If PAC mode will not connect, turn off Use Remote Rule Sets in Settings, then connect again. PAC mode is VilaNet’s built-in split: overseas or blocked traffic uses the VPN, and local or mainland-China traffic goes direct.
Turn on PAC from the home screen
- Open VilaNet and sign in. The home screen has a Pac Mode / Global Mode switch.
- Select Pac Mode. Global mode sends all traffic through the VPN. Switching mode while you are connected reconnects the VPN.
- Tap Connect and wait until the status is Connected. Apple TV has the same switch on its home screen.
Rules decide which domains and IP addresses use the VPN and which go direct. Change one only when a single task needs a different path.
Where the rule-set switches are
The switches are Use Remote Rule Sets, Use Custom Rules, Block ads, and Rule Set Download Method. The current Settings tabs are Connection, Split tunnel, Updates, and Account. If a switch is missing, look under Advanced Settings or Split tunnel > More routing settings. Settings save automatically; there is no Save button. When the page says Changes apply on the next connection, choose Reconnect now.
| Setting (described) | What it does |
|---|---|
| Remote rule sets | On by default: downloads the latest rules from the CDN. Off: uses the files shipped in the app and works with no network. |
| Custom rules | Your own .srs addresses. Add or remove them, and invert any one so it excludes matches instead of including them. |
| Block ads | Default rules only. It can stop some apps or websites from loading. |
| How rule sets download | Through the VPN tunnel when a direct download is blocked, or a direct connection, which is faster on an unrestricted network. |
The rule sets ship inside the app, so the first connection does not wait on a download. Before, the rules had to be downloaded first, and on a restricted network that download could fail. Leave remote rule sets on while you are online so the latest rules can replace the bundled ones.
Your own rule-set address
A custom set uses an .srs address, for example https://github.com/MetaCubeX/meta-rules-dat/raw/refs/heads/sing/geo/geosite/cn.srs . More geosite sets are at https://github.com/MetaCubeX/meta-rules-dat/tree/sing/geo/geosite . The older desktop app VilaX cannot add VilaNet’s per-domain rules. It only accepts sing-box SRS sets from https://github.com/MetaCubeX/meta-rules-dat/tree/sing . New installs should use VilaNet.
PAC mode will not connect
- Open the rule settings above and turn off Use Remote Rule Sets.
- If the page says the change applies on the next connection, choose Reconnect now. Otherwise disconnect once, then tap Connect.
- When the status is Connected, open two HTTPS websites you already know.
If a GitHub-hosted custom set stays on Connecting, first update VilaNet to the latest version; the set then follows the in-app GitHub download source. Do not change the system network. The setting is under Settings > Updates: in App Store and Google Play builds it is the GitHub download source setting (GitHub 下载源), and in the official-download build the same setting is App update source. Automatic uses the mirror the server recommends; in mainland China, leave it on Automatic. Direct connects to github.com. Custom must be your own https mirror or proxy. If you cannot find this setting, see Where did a setting or the Save button go?
Mainland-China sites on a Mac go through the VPN
On the macOS DMG build in TUN mode, if the remote download fails and the app falls back to its bundled rules, geosite-cn is missing from them because the system extension has a size limit. Mainland-China domains that should go direct then use the VPN until the remote rules download. Unaffected: a working remote download, DMG Proxy Mode (the DMG default), and the App Store build. To change mode, open Settings > Connection > macOS and pick Proxy Mode (apps and browser) or TUN Mode (whole system), or make sure the network can download the remote rule sets. See TUN mode and Proxy mode.
Changing one domain
One website rule lives under Settings > Split tunnel > Website rules. It applies only in PAC, not in Global mode. tvOS cannot add a bypass domain by hand. Change one rule at a time, write down the previous setting, and restore it if the check fails. See How do domain rules work? and Routing and domain rules.
How to tell the split is working
VilaNet stays Connected, the website or app you care about follows the path you expected, and two familiar HTTPS websites still load. A saved rule by itself is not a success check.
Still not working?
- Still unable to connect after remote rule sets are off: Why will VilaNet not connect?
- Connected, but every page fails: restore the earlier settings, disconnect once, then see Connected, but websites will not open.
- Only one mainland-China app fails: Domain rules. Per-app bypass: Keep one app off the VPN.
- The switch is missing after Settings moved: A setting moved, or Save is gone. Open a ticket with the platform, and say whether remote rule sets are off. Do not send your password.