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vpngen/protonvpn-wg-confgen/README.md
2026-04-07 17:41:25 +02:00

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# ProtonVPN WireGuard Config Generate
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A Go program that generates WireGuard configuration files for ProtonVPN servers with automatic selection of the best servers from specified countries with support of generic filters.
## Motivation
I wanted to automatically rotate VPN servers on my private HTPC Linux host running WireGuard, and since I'm already paying for a Proton bundle subscription, why not just use theirs? Unfortunately, as of the time of writing, they didn't have a good programmatic headless way to generate WireGuard profiles, so I did my research and reverse-engineered their APIs (which was a pain in the butt) and created this. The idea is to run this code as a daemon and restart the WireGuard client on profile file change.
## Features
- Authenticates with ProtonVPN using username/password
- Opnionally persists and refreshes login session, to function in headless mode after entering password once
- Supports 2FA authentication (TOTP only, no FIDO2/security keys)
- Creates persistent WireGuard configurations (visible in ProtonVPN dashboard)
- Automatically selects the best server (highest score, lowest load) from specified countries
- Supports both Free tier and paid tier servers (Plus and ProtonMail)
- Filters servers by features (P2P support, Secure Core)
- Generates WireGuard configuration files
- Supports VPN accelerator feature
- IPv6 support
## Installation
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/hatemosphere/protonvpn-wg-confgen
cd protonvpn-wg-confgen
```
2. Build the program:
```bash
make build
```
Or manually with Go:
```bash
go build -o build/protonvpn-wg-confgen cmd/protonvpn-wg/main.go
```
## Usage
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username <username> -countries <country-codes> [options]
```
### Options
- `-username`: ProtonVPN username (optional, will prompt if not provided)
- `-countries`: Comma-separated list of country codes (e.g., US,NL,CH) **[Required]**
- `-output`: Output WireGuard configuration file (default: protonvpn.conf)
- `-ipv6`: Enable IPv6 support (default: false)
- `-dns`: Comma-separated list of DNS servers (defaults based on IPv6 setting)
- `-allowed-ips`: Comma-separated list of allowed IPs (defaults based on IPv6 setting)
- `-accelerator`: Enable VPN accelerator (default: true)
- `-api-url`: ProtonVPN API URL (default: https://vpn-api.proton.me)
- `-p2p-only`: Use only P2P-enabled servers (default: true)
- `-secure-core`: Use only Secure Core servers for multi-hop VPN (default: false)
- `-free-only`: Use only Free tier servers (tier 0) (default: false)
- `-device-name`: Device name for WireGuard config (auto-generated if empty)
- `-debug`: Enable debug output showing all filtered servers (default: false)
- `-duration`: Certificate duration (default: 365d). Examples: 30m, 24h, 7d, 1h30m. Maximum: 365d
- `-clear-session`: Clear saved session and force re-authentication
- `-no-session`: Don't save or use session persistence
- `-force-refresh`: Force session refresh even if not close to expiration (requires re-authentication)
- `-session-duration`: Session cache duration (default: 0 = use API expiration). Examples: 12h, 24h, 7d. Max: 30d
### Examples
1. Generate config for best P2P server in US or Netherlands:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US,NL
```
2. Generate config with custom DNS and output file:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries CH,DE -dns 1.1.1.1,8.8.8.8 -output switzerland.conf
```
3. Disable VPN accelerator:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -accelerator=false
```
4. Generate config with 30-day duration:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -duration 30d
```
5. Generate config without saving session (always prompt for password):
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -no-session
```
6. Use session with 24-hour expiration:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -session-duration 24h
```
7. Enable IPv6 support:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -ipv6
```
8. Use Secure Core servers for enhanced privacy:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries NL,US -secure-core
```
9. Debug mode to see all available servers:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US -debug
```
10. Use Free tier servers only:
```bash
./build/protonvpn-wg-confgen -username myusername -countries US,NL -free-only
```
## IPv6 Support
By default, the tool generates IPv4-only configurations. When you enable IPv6 with the `-ipv6` flag:
- **Interface Address**: Both IPv4 (10.2.0.2/32) and IPv6 (2a07:b944::2:2/128) addresses are assigned
- **DNS Servers**: IPv4 DNS (10.2.0.1) and IPv6 DNS (2a07:b944::2:1) - both ProtonVPN's internal DNS servers
- **Allowed IPs**: Both IPv4 (0.0.0.0/0) and IPv6 (::/0) routes are included
You can override the defaults by explicitly specifying `-dns` and `-allowed-ips` flags.
