Check Your Wallet Permissions Today.

Okay, look. Every other guide out there starts with some scary story about a drained wallet or jumps straight into "use this tool now!" But that's not helpful if you're sitting there like, "Wait, what even are permissions?" They skip the why, make it feel like homework, and leave you paranoid without a plan. The thing is, wallet permissions are just sneaky approvals you give dApps - and yeah, they can bite you hard if ignored. But checking them? Super quick once you know how. In my experience, I used to approve everything without thinking, lost a chunk of USDC to a shady swap site. Never again. So let's fix that right now, casually, step by step.

What "Wallet Permissions" Actually Means (No BS)

Picture this: You connect your MetaMask or Trust Wallet to Uniswap or some NFT drop. It asks to "approve" spending your tokens. Boom, permission granted. That smart contract now has a to your tokens - forever, unless you revoke it. Why does this matter? Hackers love old approvals. They phish you into a fake site, you sign something dumb, and poof - they drain using approvals you forgot about from 2024.

Permissions cover two main types. Token approvals for ERC-20s, NFTs (ERC-721, ERC-1155). And dApp stuff like MetaMask letting sites call eth_accounts or send transactions. Unlimited approvals? Worst idea ever. They let dApps spend all your tokens, not just what you meant. Gas for revokes? Tiny, like ~0.0005 ETH on Ethereum, even less on Solana (~0.000005 SOL). Worth it a million times over.

Sound familiar? That "connect wallet" button everyone mashes? Yeah, that's the trap.

Why Check Today? Real Risks Hitting People Now

Wallet drainers are everywhere. Fake airdrops, phishing links on Twitter. They trick you into approving, then siphon. In my experience, I saw a buddy lose 2 ETH because he approved an "NFT minter" two years back. The contract got hacked, attacker used the old permission. No new hack needed.

But here's the kicker - revoking stops that cold. Can't recover stolen funds, but it blocks more theft. Sweeper bots? If ETH vanishes instantly, your seed's compromised. Ditch the wallet, make a new one. Don't bother revoking first.

Quick Risk Check

Used a dApp last month? Check it.
Got random tokens or NFTs? Sketchy approvals hiding there.
Wallet balance over $100? Do it now.

Pretty much everyone has junk permissions. I check monthly. Takes 5 minutes.

Tool #1: Revoke.cash - Your First Stop

Love this site. Covers 100+ chains - Ethereum, Solana, Base, you name it. No account needed. Here's how I do it every time.

Go to revoke.cash. Hit Connect Wallet top right. Or paste your address if you're paranoid about connecting.
Pick your network - Ethereum mainnet usually first. It loads your approvals. Sort by oldest or biggest spender.
Spot junk? Like old Uniswap or OpenSea from ages ago? Hit Revoke. Wallet pops up, confirm. Gas fee shows - say ~$2-5 on ETH during low traffic.
Do ERC-20 tokens. Then NFTs under ERC-721/1155 tabs. Revoke all you don't use daily.
Switch chains. Repeat. Boom, clean wallet.

What's next? If it says "infinite" approval, prioritize that. Revoke.cash shows spender addresses - Google 'em if unsure. Legit ones like Uniswap V3? Maybe keep. Shady 0xdeadbeef? Gone.

Pro tip: Do this on a fresh browser tab. I usually clear cache after. Fees add up across chains? Batch 'em when gas is cheap, like weekends.

MetaMask Permissions - The Hidden Ones

Tokens are big, but dApp permissions? Sneakier. MetaMask lets sites request stuff like viewing accounts or signing txns. Old connections linger.

In my experience, after a DeFi binge, I had 20 sites with eth_accounts access. Any could phish me later.

Open MetaMask. Click the dApp list icon (looks like a puzzle piece).
Connected sites? Hit Disconnect on randos.
For deep clean: Go to Settings > Security & Privacy > Revoke permissions? Wait, not there yet. Use the RPC way if you're dev y.

Advanced? In console on a site, but don't. Use wallet_revokePermissions via a tool. Honestly, for most, disconnecting covers 90%.

Why bother? Grants access to sendTransaction, personal_sign. Hackers chain that with approvals for full drain.

Trust Wallet or Mobile? Easy Mode

Phone users, you're good. Trust Wallet has built in scanner.

Revoke Via Etherscan in Trust

Open Trust Wallet > Settings > WalletConnect > Add new.
etherscan.io/tokenapprovalchecker. Connect via WalletConnect.
Browse tabs: ERC-20, etc. Revoke suspects. Confirm in app - gas ~0.001 ETH.
Security Scanner in Trust? Run it first. Flags risky approvals.

Issue? "Transaction failed"? Gas too low - bump it 20%. Or network congested, wait an hour.

Compare Your Top Tools

Tool	Best For	Chains	Gas Cost Example	Catch?
Revoke.cash	Tokens/NFTs	100+	~0.0005 ETH	Free, no login
Etherscan Checker	ETH specific	ETH only	~0.001 ETH	WalletConnect easy
MetaMask Settings	dApp connects	All	$0	Manual disconnect
Trust Scanner	Mobile quick	Multi	Varies	Built in flags

Pick based on your wallet. I rotate Revoke.cash and Etherscan. Covers everything.

Limited Approvals - Stop the Madness

Next time a dApp asks "approve unlimited USDT"? Don't. In MetaMask, hit Edit > Custom Spend Limit. Set like 100 USDT for the trade. Way safer. Risk drops to just that amount if hacked.

OpenSea does this too. Why does this matter? Unlimited = all your tokens forever. Limited = "oops, only lost $50."

Common Screw Ups and Fixes

No gas? Stuck? Bridge some ETH/SOL cheap via official ramps. ~$1 fee.
Revoked, but still drained? Check for new approvals post hack. Or seed compromised - new wallet time.
Mobile won't connect? Update app. Enable WalletConnect in settings.
Too many? Overwhelmed? Start with top 5 spenders. Revoke rest tomorrow.

The thing is, first check feels endless. But 80% are junk from one bad week. Clears fast.

Daily Habits to Never Worry Again

Now, build it in. I set a calendar ping every Friday - "Wallet check."

Disconnect after every dApp. MetaMask: Hit disconnect button. Don't "stay connected."

Hardware wallet? Ledger/Trezor. Approvals still apply - revoke same way. Use clear signing, never blind sign.

Multi sig for big stacks? Needs 2/3 keys. Safer, but slower. Good for $10k+.

2FA everywhere. App based, not SMS. Password manager for exchanges. Update wallet software weekly - patches kill exploits.

Monitor? Etherscan for your address. Set alerts for big txns. Free.

Big Balances? Pro Moves

Got serious crypto? Cold wallet it. Ledger for long term. Keep hot wallet under $1k. Rotate keys if sketchy vibes - move to new address, ~0.01 ETH fee.

Allowlists: Some wallets let you whitelist dApps. Only approve known ones.

In my experience, after first revoke sesh, hacks dropped to zero. Peaceful.