Disconnecting a Dapp Does Not Revoke Its Token Approval
A token approval lets a dapp move a specific token later. Disconnecting the site does not cancel that permission. Revoking it is a separate step.
Disconnecting a Dapp Does Not Revoke Its Token Approval
A token approval lets a dapp move a specific token from your wallet later. Closing the site or hitting disconnect does not cancel that permission.
A dapp is a website that asks your wallet to sign. A token approval is on-chain permission for that site's contract to move a named token, up to an amount you approve. A spending cap is that amount. Approval is not the same as a transfer.
Who, What, When, and Where
MetaMask documents token approvals in its stay-safe help pages. Ethereum's ERC-20 standard, EIP-20, defines the approve function that creates this permission. Etherscan publishes a token approval checker that lists allowances for an address you look up.
People who swap tokens or mint NFTs through a connected wallet see these requests during normal use. The same request type also appears on malicious sites.
What the Records Say
MetaMask's "What is a token approval?" page says an approval gives a smart contract permission to move tokens later. Disconnecting the dapp does not revoke that permission. The allowance stays until you send a separate revoke transaction.
Unlimited approvals are common on real decentralized exchanges. They are also used by malicious sites. MetaMask lets users set a custom spending cap instead of unlimited access.
For NFTs, setApprovalForAll gives an approved operator permission to manage all tokens in a collection. Do not sign that permission to "claim" an airdrop.
What This Article Does Not Confirm
This is not a report of a named 2026 drain. CryptoWorkPro did not verify a specific victim, transaction hash, or loss figure. An unlimited approval on a well-known exchange is still an allowance, not proof that the site is safe or unsafe.
How to Review and Revoke
These steps come from MetaMask's revoke-allowance page and Etherscan's checker. They are not a recovery guarantee. Revoking an approval cannot move already-stolen tokens back.
- When a wallet asks you to approve a token, read the token, the spender, and the amount. Prefer a custom spending cap when MetaMask offers one.
- Do not treat disconnect as revoke. Use MetaMask Portfolio spending-cap tools, or another checker you opened yourself, to list and revoke allowances.
- Etherscan's token approval checker is at https://etherscan.io/tokenapprovalchecker. Type that URL yourself.
- Do not sign
setApprovalForAllbecause a site says you must do so to claim a free NFT.
Revocation is itself a blockchain transaction. It can fail or remain pending like any other send. Watch the spender list after you revoke, and do not enter a Secret Recovery Phrase into any checker or "approval cleaner" site.
Sources
- MetaMask Support, What is a token approval?: https://support.metamask.io/stay-safe/safety-in-web3/what-is-a-token-approval/
- MetaMask Support, How to revoke smart contract allowances / token approvals: https://support.metamask.io/more-web3/learn/how-to-revoke-smart-contract-allowances-token-approvals/
- EIP-20, ERC-20 Token Standard: https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-20
- Etherscan token approval checker: https://etherscan.io/tokenapprovalchecker
Disclosure: This article is informational coverage of MetaMask's token-approval help pages, EIP-20, and Etherscan's checker. The featured image is a generated illustration, not a documentary photograph. This article is not financial, legal, or investment advice. AI-assisted research and writing. Cited sources, not AI alone, support the claims.