Updated SPL Token Metadata Causes Token To Display Inconsistenly

Question

I created an SPL token earlier this year and later needed to change the name of the token to reflect the new name of the project. I first tried updating the token via a pull request on GitHub back in May, but that was unsuccessful. Recently I updated the token by following the instructions on the Solana-labs Github archive and using Strata Launchpad to update the metadata.

After the update, the token name and symbol display inconsistently across different wallets and scan tools. What I found was that when I search for the Token address on Solscan, it shows the correct new details for the token, but when I search for the Token Account address on Solscan, it displays the old token details. I think it might be this inconsistency which is causing the issue but I can't be certain. I am nearing the launch date for the project and need to resolve this inconsistency. Is there any way to update the legacy token list on Github? that would be the quickest and easiest fix for the issue and I still have an open pull request from May.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

There is no way to update the legacy token-list on GitHub, so it's up to the wallets / explorers to fix any inconsistencies that they have. That's a problem on their side.

Answer 2

Second Jon's answer above.

The very old github-based solana-labs/token-list list was archived on June 3, 2022. For any new tokens, you need to set up appropriate metadata so that they display correctly.

Some context here: in order to create metadata under any metadata standard such as Metaplex or LibrePlex, you need to sign with the mint account itself. Typically the private key of the mint is discarded (it's only used once at mint time). Without the private key it's not possible to create a metadata accounts retroactively for the legacy mints.

There are some old tokens (pre-Metaplex) that do not have any metadata at all. The archived solana-labs/token-list can be used as a backup by service providers when there is no metadata available.

However, for any new mints you need to create metadata at mint time. As long as you retain update authority of the metadata, you can make changes as needed.

If any service (solscan etc) is not displaying your metadata correctly, it's usually a caching issue on the side of that service. Otherwise, all problems should be fixable using the update authority wallet. There are plenty of tools available (online / command line) for editing metadata.