Token-2022 transfer restrictions: what a Solana scanner can establish
Understand transfer fees, permanent delegates, hooks, frozen defaults and other Token-2022 controls without treating every extension as a scam or promising a sale.
RugSignal editorial notes · Published · Updated · Source-based, not investment advice.
Identify the token program before interpreting the check
Token-2022 adds optional extensions to Solana's token model. A legacy SPL mint and a Token-2022 mint do not expose the same controls. Confirm the owner program and mint identity rather than inferring a token's behavior from its ticker. An unknown extension layout is not a passing check. RugSignal labels unsupported controls explicitly and does not treat several inapplicable legacy-token extension checks as extra evidence coverage.
A fee can change the amount received
A transfer-fee configuration can include basis points, a maximum fee and authorities. Which fee schedule applies can depend on the active epoch. A current fee and a future authority to change it answer different questions. Illustrative example only: one percent of 100 tokens is one token before a configured cap or other mechanics; it is not necessarily a complete swap cost. Missing epoch or fee evidence stays unknown. A fee is a capability, not proof of malicious intent.
Inspect restrictions separately
A permanent delegate can hold broad transfer or burn capabilities. Default-frozen accounts may require an authorized thaw. A non-transferable extension changes whether a token can move at all. Supported pause configuration can suspend transfers. Read each current value and authority independently: revoked mint authority does not cancel another extension's role. A legitimate operational use case and an unacceptable trading exposure can coexist.
A transfer hook requires program-specific analysis
A hook can invoke additional logic when tokens move. Its configured program and update authority are useful facts, but those facts alone cannot establish how every wallet, amount or venue will behave. RugSignal does not claim to audit arbitrary hook code or fully simulate a trade. Unknown hook behavior must not become an assurance that selling is possible. Check the protocol's requirements and the actual supported route before considering a transaction.
Why different checkers can disagree
Checkers may read different slots, support different extension versions, classify service accounts differently or apply different warning policies. Compare the exact mint, observation time, raw capability and applicability before comparing headline categories. A deterministic score is not a measured probability of fraud. Evidence coverage is not accuracy, and neither a low score nor an apparently valid quote guarantees an exit. RugSignal's independently reviewed predictive benchmark remains unverified.
A practical next step
Run a free scan with the exact mint, open the evidence for each authority and extension, and follow the public methodology when an interpretation is unclear. Use the liquidity guide to separate transfer behavior from available liquidity. An entitled deep investigation may add wallet context, but it cannot replace missing program semantics. Wallet sign-in is message signing only; a public check never requires approval to spend your tokens.
Sources and further reading
- Solana: Token Extensions overview
- Solana: transfer fees
- Solana: token model and authority semantics
- RugSignal: deterministic methodology
Official protocol documentation explains capabilities; it does not certify an individual token. RugSignal-specific statements describe our current implementation.