## Secure Core
Secure Core is ProtonVPN's premium feature that routes your traffic through multiple servers before leaving the VPN network:
- First hop: Through secure servers in privacy-friendly countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden)
- Second hop: To your chosen destination country
- Provides additional protection against network-based attacks
- Use the `-secure-core` flag to enable this feature
- Note: Secure Core servers may have higher latency due to the multi-hop routing
**Important Notes:**
- Secure Core servers don't support P2P, so P2P filtering is automatically disabled when using `-secure-core`
- The country filter always applies to **exit countries** - where your traffic appears to come from
- Server names show both entry and exit countries (e.g., "IS-NL#1" = Iceland → Netherlands)
- Entry countries for Secure Core are always privacy-friendly: Switzerland (CH), Iceland (IS), Sweden (SE)
## Authentication
**Important:** This tool only works with Proton accounts configured in [Single Password Mode](https://proton.me/support/single-password). This is the default for all new Proton accounts. If your account uses the legacy 2-password mode (separate login and mailbox passwords), you'll need to switch to single password mode first.
The program supports the following authentication methods:
1. **Username/Password**: Enter your ProtonVPN credentials
2. **2FA (TOTP only)**: If enabled, you'll be prompted for your 6-digit authenticator code
**Important 2FA Limitation:** This tool only supports **TOTP-based 2FA** (authenticator apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, etc.). **FIDO2/WebAuthn security keys are NOT supported** because they require browser/platform APIs for the challenge-response protocol.
If you use a security key as your only 2FA method, you have two options:
- Add TOTP as an additional 2FA method in your [Proton account security settings](https://account.proton.me/u/0/vpn/account-password)
- Use a security key that also supports TOTP (like YubiKey with Yubico Authenticator)
### Session Persistence
The program saves your authentication session to avoid re-entering credentials:
- Sessions are stored in `~/.protonvpn-session.json` with secure permissions (0600)
- ProtonVPN sessions expire after 30 days (from API `ExpiresIn` field)
- Session duration is configurable with `-session-duration` (default: 0 = use API's 30 days)
- Custom durations are capped at the API's expiration time
- Sessions show time until expiration when reused
- Sessions are automatically verified before use
- Sessions automatically refresh when less than 7 days remain
- Use `-clear-session` flag to force re-authentication
- Use `-force-refresh` flag to force refresh even if not expiring soon
- Use `-no-session` flag to disable session persistence entirely
- Sessions are user-specific and won't be used for different usernames
## Using the Generated Configuration
Once you have the WireGuard configuration file, you can use it with any WireGuard client:
### Linux
```bash
sudo wg-quick up ./protonvpn.conf
```
### macOS (with WireGuard installed)
```bash
sudo wg-quick up ./protonvpn.conf
```
### Windows/GUI clients
Import the configuration file into your WireGuard client.
## Server Tier Support
By default, the tool excludes Free tier servers and only uses paid tier servers (Plus and ProtonMail):
- **Free tier (tier 0)**: Available with `-free-only` flag. Limited server selection, no P2P support
- **Plus tier (tier 2)**: Default. Full feature support including P2P and Secure Core
- **ProtonMail tier (tier 3)**: Default. Included with Proton bundle subscriptions
**Important Notes:**
- When using `-free-only`, P2P filtering is automatically disabled since Free servers don't support P2P
- Free tier servers have limited availability and may have higher load
- Secure Core requires Plus or higher subscription
## Requirements
- Go 1.25 or higher
- ProtonVPN account (Free tier or paid subscription)
## Security Notes
- The program generates a new WireGuard private key for each run
- Configuration files contain sensitive information and are saved with 0600 permissions
- Never share your WireGuard configuration files
- Persistent configurations appear in your ProtonVPN dashboard and can be revoked there
- Certificates are valid for the specified duration (default: 365 days, max: 365 days)
## Project Structure
```
.
