What are mint authority, freeze authority and owner powers, and how do you check them?

Mint authority lets someone create new tokens, freeze authority lets someone lock holders’ tokens, and owner powers on EVM contracts can include minting, changing taxes, blacklisting and pausing trading. To check, open the token on Solscan or the contract on Etherscan and see which of these powers are still active and who holds them.

Last reviewed: 6 November 2026

These guides and the DegenPass trust score are measurements, not investment advice: no check can prove a token is honest, and none can predict its price.

Why these powers matter

A token’s contract decides what is possible, not the project’s promises. If a key can still create new tokens, the supply you bought into can be diluted overnight. If a key can freeze accounts or block transfers, your tokens can be locked where they are. If a key can rewrite the contract, every other check can be undone later.

None of these powers is proof of bad intent on its own: stablecoins and many established tokens keep some of them on purpose, for compliance or upgrades. What matters is who holds them, whether that is disclosed, and whether you accept that key holder having that power over your tokens.

On Solana: mint, freeze and update authority

• Mint authority: the address that can create new tokens. Revoked (shown as none or empty) means the supply can no longer grow.
• Freeze authority: the address that can freeze any holder’s token account so it cannot send or sell. Revoked means nobody can do this.
• Update authority: the address that can change the token’s metadata, such as its name, symbol and image. It does not touch balances, but a changed name can be used to imitate another token.
• Token-2022 extensions: tokens on the newer token program can carry extra powers. A transfer fee takes a cut of every transfer; a permanent delegate can move or burn tokens from any holder’s account; a transfer hook runs custom code on every transfer; a default frozen state leaves new accounts frozen until released.

On EVM networks: owner functions

• Mint: creates new tokens, usually to the owner’s address.
• Set tax or fee: changes how much is taken on buys and sells.
• Blacklist or block: stops chosen addresses from transferring or selling.
• Pause or enable trading: stops all transfers except for exempt wallets.
• Max transaction or max wallet: limits how much one wallet can hold or sell at once.
• Exclude from fees or limits: lets chosen wallets, often the owner’s, trade without the rules everyone else follows.

Renounced ownership and upgradeable proxies

Renouncing ownership sets the owner to the zero address, so owner-only functions can no longer be called. That is meaningful, but only if the contract itself cannot be replaced. Many tokens are deployed behind an upgradeable proxy: the address you trade is a thin shell that forwards every call to an implementation contract, and a separate proxy admin can point it at new code.

If a proxy admin exists, a renounced owner on the current code does not protect you, because the admin can swap in code with a new owner, a mint function or a sell block. On the explorer, a proxy usually carries a note that it may be a proxy and offers Read as Proxy and Write as Proxy tabs; find out who the admin is and whether upgrades go through a time delay.

Check that the source code is verified, too. Unverified code means you cannot read what the functions actually do, and the function names a scanner shows are its best reading of the bytecode.

How to look it up yourself, step by step

1. Solana: open the mint on Solscan

   Paste the token’s mint address into Solscan. On the token page, find Mint Authority and Freeze Authority and check whether each is set or revoked. Note which token program the mint uses; if it is Token-2022, look at the extensions listed for it.

2. Solana: cross-check with a second source

   RugCheck reports the same authorities alongside holder and liquidity data. If two sources disagree, go back to the explorer’s raw fields and look closer before you decide.

3. EVM: open the contract on the explorer

   Paste the address into Etherscan, BscScan or Basescan and open the Contract tab. Check for the verified-source mark. Under Read Contract, look up owner to see who holds control; an owner of 0x0000…0000 means ownership was renounced.

4. EVM: list what the owner can do

   Under Write Contract you see every function that changes state. Look for mint, set tax or fee, blacklist, pause, set max transaction and exclude-from-fee functions. GoPlus data summarises many of these as yes-or-no flags if you prefer not to read code.

5. EVM: check for a proxy

   If the explorer marks the contract as a possible proxy, open Read as Proxy to see the implementation address, then find the proxy admin. Ask who controls that key and whether there is a delay before an upgrade takes effect.

6. Check again after big announcements

   Authorities can be revoked later, and on EVM networks a proxy can be upgraded. Look again whenever a project announces a migration, a new version or a change of team.

How DegenPass checks this

The take part of the DegenPass trust score asks whether anyone can mint, change the contract or take holders’ tokens, and if the owner can seize, freeze or dilute holdings the score is capped at 20. A buy through DegenPass is refused when an owner who can change balances, or a creator who can move holders’ tokens, is found.

Read the trust score methodology

Frequently asked questions

Is an active mint authority always a red flag?

Not always. Stablecoins and some established tokens keep a mint key on purpose and disclose who holds it. For a new memecoin with an anonymous team, an active mint authority means one key can dilute every holder, which is a large risk to accept.

What do revoked and renounced actually mean?

Revoked (Solana) or renounced (EVM) means the power was handed to no one: the authority field is empty, or the owner is the zero address. It cannot be taken back, which is the point. It covers only that one power, so check the others separately.

Can the update authority on Solana take my tokens?

No. The update authority changes metadata such as the name, symbol and image, not balances. It can still be misused, for example to rename a token so it looks like a different one, so it is worth noting who holds it.

Where do I see Token-2022 extensions?

On Solscan, the token page shows which token program a mint uses, and for Token-2022 mints it lists the extensions in use. Data sources such as RugCheck can report them too.

Related pages

• All token-check guides
• How do you check if a token is a rug pull before you buy?
• How do you check if a token is a honeypot?
• How do you check if a token’s liquidity is locked?
• How do you verify a token’s real contract address and spot fake copies?
• All DegenPass tokens and their checks
• DegenPass trust scores
• How the trust score is calculated
• DegenPass help: buying tokens with USDT

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