Every time you swap one token for another, your wallet quietly grants a permission called an approval. It lets a contract move a specific token on your behalf so the trade can go through. That is normal and necessary. The catch is that these permissions do not expire on their own. They sit in place long after you have stopped using an app, and a few of them can be broader than you realize. This guide shows you how to review the approvals your wallet has granted on Base, and how to cancel the ones you no longer want.
If the idea of approvals is new to you, it is worth reading our companion piece on what a token approval is first. This article assumes you already know the basics and focuses on the practical cleanup.
Why old approvals matter
An approval is a standing permission. When you approve a contract to spend a token, that contract can move up to the approved amount at any time in the future, without asking you again. Many apps request an unlimited allowance by default because it saves you from re-approving on every trade. That is convenient, but it also means the permission stays live until you cancel it.
Most of the time this is harmless. The contracts behind well known apps are audited and widely used. The risk shows up in two situations. The first is when an app you approved long ago turns out to have a flaw, or its contract is compromised. The second is when you approved something you should not have, for example a fake site that mimicked a real one. In both cases, an old unlimited approval is the open door. Revoking it closes the door.
Think of it like reviewing which apps have access to your email or photos. You are not assuming any single one is malicious. You are just keeping the list short so there is less to worry about.
What a review will not fix
Before the steps, one honest caveat. Revoking an approval removes a future permission. It does not undo anything that already happened. If a malicious contract already drained a token using an approval you granted, revoking afterward cannot bring those funds back. Revoking is a preventive habit, not a recovery tool. That is exactly why it is worth doing regularly rather than only after something goes wrong.
Tools you can use
Two well known tools let you inspect and manage approvals on Base. Both are free to read, and both charge only the normal network gas fee when you actually cancel something.
- Basescan token approval checker. The official Base block explorer has a page at basescan.org/tokenapprovalchecker. You paste in your wallet address and it lists the approvals that address has granted, covering standard tokens as well as NFTs.
- Revoke.cash. A dedicated approvals tool at revoke.cash. You enter your address and it shows each approval with details like the spender, the amount, and when it was granted. It supports Base along with many other networks through a dropdown.
Either one works. The steps below apply to both, since they do the same job.
Step by step
- Open the tool and enter your address. You can start by just pasting your public wallet address to look, without connecting anything. Reading the list requires no signature and no permission. Make sure you have the correct network selected, which is Base.
- Read the list carefully. You will see a row for each approval: which token it covers, which contract can spend it, and how much. Pay special attention to entries marked as unlimited, and to any contract name you do not recognize.
- Decide what to keep. An app you use often can keep its approval. There is no benefit to revoking something you will just re-approve tomorrow. Focus on apps you tried once and abandoned, anything unfamiliar, and any unlimited allowance on a token you hold in size.
- Connect your wallet to revoke. To actually cancel an approval you need to sign a transaction, so connect your wallet at this point. Then click revoke on the row you want to cancel.
- Confirm and pay gas. Revoking is itself an on-chain transaction. It sets the allowance back to zero and costs a small amount of gas, which on Base is usually very low. Your wallet will ask you to confirm. Once it goes through, that permission is gone.
Repeat for each approval you want to clear. If you have many, you do not have to do them all at once. Handle the riskiest ones first and come back later for the rest.
Build it into a habit
You do not need to check approvals every day. A reasonable rhythm is a quick review every month or two, and a review right after you connect to any app for the first time. It also helps to grant smaller allowances when an app offers the choice, rather than defaulting to unlimited. That way there is less to clean up later.
The takeaway
Approvals are a normal part of using a self-custody wallet on Base. They are not something to fear, but they are something to manage. Reading your list is free and takes a few minutes. Revoking the ones you no longer need costs a little gas and closes off permissions you are not using. It is one of the simplest, most reliable safety habits in self-custody, and it keeps your wallet's list of standing permissions as short as the apps you actually rely on.