proxy-cleanup-script

Android Proxy Cleanup Script

Purpose

Clear all proxy settings from an Android device via ADB, removing leftover HTTP/HTTPS proxy configurations that may interfere with normal browser/app connectivity.

Prerequisites

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) installed and in PATH
Android device connected via USB with USB debugging enabled
ripgrep (rg) available in PATH for filtering

Commands

Full Cleanup Sequence

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

adb shell settings delete global http_proxy || true
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_host || true
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_port || true
adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_exclusion_list || true
adb reverse --remove-all || true
adb shell am force-stop com.android.chrome || true

echo "Remaining proxy-related globals:"
adb shell settings list global | rg 'proxy' || true

Command Breakdown

Command	Purpose
`adb shell settings delete global http_proxy`	Remove legacy HTTP proxy setting
`adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_host`	Remove proxy hostname
`adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_port`	Remove proxy port
`adb shell settings delete global global_http_proxy_exclusion_list`	Remove proxy exclusion list
`adb reverse --remove-all`	Remove all reverse-proxy port mappings
`adb shell am force-stop com.android.chrome`	Force-stop Chrome to clear cached proxy state
`adb shell settings list global \| rg 'proxy'`	Verify no proxy settings remain

Execution

Save as proxy-cleanup.sh:

chmod +x proxy-cleanup.sh
./proxy-cleanup.sh

Expected Output

After cleanup, adb shell settings list global | grep proxy should return only:

global_proxy_pac_url=

This empty PAC URL setting is normal and does not interfere with connectivity.

Use Cases

After dismantling HTTP interception (Burp, Charles, mitmproxy, etc.)
Recovering browser connectivity after proxy misconfiguration
Preparing device for clean network testing
Debugging "cannot connect to network" issues on mobile

Safety Notes

The || true clauses prevent script failure if settings do not exist.
Force-stopping Chrome clears its proxy cache but requires the user to reopen the browser.
Optional: reboot the device after cleanup to fully reset network stack.

See proxy-cleanup-2026-05-22.md for a real-world example and troubleshooting steps.