What does "set approval for all" mean in a wallet?

Understanding Set Approval for All

1. 'Set approval for all' is a permission mechanism used in Ethereum-based tokens that implement the ERC-721 or ERC-1155 standards. It allows a smart contract to manage all of a user’s non-fungible tokens (NFTs) held in their wallet without requiring individual approvals per token.

2. This function is typically invoked through the setApprovalForAll method, which takes two parameters: the address of the operator and a boolean flag indicating whether approval is granted or revoked.

3. Once enabled, the designated operator gains full authority to transfer, list, or otherwise interact with every NFT owned by the user across that specific contract — including future tokens minted under the same contract.

4. Unlike per-token approvals, this setting applies broadly and persists until explicitly revoked, making it both powerful and potentially risky if misused.

Risks Associated with Global Approval

1. A malicious or compromised marketplace or protocol can drain every NFT from a user’s wallet in a single transaction if global approval has been granted to its contract.

2. Users often overlook the scope of this permission when connecting wallets to new platforms, especially during rapid onboarding flows where “approve all” buttons appear alongside seemingly benign actions like “connect wallet” or “enable trading.”

3. Even audited protocols may suffer from logic flaws or governance exploits that could leverage existing global approvals to initiate unauthorized transfers.

4. Recovery is nearly impossible once assets are transferred out, as blockchain transactions are immutable and ownership changes are final.

How Wallets Display and Manage This Permission

1. Modern Web3 wallets such as MetaMask and Phantom surface these permissions in dedicated sections like “Permissions,” “Approved Contracts,” or “NFT Access.”

2. Each approved operator is listed alongside the token contract address and timestamp of approval, enabling users to identify which dApps hold broad access rights.

3. Revoking global approval requires initiating a new transaction — one that calls setApprovalForAll with the same operator address and a false value — consuming gas and confirming via signature.

4. Some wallets now include warning banners or tooltips when users interact with contracts known to request or rely heavily on global approvals.

ERC-1155 vs. ERC-721 Behavior Differences

1. ERC-1155 supports batch operations and inherently uses setApprovalForAll as its primary delegation model due to its multi-token design, where a single contract manages fungible, semi-fungible, and non-fungible assets.

2. ERC-721 originally relied on per-token approvals but later adopted setApprovalForAll as an optional standard extension to improve UX for marketplaces handling large NFT collections.

3. In practice, most major NFT marketplaces on Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains default to requesting global approval for faster listing and selling workflows.

4. Developers building on ERC-721 must explicitly implement the interface; failure to do so means the contract cannot accept global approvals at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I see which contracts have global approval on my wallet?A: Yes. Open your wallet’s settings, navigate to permissions or connected sites, and look for entries labeled “approved for all” or “operator approvals.” Each will show the contract address and date.

Q: Does revoking global approval affect already-listed NFTs on marketplaces?A: Yes. Revoking removes the marketplace’s ability to execute sales or transfers. You may need to re-approve or relist items manually after revocation.

Q: Are hardware wallets safer when using set approval for all?A: Hardware wallets protect private keys but do not filter or block dangerous approvals. The user still signs the transaction — meaning risk remains if the approval target is malicious.

Q: Do Layer 2 networks handle set approval for all differently?A: The mechanism operates identically at the smart contract level. However, lower gas fees on L2s increase the frequency of use, and some L2-native marketplaces encourage broader adoption of global approvals for efficiency.