How to Revoke Token Approvals on Arbitrum
Guide · 22 Sep 2026
Every time you swap, lend, or provide liquidity on Arbitrum, the app asks for permission to move your tokens. That permission is called a token approval. It does not transfer anything by itself, but it lets a specific contract spend your tokens later. If that contract is exploited, or you simply stop using the app, an old approval can stay active. Revoking it sets the allowance back to zero. This guide explains how to check and revoke approvals on Arbitrum without giving up custody of your wallet.
What a token approval actually is
- For ERC-20 tokens, an approval creates an allowance: a spender contract can transfer up to a set amount of that token from your address.
- For NFTs, you may approve a single token ID or grant operator access for an entire collection, often called
setApprovalForAll. - Many dapps request unlimited approvals to save gas on future transactions. That is convenient, but it also means the spender can move that token balance if the contract is compromised.
- An approval is not a transfer. Your tokens stay in your wallet until the approved contract uses the allowance.
- Approvals live on-chain. They remain until you revoke them or the token contract changes state.
Check your Arbitrum approvals first
- Use a reputable approval checker and connect only the wallet you want to review. Common options include Revoke.cash, Arbiscan’s Token Approval Checker, and DeBank’s approvals view. Verify the URL before connecting.
- Select Arbitrum as the network. If you use multiple chains, check each chain separately. An approval on Ethereum or Base is not revoked by an Arbitrum transaction.
- Review the list carefully: token, spender contract, allowance, and the last time it was used.
- Focus on spenders you do not recognize, old dapps you no longer use, and any contract that has unlimited or very large allowances.
- A checker only needs your public address to show approvals. Revoking requires a wallet transaction, but you should never enter your seed phrase or private key.
How to revoke approvals on Arbitrum
- Open the approval checker and connect your wallet. Make sure the network is Arbitrum.
- Find the approval you want to remove. Choose the revoke option, or set the allowance to zero if the interface allows a custom amount.
- Confirm the transaction in your wallet. Read the prompt before signing: check the token, spender, and gas fee.
- Pay gas in ETH on Arbitrum. Arbitrum gas is usually cheap compared with Ethereum mainnet, but it still varies with network conditions.
- Wait for the transaction to confirm, then refresh the checker. The approval should disappear or show zero.
- Repeat for each token and each NFT operator approval you want to remove. Some wallets, such as Rabby, also include approval management tools. Hardware wallet users can confirm revokes on the device.
Safety checks and common pitfalls
- Always verify the website domain. Search ads and lookalike domains are a common way to trick users into signing malicious transactions.
- Treat wallet prompts as the final checkpoint. If the transaction details do not match the revoke you intended, reject it.
- Revoking to zero is usually safe, but it can break an active dapp position or stop a subscription-style service from pulling funds. Revoke only what you mean to revoke.
- Revoking does not recover tokens already stolen and does not remove approvals on other chains.
- If you plan to keep using a dapp, consider setting a limited allowance next time instead of unlimited. Some older tokens require resetting an allowance to zero before setting a new amount.
- Never share your seed phrase. No legitimate revoke tool needs it.
FAQ
Does revoking an approval cost gas on Arbitrum?
Yes. A revoke is an on-chain transaction, so you pay gas in ETH on Arbitrum. Fees are often low, but they depend on network activity.
Can I revoke approvals without connecting my wallet?
You can view approvals for a public address with some tools without connecting. Revoking requires signing a transaction from your wallet. You should never need to provide a seed phrase.
How often should I check approvals?
Check after using a new dapp, before moving significant value, and periodically for wallets you use often. For ongoing checks, Shingan is a non-custodial, Telegram-first wallet-security bot for EVM wallets across twelve chains.