Token actions without displaying an initiative button?

I've looked at tens of guides where they make tokens with clickable macros through the token action. To do this the token needs a character sheet to access the attributes and abilities tab, but when a token gains a character sheet it also automatically gains an initiative token action. Is it possible to prevent this? My players get confused and start rolling initiative for the group chest and questbook...

Sounds like you've got a collections macro set up for your initiative macro - those are set global if set as token actions. If you want to have initiative token action for only select characters, you'll need to set them up on the character sheets. Having a preset token action of any kind is not default behavior.

Where is that located? I have no initiative macros visible any place on my sidebars. When I check the code from the roll I just get "%{selected|initiative}"

Look under the Collections tab in the game. See if there's a macro listed there for Initiative; if there is, double-click the macro's name in the list and uncheck the box next to "Show as Token Action".

I don't have any token actions listed, that's why I'm confused.

So if it is not in the collections macros, then it must be in the character abilities of the sheet you link the tokens to. Do you have a sheet you copy over to link to these tokens? These are the only two places where token abilities can be set.

None of the characters or monsters I have has an initiative macro. If I make a new character with the +character button and hit save changes right away without linking it to anything there is already an initiative token action button for it not listed anywhere I know to look.

That is very odd - what character sheet are you using? Looking closer to it, it might be an ability generated by the character sheet. EDIT: To be clear, %{selected|initiative} calls for an ability called initiative on the selected token's linked character sheet - but character sheets can have built in abilities that aren't listed in the attributes & abilities tab - so if there is no such ability listed but the button still appears and works, it's an ability built into the sheet.

I'm using the 3.5 sheets. I can edit the initmacro area to the right of the initiative values, but I can't stop it from showing the token action button...

I found the problem. The 3.5 sheet has an initiative token macro built in that can not be removed... It was written in the information page. Sorry for wasting your time and thank you for trying to help.