Unlock Labs is thrilled to announce a new feature that many lock managers have requested: the Allow List Hook! This hook gives lock managers greater control over who can purchase memberships on their locks by requiring that only specific, pre-approved wallet addresses can complete a purchase.

This new capability is especially relevant for event organizers with private events, creators with exclusive content, and other builders who want finer control over who can mint tickets, memberships, subscriptions, or certifications.

Why an Allow List Hook?

In many cases, lock managers want the ability to pre-approve their members. Until now, there was a way to solve this by third-party tools like guild.xyz to manage allow lists. However, after hearing repeated requests and seeing real-world needs from the community, we decided it was time to build a native Unlock solution as well.

Real-world example

Coinage Media expressed a need to give their existing mainnet NFT holders a direct path to purchase memberships on Base. With the Allow List Hook, they can simply upload a list of addresses corresponding to those existing mainnet holders, ensuring only these verified individuals can purchase memberships on Base.

Why allow lists matter

There are many reasons why allow lists matter to lock managers as well as to their community members.

Lock managers gain a powerful new level of control by selectively granting membership access only to a curated list of pre-approved wallet addresses. This approach eliminates the hassle of dealing with unauthorized sign-ups, bots, and fraudulent activities.

By focusing on real, qualified participants, lock managers can preserve the exclusivity of their events, content, or communities, ensuring that everyone who gains access has been verified and meets the criteria set by organizers.

Meanwhile, members on the allow list enjoy a more seamless and trustworthy purchase experience. Upon connecting their wallets, they can quickly verify that they qualify for membership, eliminating any guesswork or surprises at checkout.

In addition, being part of an allow list fosters a sense of belonging, reinforcing the value of the membership or event they are joining and building confidence that they are participating in a legitimate community.

How it works

We’ve added a new setting where lock managers can enable the Allow List Hook and configure it directly from their Unlock Labs dashboard.

You can access the Allow List Hook from Settings > Advanced > Hooks.

In the Allow List Hook area, paste in a list of wallet addresses that are allow-listed to be able to purchase memberships, and click Save.

What happens next

When a user starts the purchase or claim process and connects their wallet using the Unlock Checkout, the checkout will recognize if the connected wallet is on the allowlist. If it is, then the user is allowed to continue with the claim or purchase transaction. If not, the user will be informed that their wallet address is ineligible.

The Allow List Hook is available now

This feature is available right now for all lock managers. Simply log into your Unlock Dashboard, navigate to the “Hooks” section, and activate the AllowList Hook.

For more details or to share your experience, join us on the Unlock Discord or check out our Warpcast channel. As always, we’re here to help you create more personalized access experiences for your community!