Token approvals, explained — and when to revoke them
What an approval actually is
An approval (allowance) is a smart contract permission: it lets a spender move a specific token from your wallet, up to an amount you set. DEX routers need one to pull tokens for a swap. The catch: most approvals stay valid forever, long after you stopped using that DEX.
When approvals become a risk
If a contract you approved gets exploited — or was malicious from the start — the attacker can drain the tokens you approved, without any further action from you. This is why security folks tell you to keep your allowance list short. Unlimited approvals to old routers are the classic example.
How revoking works
Revoking is just another approval call with amount zero. It costs gas but nothing else. ClaimYourETH lists every spender still holding allowances for your tokens across all four chains and revokes the ones you pick in one batch — free apart from gas.
Rule of thumb
Revoke anything you haven't used in months, anything from contracts you don't recognize, and anything with unlimited allowance you no longer need. Keep only the allowances used by tools you actively trade with.
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