ERC-20 owner powers: mint, burn and pause
Updated
Every token has an owner, and the owner may keep certain powers over it. Buyers check these powers before anything else, because they decide whether new tokens can appear or whether trading can be stopped. This guide explains each power in plain words, what holders can check, and which settings fit which kind of token.
Fixed supply
Mintable up to a cap
Unlimited minting, pausable
The short version
| Power | What it allows | What holders think |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed supply | Nothing: no new tokens can ever be created | The strongest signal of trust |
| Mint with a cap | The owner can create new tokens, but never beyond the cap | Fine if the reason and the cap are public |
| Mint without a cap | The owner can create any number of tokens | A major red flag for most buyers |
| Burn | Holders can destroy their own tokens | Harmless |
| Pause | The owner can stop all transfers | Seen as risky; needs a good reason |
| Owner | Can use the powers above and hand them on | Matters only if a power is switched on |
Minting: can new tokens appear?
A mintable token lets the owner create new tokens and send them to any address. That is useful when tokens are issued over time, such as rewards in an app. It also means the owner can dilute every holder.
A cap (max supply) limits the damage. On a Kobolt token the cap counts every token ever minted, including tokens burned later, so burning never makes room to mint more. Without a cap, minting has no limit at all, which most buyers won't accept.
If you don't need minting, turn it off. A token created with its full supply and no minting can never grow. That is what most meme and community tokens choose.
Burning: can tokens be destroyed?
Burning removes tokens from circulation for good. On a Kobolt token each holder can burn only their own tokens; nobody can burn tokens from someone else's wallet. Projects use it to destroy unsold or unused tokens in public. Because it only touches your own balance, buyers see it as harmless.
Pausing: can trading be stopped?
A pausable token lets the owner freeze every transfer at once. While paused, nobody can send, sell, buy, mint or burn. The idea is an emergency brake, for example if a wallet is hacked. The problem is that holders have to trust the owner not to pull it, which is why many buyers avoid pausable tokens.
A Kobolt token can't give up its owner while it is paused, because that would freeze every balance forever. Turn pausing on only if you have a concrete reason, and say what it is.
The owner
Whoever created the token is its owner. The owner is the only one who can mint or pause, if those powers are on. Ownership moves in two steps: the current owner names a new owner, and the new owner has to accept. That stops ownership from being sent to a wrong address by mistake. A common setup is to move ownership to a multisig wallet, so several people must agree before a power is used.
If a token has a fixed supply and no pause, the owner has no powers over balances or trading at all.
What Kobolt tokens can never do
Some powers that scam tokens use simply don't exist in a Kobolt token, whatever the owner chooses:
- No transfer tax or hidden fee on buys and sells.
- No blacklist: the owner can't block a single wallet from selling.
- No upgrade: the contract code can never be swapped.
- No changing the settings: name, symbol, cap and the on/off switches are fixed at creation.
See the ERC-20 token generator for the full contract details.
How holders can check a token
Anyone can read a token's settings straight from the chain. On BaseScan, open the token's contract and its Read Contract tab, if the contract is verified there. On a Kobolt token, look for these values:
mintable,burnableandpausable: which powers are switched on.maxSupplyandtotalMinted: the cap and how much has been minted so far.paused: whether transfers are stopped right now.owner: who holds the powers.
The token's page in the Kobolt app shows the same settings in plain words.
Which settings fit your token
| Kind of token | Mint | Burn | Pause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meme or community token | Off | On | Off |
| Project token with the full supply at launch | Off | On | Off |
| Reward or in-app token issued over time | On, with a cap | On | Off |
| Token that may need an emergency stop | Off or capped | On | On, with the reason published |
Whatever you choose, write it in your launch post: which powers are on, why, and who the owner is. Then create the token in the builder; the review screen lists every power before you sign.
Common mistakes
- Turning on minting "just in case" without a cap.
- Turning on pause without telling holders why.
- Keeping the owner on the deployer wallet that is also used for daily work.
- Saying "no owner powers" when minting or pausing is switched on.
FAQ
What does mintable mean on a token?
The owner can create new tokens after launch. With a cap there is a hard limit; without one there is none.
Is a burnable token safe?
Yes. On a Kobolt token holders can only burn their own tokens, so burning can't touch anyone else's balance.
Why are pausable tokens seen as risky?
Because the owner can stop all transfers at any moment, including selling.
Can I change the settings after launch?
No. Mint, burn, pause and the cap are fixed when the token is created.
Can I give up ownership?
Ownership can be transferred to another wallet in two steps. Giving it up entirely is possible on the contract, but not while the token is paused.
Ready to launch?
Create your token on Base from your own wallet. You see every setting and the exact fee before you sign.
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