first, then its name and connection settings. Don’t rely on its position in the list.
Best for: Multiple subscriptions that stay in use and change over time
Identify entries by their current position
Choosing by position alone—for example, “the first group” or “the last node”—can be unreliable. An update that adds or removes entries may change what appears in that position.
Best for: A quick look at the current list, not as a lasting label
Bottom line: Use names as identifiers and treat order as a display choice
After each update, check the source notes and currently selected node. Change the order only when the interface explicitly offers sorting controls; don’t re-import subscriptions as a workaround.
After organizing the list, choose a familiar entry from each source and confirm that it appears under the expected source. This check helps you identify list entries; it is not a node quality test. If the same name appears under two sources, compare their settings in the next step. Don’t change a subscription just because two nodes share a name.
How to tell whether nodes with the same name are duplicates
A node name is a display label, not a unique identifier. A name such as “Hong Kong 01” can appear in different subscriptions, or change after an update. To check whether two nodes are duplicates, compare at least the protocol, server address, and port. Also check any credentials and other connection settings. Entries with the same name but different settings should not be treated as the same connection.
- Same URL imported twice: First check whether the two subscription sources use the same URL. If they do, note which one to keep, then remove the duplicate source. This is more direct than deleting its nodes one by one.
- Different URLs return the same nodes: Compare the protocol, address, port, credentials, and other connection settings. If the settings match but the sources differ, decide which sources to keep based on their purpose. Don’t bulk-delete nodes based on their display names alone.
- Same name, different settings: Keep the distinguishing details. If the display name is editable, add a source note to help identify the entry. Don’t change the server address or port just to make the list look tidy.
For example, two entries might both be called “Backup,” but one uses Shadowsocks on port 8388 and the other uses Trojan on port 443. They can’t be treated as duplicates based on their names alone. The port is part of the connection settings; these example numbers don’t mean every node using the same protocol has that port. Compare settings in the app rather than copying credentials into an external reference sheet.
Don’t assume that seeing two similar nodes in a subscription means the app has an automatic deduplication switch. Instead, first identify whether the duplicates come from the same source or different sources, then address the source or notes causing confusion. Deleting individual nodes generated by a subscription may not prevent them from appearing again after the next update.
Remove unused subscriptions and check after updates
Removing a subscription removes its source; it does not pause a node from that source. Before deleting one, make sure your current connection doesn’t depend on it, and keep its original URL in your own secure records. You’ll need a link you hold yourself if you want to import it again later. Then find the subscription in Home and use the edit or delete action shown for that entry. Follow the options actually displayed on screen.
Check the name
In Home, compare the source note and subscription URL to make sure you’ve selected the source you intend to remove, not a node with a similar name.
Check the connection
Make sure the currently selected node belongs to a source you’re keeping. If you need to switch nodes, do that before continuing with the cleanup.
Delete the source
Open the subscription entry’s edit or delete action. Read the confirmation prompt before proceeding, and make sure you’re removing the source rather than deleting nodes one by one.
Check again
Return to Home and verify the remaining sources and selected node. Then update each subscription you still use and check that its nodes appear as expected.
If similar nodes reappear after cleanup, check which remaining source they belong to, then compare their protocol, address, and port with your notes. When a source returns different content, node names and order may also change. Focus your review on the source and connection settings, not on whether the list is identical after every update.
Bottom line: Make sure you can restore a source before deleting it
Delete a source only after confirming which one it is, what your current connection uses, and whether you’ve saved its URL. If duplicates appear after an update, investigate them at the source level.
Four common questions about organizing subscriptions
The steps below start with the sources and nodes visible in Home. First identify which subscription changed, then check the connection and update results. Avoid deleting, re-adding, and editing several sources at once, or it will be hard to tell which action caused the change.
I added the same link twice. Why is the list longer?
Check the URLs of both subscriptions in Home. If they’re the same source, decide which one to keep, then remove the duplicate source. Deleting nodes one at a time may not help because they could return the next time that source updates.
The order changed after an update. Did I lose a subscription?
First check whether the source is still in Home, then see whether it still has nodes. A change in order alone doesn’t mean the source is missing. Use source notes, protocols, addresses, and ports to identify the original entries.
Two sources have nodes with the same name. Which one should I delete?
Check each node’s protocol, server address, port, and source. The same name doesn’t mean the settings match. If you need to clean up, decide what to keep based on each source’s purpose.
Can I get a subscription back after deleting it?
You can import it again only if you still have a valid URL. Save the link in your own secure records before deleting the source. If you’ve already removed it, check your existing subscription records rather than substituting another source with a similar name.
Shadowrocket is a paid app for Apple platforms, available through the App Store and primarily used on iPhone and iPad. Check the App Store listing for system requirements. A one-time app purchase is not a subscription to a service. Subscription management covers content you already have; check the app purchase and the validity of each subscription source separately.