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Reading Paywalled Papers Through a Remote Server

How to access papers through a server that has journal access, by routing Chrome through an SSH tunnel to it.

bash

Connect to the VPN

If the server (server-address) can’t be reached from outside its network, connect to its VPN first. Otherwise, skip this step.

Open a SOCKS Tunnel to the Server

To route browser traffic through the server, open a SOCKS tunnel to it:

ssh -D 1080 -N -C username@server-address
  • -D 1080 → Opens a local SOCKS proxy on port 1080.
  • -N → Do not execute remote commands, only open the tunnel.
  • -C → Compresses traffic, which helps on slow connections.

Note: Keep this terminal open while you browse. Closing it closes the tunnel.

Create a Proxy Profile in ZeroOmega

In the ZeroOmega extension for Chrome, create a new profile, for example Tunnel, of type Proxy:

  • Protocol → SOCKS5
  • Server → 127.0.0.1
  • Port → 1080

Send Only Publisher Sites Through the Tunnel

Create an Auto Switch profile that sends publisher sites through Tunnel and everything else direct:

*.ieee.org
*.acm.org
*.sciencedirect.com
*.springer.com
*.wiley.com
*.nature.com

Then switch ZeroOmega to the Auto Switch profile.

Check That It Works

Open a paper page. It should show that you have access, often with the subscriber’s name in the page header.

Now, you can read papers through the server’s journal access, while the rest of your browsing stays direct!