Clash Proxy: Fixing 'Connection Refused' Error In New Terminals

Hey guys! Let's dive into this interesting networking puzzle you've encountered with clashon and clashproxy! It seems like you're facing a bit of a head-scratcher with how these commands behave across different terminal sessions, especially when trying to wget Google. No worries, we'll break it down and figure out what's going on.

Understanding the Scenario

So, here's the setup. You're rocking Ubuntu 24.04 within a tmux environment – a pretty common and efficient way to manage multiple terminal sessions. You've noticed that when you fire up a terminal (let's call it Terminal 1) and use clashon, everything works swimmingly. You can wget www.google.com without a hitch. But, when you switch to another terminal (Terminal 2) and use clashproxy on, suddenly wget throws a Connection refused error. Bummer, right? Let's explore why this might be happening.

The Core Issue: Proxy Settings and Shell Sessions

The main point of confusion seems to be how these clashon and clashproxy on commands are setting up your proxy configurations and how those configurations are being inherited (or not) by new terminal sessions. When you use clashon, it likely configures your current shell session to use the Clash proxy. This usually involves setting environment variables like http_proxy and https_proxy. These variables tell applications like wget where to send their traffic.

The key here is that these environment variables are, by default, local to the shell session in which they are set. When you open a new terminal session (Terminal 2), it doesn't automatically inherit the environment variables from Terminal 1 unless you've explicitly configured it to do so. This is why wget fails in Terminal 2 – it doesn't know it should be using a proxy.

clashon vs. clashproxy on: What's the Difference?

Let's clarify the roles of clashon and clashproxy on. While their exact implementation might depend on the specific scripts you're using, here's a general idea:

• clashon: This command likely sets up all the necessary environment variables (http_proxy, https_proxy, no_proxy, etc.) to route your terminal's traffic through the Clash proxy. It might also start or manage the Clash service itself. It configures the current terminal session to use the proxy.
• clashproxy on: This command should ideally do the same as clashon, but it might have a slightly different scope or implementation. It's possible that it's intended to configure the proxy settings in a way that they persist across sessions, but from your description, it seems like it's not working as expected.

Given the behavior you're observing, it's likely that clashproxy on is either not setting the environment variables correctly, or it's setting them in a way that they're not being recognized by wget in the new terminal session. It's also possible that it relies on some other mechanism that isn't functioning correctly in your setup.

Why Connection refused?

The Connection refused error specifically indicates that wget is trying to connect to the proxy server (in this case, likely 127.0.0.1:80) but there's nothing listening on that port. This could mean that:

1. The Clash proxy isn't running.
2. The proxy is running on a different port.
3. wget isn't configured to use the proxy at all.

In your case, since clashon works in Terminal 1, it's safe to assume that the Clash proxy is running. Therefore, the issue is likely that wget in Terminal 2 isn't aware of the proxy settings.

Troubleshooting Steps

Alright, let's get our hands dirty and try some solutions! Here’s a systematic approach to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Verify Environment Variables in Terminal 2

First, let's check if the environment variables are set correctly in Terminal 2 after running clashproxy on. Execute the following commands in Terminal 2:

env | grep proxy

This command will list all environment variables that contain the word "proxy." You should see something like this:

http_proxy=http://127.0.0.1:7890
https_proxy=http://127.0.0.1:7890
no_proxy=localhost,127.0.0.1,::1

Replace 7890 with the actual port your Clash proxy is using, if it's different. If you don't see these variables, it means clashproxy on isn't setting them correctly.

2. Manually Set Environment Variables

If the environment variables are missing, try setting them manually in Terminal 2:

export http_proxy="http://127.0.0.1:7890"
export https_proxy="http://127.0.0.1:7890"
export no_proxy="localhost,127.0.0.1,::1"

Again, adjust the port number if necessary. After setting these variables, try wget www.google.com again. If it works, it confirms that the issue is with how the environment variables are being set.

3. Check Clash Configuration

Take a peek at your Clash configuration file (usually config.yaml or similar) to ensure that the proxy is indeed listening on the expected port (e.g., 7890 or 80). Also, make sure that the configuration allows connections from 127.0.0.1.

4. Examine clashproxy on Script

If you have access to the clashproxy on script, examine its contents to understand what it's actually doing. Look for any potential issues or inconsistencies in how it sets the environment variables or interacts with the Clash service.

5. Persisting Environment Variables Across Sessions

To make the proxy settings persistent across all your terminal sessions, you can add the export commands to your shell's configuration file (e.g., .zshrc for Zsh). Open your .zshrc file in a text editor:

vi ~/.zshrc

And add the following lines to the end of the file:

export http_proxy="http://127.0.0.1:7890"
export https_proxy="http://127.0.0.1:7890"
export no_proxy="localhost,127.0.0.1,::1"

Save the file and restart your terminal or run source ~/.zshrc to apply the changes. Now, every new terminal session should automatically inherit these proxy settings.

6. Consider Using a Proxy Management Tool

For more advanced proxy management, you might want to explore tools like proxychains or tsocks. These tools allow you to easily chain multiple proxies and configure proxy settings on a per-application basis.

Answering Your Questions Directly

Now, let's address your specific questions:

• "Is it necessary to use clashon in each new terminal to enable the proxy?" Based on your experience, yes, it seems that way. Unless you make the environment variables persistent (as described above), each new terminal session will need to be explicitly configured to use the proxy.
• "What is the use case for clashproxy on?" Ideally, clashproxy on should automate the process of setting up the proxy environment variables. However, given that it's not working as expected in your setup, it might be a custom script that's not fully integrated with your environment, or it might have a bug. Its intended use case is likely to simplify proxy configuration, but in practice, it's not achieving that goal for you.

Wrapping Up

Alright, folks! I hope this comprehensive guide helps you understand what's going on with your proxy setup and how to fix the Connection refused error. Remember, the key is to ensure that the environment variables are correctly set in each terminal session, either manually or through a persistent configuration. By following the troubleshooting steps outlined above, you should be able to get your proxy working seamlessly across all your terminal sessions. Happy networking!