How to revoke NFT permissions on Revoke.cash? (Wallet security)

Understanding NFT Permission Risks

1. Many users mistakenly believe that owning an NFT guarantees full control over its associated smart contract interactions. In reality, third-party platforms and marketplaces often request and receive approval to spend or transfer tokens on behalf of the owner.

2. These approvals are implemented via ERC-20 or ERC-721 approve and setApprovalForAll functions, which grant indefinite access unless manually revoked.

3. Compromised or abandoned marketplaces may retain these permissions indefinitely, exposing wallets to potential unauthorized transfers if their contracts are exploited or repurposed.

4. Revoke.cash serves as a read-only interface that scans wallet addresses for active token approvals across Ethereum and multiple EVM-compatible chains.

5. It does not execute transactions itself — all revocation actions require signing through the user’s connected wallet, ensuring no intermediary holds private keys or initiates unauthorized operations.

Navigating Revoke.cash Interface

1. Visit revoke.cash and connect your wallet using MetaMask, Trust Wallet, or any compatible Web3 provider.

2. The dashboard automatically loads the connected address and displays pending approvals grouped by chain — Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and others supported by the platform.

3. Each listed approval shows the spender address, token type (ERC-20 or ERC-721), remaining allowance, and transaction hash of the original approval.

4. Clicking “Revoke” next to any entry opens a transaction prompt in your wallet with pre-filled parameters targeting the exact contract function used during approval.

5. Users must confirm gas fees and sign the transaction — no backend server intervenes in this process, preserving decentralization and user sovereignty.

Identifying High-Risk Approvals

1. Look for approvals granted to contracts with low code transparency, no verified source on Etherscan, or those associated with defunct marketplaces like Rarible v1 or early OpenSea proxy contracts.

2. Pay attention to unlimited allowances — any value displayed as “∞” or “MAX” indicates the spender can withdraw all tokens of that type at any time.

3. Cross-reference spender addresses with known security reports from Immunefi, CertiK, or blockchain analysis firms to detect flagged contracts.

4. ERC-721 approvals using setApprovalForAll are especially dangerous because they apply to every NFT held under that collection, not just one specific token ID.

5. Some malicious contracts mimic legitimate marketplace interfaces — always verify the domain and contract address before interacting with any dApp that requests approval.

Gas Optimization Strategies

1. Batch revocations are not natively supported on Revoke.cash, but users can manually queue multiple transactions in their wallet extension to reduce overall confirmation overhead.

2. Monitor ETH gas prices using tools like GasNow or Etherscan’s gas tracker before initiating revocation — high congestion periods increase cost without improving security outcome.

3. Consider using Layer 2 networks such as Arbitrum or Optimism where revocation transactions cost significantly less while maintaining equivalent permission removal effectiveness.

4. Avoid revoking approvals for contracts you actively use — doing so may break functionality on platforms like Blur or LooksRare until re-approved.

5. Revoke.cash caches historical approvals; refreshing the page after a successful transaction ensures newly revoked entries disappear from the active list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Revoke.cash store my private key or seed phrase?A: No. Revoke.cash never accesses or stores cryptographic credentials. Wallet connection occurs entirely client-side via standard Web3 injection.

Q: Can I revoke approvals for NFTs on non-EVM blockchains like Solana or Tezos?A: No. Revoke.cash currently supports only EVM-compatible chains including Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Avalanche C-Chain, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base.

Q: What happens if I revoke an approval and then want to list an NFT again?A: You must re-approve the marketplace contract — this is a separate interaction requiring another signed transaction and gas fee.

Q: Why do some approvals show “Unknown” next to the spender name?A: This occurs when the contract address has not been labeled in Revoke.cash’s database or lacks verified source code on the respective blockchain explorer.