Solana update authority, explained

Where it lives

An SPL token has a mint account and, when it has a name and image, a metadata account that follows the Metaplex standard. The mint account stores decimals, supply, mint authority and freeze authority. The metadata account stores the name, the symbol, a URI, and the update authority.

The URI points at a file that holds the description, the logo and any website or social links. Changing the URI, or the name and symbol beside it, is what update authority allows. Revoking mint authority does not touch this. A token can have a fixed supply and still have its logo swapped the next day.

What revoking locks

Revoking sets the update authority to none. The metadata program then rejects any update. The name, symbol, logo and links stay as they were at that moment.

This cannot be undone. If the logo is wrong, or you later want a website added, there is no second chance on that mint. The practical order is: finish the art and the links, then revoke. Leaving it unticked keeps the authority in your wallet, which is the right default when the branding is not finished.

Decimals are not part of this decision. Decimals are written on the mint account at creation and cannot be changed either way.

Why scanners check it

A live update authority is a bait-and-switch risk. Someone can launch with a familiar name and logo, wait for buyers, then point the metadata at something else. Token scanners treat a revoked update authority the way they treat a revoked mint and a revoked freeze: as one signal, not as a verdict.

It still says nothing about liquidity. A locked name on a pool you can empty is a locked name. Adding liquidity and burning the LP tokens are the next checks.

How Anvilmint handles it

On the SPL create form, revoke update authority is an optional add-on at 0.1 SOL. It is off until you tick it, and it runs in the same transaction as the mint. If you skip it, update authority stays with your wallet.

The Token-2022 tax token form does not offer this revoke. If locking the metadata is part of the plan, that has to be an SPL mint. SPL vs Token-2022 is the comparison to read first.

The Revoke Authority tool, used after launch, revokes mint authority and freeze authority. It does not revoke update authority. If you want the metadata locked, do it on the create form.

Read mint authority and freeze authority before you tick all three. They are permanent for different reasons, and wanting one does not mean you want the others.