How to Revoke Mint and Freeze Authority (and Why You Should)

Every SPL token has a few keys that can still change it after launch, even once it's trading. Whether those keys exist, and who holds them, is one of the first things to check about any token. If you're creating a token, it's also one of the first decisions you'll make.

The two authorities

A mint account on Solana can have two separate authorities. Each is its own key with one specific power.

Mint authority. Whoever holds it can call mintTo and create new supply at any time, in any amount, until it's revoked. The protocol enforces no cap. The only limit is what the holder of the mint authority decides to do. With a live mint authority, the creator can double the supply the day after you buy, and nothing on-chain stops them.

Freeze authority. Whoever holds it can freeze any holder's token account for that mint, instantly and without asking. A frozen account can't send, receive or burn until the same authority thaws it. There are legitimate uses: stablecoin issuers use it to comply with sanctions and court orders. On a permissionless community token, though, it means the creator can lock any wallet's balance whenever they like.

Keeping either authority doesn't make a token a scam. A team that actively manages its token, for example with a mint-and-burn model or a regulated product that needs freezing, has good reason to keep them. The problem is authorities left live without anyone saying so, on a token marketed as decentralized or a "fair launch", where nobody thinks to check.

Why revoking is the strongest signal

Anyone can announce in Discord that a token is safe. The chain doesn't take anyone's word for it. When the mint authority is set to None, it's gone for good. No admin can override it, no multisig can restore it and no upgrade brings it back. The Solana runtime makes sure a None authority can never mint again. The same goes for a freeze authority set to None.

That's the difference between a revoked authority and a promise not to misuse it. A promise asks you to trust a person. A revoked authority asks you to trust nothing, because it's a fact about the mint account that anyone can read.

What to check

Every wallet and explorer shows a mint's current authority fields. You want Mint Authority and Freeze Authority to read None. If either still shows an address, that address can still do what the authority allows, whatever the team has said in public. If the mint authority is still live two months after launch, ask the team why.

Revoking your own token's authorities

If you created the token, you make this decision once and it can't be undone, so get the order right.

Mint first, then revoke. Once the mint authority is None, the supply is fixed for good, for you too. If there's any chance you'll need more tokens later, for a rewards pool, liquidity incentives or a phased release, mint them before you revoke.

Decide whether you need freeze at all. Most community tokens have no real use for a freeze authority. Revoke it during creation. If you're building something regulated that needs to freeze compromised accounts, keep it and say so publicly. A freeze authority that's disclosed and has a stated purpose sends a very different signal from one nobody mentioned.

At creation or later, both work. The SPL and Token-2022 creators both have a revoke-on-creation checkbox that adds the revocation to the same transaction that mints the token. If you've already launched, Token Manager revokes in a separate transaction for any mint your wallet still controls. Paste the mint address and it shows which authorities you still hold.

There's no undo

Revoking is final. No instruction grants the authority back, and there's no recovery path or support ticket that restores a None authority. That permanence is the whole point. Treat the decision seriously, and check the supply and decimals before you commit. The revoke authority docs walk through it step by step.