Getting Started

This page walks through the first run: getting a configuration into Chute, selecting it, starting the proxy, and verifying that traffic flows. Everything else in this manual builds on a working setup.

Chute iOS

1. Get a configuration

On the first launch with no configurations, Chute opens a setup guide ("Welcome to Chute") with three paths: Subscription Link for a provider-issued URL, Scan QR Code, and Manual Setup, which asks for your server details, the sites to proxy, and a DNS choice, then builds a configuration named "Default" and connects.

To add a configuration later, tap the Config bar at the top of the main screen, then Add Configuration From...:

• Blank Configuration — opens the built-in editor with an empty configuration (see the minimal example below for what to put in it).
• Add Subscription — downloads from a subscription URL and keeps it updated: the file is saved as a managed configuration that re-fetches every 24 hours.
• Import from Local File — imports a Chute (.conf), sing-box (.json), or Clash/mihomo (.yaml) file; non-native formats are converted automatically.
• Sync From iCloud, Download From URL, Upload File Via Wi-Fi, Download From QR Code — additional transports for the same thing.

2. Select it

In the configuration list, tap a configuration so a checkmark appears, then tap Done. Chute always runs the selected configuration — with none selected, the main switch refuses to start ("Please select configuration first").

3. Start and authorize

Tap the round switch on the main screen. On the very first start iOS asks to add a VPN configuration — approve it and confirm with Face ID / Touch ID / passcode. If you declined the prompt, just toggle again; if the VPN profile ever gets stuck, Reset VPN Configuration in the app's settings removes it so the next start re-creates it.

4. Verify

Once the switch is on, leave the outbound mode on Rule-Based (the Direct / Global modes bypass or force the proxy wholesale), then open a website. The Dashboard button shows live traffic and per-connection detail — the quickest way to confirm the configuration behaves as intended.

Chute Mac

Chute Mac lives in the menu bar (there is no Dock icon by default). Click the menu bar icon:

1. Import a configuration — Import Configuration... for a file on disk, or Setup Assistant... to build one step by step. The main window's Profiles tab additionally imports from a subscription URL or a share link (ss://, vmess://, ...). Subscription and converted profiles are stored under ~/Library/Application Support/<bundle id>/Profiles/; files imported from disk are referenced in place.
2. Select it — Select Configuration File, or Switch Configuration while the proxy is running.
3. Turn it on — two independent switches serve different needs:
   • System Proxy — the toggle at the top of the menu. Registers Chute as the system HTTP/SOCKS proxy; apps that honor the system proxy go through Chute.
   • Enhanced Mode (⌘E) — captures all traffic at the network layer, including apps that ignore the system proxy. The first start asks you to approve Chute's network extension or VPN configuration; see Enhanced Mode for the type choice and approval flow.
4. Verify — the menu header reads "System Proxy: Active", and the main window's Traffic and Log tabs show what is flowing and why.

Chute tvOS

Chute for Apple TV is configured from an iPhone or iPad: Chute iOS's remote-configuration import view — reachable via the chute://tv URL scheme — delivers a configuration to the TV.

A minimal configuration

A complete, working configuration for one Shadowsocks server — routes LAN and Chinese traffic direct, everything else through the proxy:

[General]
loglevel = notify
dns-server = 1.1.1.1, 8.8.8.8
skip-proxy = 127.0.0.1, 192.168.0.0/16, 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, 100.64.0.0/10, localhost, *.local

[Proxy]
MyProxy = ss, example.com, 8388, aes-256-gcm, "password"

[Proxy Group]
MainGroup = select, MyProxy, DIRECT

[Rule]
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT
IP-CIDR,10.0.0.0/8,DIRECT
IP-CIDR,172.16.0.0/12,DIRECT
IP-CIDR,127.0.0.0/8,DIRECT
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT
FINAL,MainGroup

Replace the [Proxy] line with your server's protocol and parameters — every supported protocol is documented in Proxy Policy. From here:

• Configuration — the file format and every section.
• Rule — how rules are evaluated and the full rule-type catalog.
• Policy Group — automatic selection (url-test, fallback, load-balance).
• Troubleshooting — when something doesn't work.