Updated July 2026 · 6 min read
Rule, global and direct modes
Rule, Global and Direct are three ways the same core can dispatch your traffic, and switching takes one click. They behave nothing alike, and picking the wrong one is easily mistaken for a dead node.
Where each mode sends your traffic
Rule mode compares the destination domain and IP against the rule table and hands the connection to whichever policy group or direct outbound that entry names. It is the default, and the only mode that treats different sites differently.
Global mode ignores the table completely: every outbound connection goes into the single GLOBAL group, so whatever node you select there carries all of it. Direct mode does the opposite and lets everything out untouched, with no node involved.
Using Global to bisect a problem
When one site refuses to load, flip to Global once. If it works, the traffic was being handed to the wrong policy and the fault lies in your rules. If it still fails, rules are not involved at all, so check node reachability and DNS instead.
That single test removes half of the search space. Once you know rules are to blame, search the domain on the Rules page and see which entry actually claims it. Switch back afterwards, because Global sends local sites the long way round too.
Global mode uses whatever you picked inside the GLOBAL group, and that choice is remembered separately from your other policy groups. Switch back to Rule and your earlier selections are untouched.
Direct is not the same as off
In Direct mode the core is still running, the mixed port 7897 is still listening, and the system proxy switch has not moved. The only change is that the core stops forwarding to a node and passes traffic straight out.
So when someone insists the proxy is already off and things are still odd, check that first: Direct on its own is not enough. To take the client out of the path entirely you have to turn the system proxy off and disable TUN as well.
Why a switch seems to do nothing
A mode change only applies to connections opened after it. An established TCP connection keeps using the exit it started with until it closes, so streaming, downloads and chat clients can sit unchanged for several minutes.
To force the issue, drop those connections from the Connections page, or quit and reopen the application. The tray menu switches modes as well, so there is no need to bring the main window up for this.
What is the project?
Clash Verge Rev is a Tauri-based GUI for Mihomo with profile management, system proxy, TUN mode, rule editing and WebDAV backups.