Quicknode Earn uses on-chain allowances and off-chain signatures for different parts of a strategy. Allowances authorize specific token actions, while each signature authorizes a single management request.
- USDC allowance. Authorizes the deposit amount but does not move funds by itself.
- Vault share allowances. Define which vaults Earn may use and let it move shares during rebalances.
- Off-chain signatures. Authorize one management request and cannot move funds.
- Revoking approvals. Manage allowances from the Earn Vaults page or revoke.cash.
For the prompt sequence and the wallet-by-wallet experience, see Connect and deposit and Supported wallets. This page covers what each approval authorizes and how to revoke.
Approval and signature types
The following table explains what each authorization permits and whether it moves funds.
| Authorization | Purpose | Moves funds by itself? |
|---|---|---|
| USDC allowance | Authorizes the USDC amount that Earn may use for the next deposit. | No |
| Vault share allowance | Authorizes Earn to use an approved vault and move its shares during rebalances. | No |
| Off-chain signature | Authorizes one create, edit, pause, resume, or hide-vault request. | No |
Approving an allowance does not deposit or move funds. A deposit moves funds only after you confirm the deposit transaction. Later, Earn may execute rebalances under your approved strategy rules.
How vault approvals limit Earn
Vault shares are minted directly to your wallet at deposit time. The Earn contract needs an allowance on each vault share token to:
- Define the approved vault set. Earn can route funds only to vaults you have approved.
- Move shares out of a vault. Earn uses the allowance when a better candidate qualifies, a vault must be exited, or you close the strategy.
The same allowance lets Earn collect the rebalance fee in shares of the source vault. Without the required vault share allowances, Earn cannot rebalance the position.
During setup, Earn displays the qualifying vaults grouped by network. Approving more qualifying vaults gives Earn more options when evaluating future rebalances, but it does not allow Earn to route funds outside the approved set.
You can approve additional vaults later. If a better vault is unavailable only because its allowance is missing, the strategy page displays an Approve button and can notify you.
Revoke an approval
Manage allowances from the Vaults page in Earn, which supports bulk approvals and revocations. You can also use revoke.cash.
| Approval revoked | Effect |
|---|---|
| USDC allowance | Prevents Earn from using the allowance for the next deposit. Funds already deposited in vaults are unaffected. |
| Vault share allowance | Blocks rebalances into and out of that vault. The close flow asks you to restore any required allowance. |
Earn blocks revoking the allowance for a vault currently held by an active strategy. Close the strategy before revoking that allowance.
How signatures work
Creating a strategy, editing its settings, pausing or resuming it, and hiding a vault each prompt a one-off off-chain signature. The signature confirms that the connected wallet authorized that specific request. It cannot be reused for another action and cannot move funds.
For regular wallets, the signature request remains valid for five minutes. On a multi-owner Safe, the signed-message request enters the Safe queue and requires the configured co-signers. Safe authorization requests remain valid for 24 hours so the co-signers have time to approve them.