Burn Tokens

Permanently destroy tokens from your balance

Burn Tokens

The xyz token burn command permanently destroys tokens from your balance, reducing the total supply.

Usage

xyz token burn <contract> <amount> --from <key>

Arguments

Argument	Description
contract	Token contract address
amount	Amount to burn (in smallest unit)

Flags

Flag	Description	Required
--from	Your signing key	Yes
--dry-run	Simulate only	No

Examples

Basic Burn

xyz token burn xyz1tokencontract... 1000000 --from mykey

Dry Run

xyz token burn xyz1tokencontract... 1000000 --from mykey --dry-run

Output:

Dry run mode - transaction not broadcast

Estimated gas: 100,000
Estimated fee: 1,000 uxyz

Burn Details:
  Token: xyz1tokencontract...
  From: xyz1youraddress...
  Amount: 1,000,000

Output

Successful burn:

Tokens Burned Successfully!

Token:        xyz1tokencontract...
Burned From:  xyz1youraddress...
Amount:       1,000,000
TxHash:       ABC123DEF456...
Gas Used:     95678
Block:        12345

Verify Burn

Check balance and total supply after burning:

# Your balance (should be reduced)
xyz token balance xyz1tokencontract... --key mykey

# Total supply (should be reduced)
xyz token info xyz1tokencontract...

Use Cases

Deflationary Mechanics

Reduce supply over time to increase scarcity

Token Buyback

Buy tokens from market and burn them

Error Correction

Burn accidentally minted tokens

Bridge Burns

Burn when bridging to another chain

Amount Calculation

Amount is in the token’s smallest unit. For 6 decimals:

Display	Amount (base)
1 MTK	1,000,000
0.5 MTK	500,000
100 MTK	100,000,000

Burn All Tokens

To burn your entire balance:

# Get current balance
BALANCE=$(xyz token balance xyz1contract... --key mykey --output json | jq -r '.balance')

# Burn all
xyz token burn xyz1contract... $BALANCE --from mykey

Error Handling

Error	Meaning	Solution
”insufficient token balance”	Not enough tokens	Check balance first
”contract not found”	Wrong contract address	Verify contract exists

Check Balance Before Burn

# Verify you have enough tokens
xyz token balance xyz1contract... --key mykey

Under the Hood

xyz token burn executes a MsgExecuteContract:

{
  "contract": "xyz1tokencontract...",
  "msg": {
    "burn": {
      "amount": "1000000"
    }
  },
  "funds": []
}

Burn vs BurnFrom

CW20 has two burn methods:

Method	Who Burns	Requires
burn	Token holder	Just your tokens
burn_from	Approved spender	Prior allowance

The xyz token burn command uses burn (burning your own tokens).

Burning is irreversible! Burned tokens are permanently destroyed and cannot be recovered.

Troubleshooting

Insufficient balance

You can only burn tokens you own:

xyz token balance xyz1contract... --key mykey

Zero amount

Amount must be greater than 0.