Mint authority
The mint authority is the address allowed to create new tokens. If it's still set, whoever holds it can print supply at any time, diluting everyone and selling the new tokens into the pool. For a memecoin there's no good reason to keep it: it should be revoked (set to none).
Freeze authority
The freeze authority can freeze any holder's token account. A frozen account can't send its tokens, which means you can't sell. Some scam tokens let everyone buy and then freeze buyers. A live freeze authority on a memecoin is a red flag.
Token-2022 extensions
Tokens made with Solana's newer token program can carry extensions. Most are harmless. A few hand power to someone else:
- Permanent delegate: an address that can move or burn tokens from any account, including yours.
- Transfer fee: a cut taken on every transfer, which can be raised.
- Transfer hook: a program that runs on every transfer and can make transfers fail.
- Default frozen accounts: new accounts start frozen until someone thaws them.
Editable metadata
A token's name, ticker and picture live in its metadata. If the metadata can still be changed, the creator can rename the coin later, for example to pose as a bigger one. It's a caution, not a red.
Established coins
Some large, long-lived tokens keep an authority for legitimate reasons (a stablecoin's issuer, for example). Trenchie treats contract reds on established coins (a month old with real size) as a caution rather than High risk: in our record, none of 41 such coins rugged.
Trenchie reads all of this straight from the chain for every token: paste a contract address on the home page.
Questions people ask
How do I check mint authority on a Solana token?
Paste the contract address into Trenchie: the Contract line in the report says whether mint and freeze authority are revoked, and lists any risky Token-2022 extensions.
Do pump.fun tokens have freeze authority?
No. pump.fun revokes mint and freeze authority when the coin is created.