├── cmd/
│ └── protonvpn-wg/ # Main application entry point
│ └── main.go # CLI entry point
├── internal/ # Private application code
│ ├── api/ # API types and data structures
│ │ └── types.go # ProtonVPN API response types
│ ├── auth/ # Authentication logic
│ │ ├── auth.go # SRP authentication implementation
│ │ ├── errors.go # Custom error types
│ │ └── session.go # Session management and refresh
│ ├── config/ # Configuration handling
│ │ ├── flags.go # Command-line flag parsing
│ │ └── types.go # Config struct and validation
│ ├── constants/ # Application constants
│ │ ├── api.go # API endpoints and headers
│ │ ├── defaults.go # Default configuration values
│ │ ├── session.go # Session-related constants
│ │ └── wireguard.go # WireGuard network constants
│ └── vpn/ # VPN functionality
│ ├── client.go # Certificate generation
│ └── servers.go # Server selection logic
├── pkg/ # Public packages
│ ├── timeutil/ # Time and duration utilities
│ │ ├── formatter.go # Duration formatting
│ │ └── parser.go # Duration parsing
│ ├── validation/ # Input validation
│ │ └── validation.go # Username and country code validation
│ └── wireguard/ # WireGuard configuration
│ ├── config.go # Config file generation
│ └── config_test.go # Config generation tests
├── vendor/ # Vendored dependencies
├── Makefile # Build automation
├── go.mod # Go module definition
├── go.sum # Module checksums
└── README.md # This file
```
## Development
```bash
# Format code
make fmt
# Run tests
make test
# Run linter (requires golangci-lint)
make lint
# Build for multiple platforms
make build-all
# Clean build artifacts
make clean
```
## Troubleshooting
### CAPTCHA Verification Required (Error 9001)
If you encounter "CAPTCHA verification required" error:
1. **Login via ProtonVPN website first**: This can help establish your account as legitimate
2. **Try from a different IP**: VPN or residential IPs may work better than datacenter IPs
3. **Wait and retry**: Sometimes waiting a few hours helps
4. **Use saved sessions**: Once authenticated, sessions are saved to avoid repeated CAPTCHA challenges
### App Version Errors (Error 5003)
If you see "This version of the app is no longer supported":
- The app version is automatically fetched from ProtonVPN's GitHub at build time
- Rebuild with `make build` to get the latest version
- Override manually if needed: `make build PROTON_VERSION=X.Y.Z`
- Check current version: `make show-version`
### Two-Password Mode Error (Code 10013)
If you see "unexpected mailbox password request - account might still be in 2-password mode":
- Your Proton account is using the legacy 2-password mode (separate login and mailbox passwords)
- This tool only supports [Single Password Mode](https://proton.me/support/single-password)
- To switch: Go to Proton account settings → Security → Password mode → Switch to single password
- Note: Single password mode is the default for all new Proton accounts since ~2020
### 2FA Required for VPN (Error 9100)
If authentication succeeds but you get error 9100 when getting the VPN certificate:
- Your account has 2FA enabled, but ProtonVPN's device trust mechanism allowed login without 2FA
- The VPN certificate endpoint requires a session that was authenticated with 2FA
- **Solution**: Run with `-clear-session` flag to force re-authentication, which should prompt for 2FA
- If 2FA prompt still doesn't appear, try from a different IP/network to bypass device trust
- This can also occur if your account uses 2-password mode (see error 10013 above)
## API Reference
For detailed API documentation including endpoints, request formats, response codes, and reference implementations, see [API_REFERENCE.md](API_REFERENCE.md).
## License
This project is licensed under the [GNU General Public License v3.0](LICENSE).
This is required because the project uses [ProtonVPN/go-vpn-lib](https://github.com/ProtonVPN/go-vpn-lib) which is licensed under GPL-3.0.