| Document and Entity Information - USD ($) | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 | Apr. 24, 2023 | Jun. 30, 2022 | |
| Cover [Abstract] | |||
| Document Type | 10-K/A | ||
| Amendment Flag | true | ||
| Amendment Description | This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) amends the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Molecular Templates, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” or “Molecular”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 30, 2023 (the “Original 10-K”). The purpose of this Amendment is to include information required by Part III of the Annual Report on Form 10-K that was intentionally omitted from Part III of the Original 10-K. In addition, this Amendment amends Item 15 of Part IV of the Original 10-K to update the exhibit list and to include new certifications by our principal executive officer and principal financial officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Except as described above, no other changes have been made to the Original 10-K. The Original 10-K continues to speak as of the dates described in the Original 10-K, and we have not updated the disclosures contained therein to reflect any events that occurred subsequent to such dates. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Company’s filings made with the SEC subsequent to the filing of the Original 10-K, as information in such filings may update or supersede certain information contained in this Amendment. In this Amendment, unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, “the Company”, “we”, “us”, “our” and “MTEM” refer to Molecular Templates, Inc. and its subsidiaries following the Merger, effective on August 1, 2017, and to Private Molecular and its subsidiaries prior to the Merger. References to “Pre-Merger Threshold” means Threshold prior to the Merger effective on August 1, 2017. | ||
| Document Period End Date | Dec. 31, 2022 | ||
| Document Fiscal Year Focus | 2022 | ||
| Document Fiscal Period Focus | FY | ||
| Entity Registrant Name | MOLECULAR TEMPLATES, INC. | ||
| Entity Central Index Key | 0001183765 | ||
| Current Fiscal Year End Date | --12-31 | ||
| Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer | No | ||
| Entity Current Reporting Status | Yes | ||
| Entity Voluntary Filers | No | ||
| Entity Interactive Data Current | Yes | ||
| Entity Filer Category | Non-accelerated Filer | ||
| Entity Small Business | true | ||
| ICFR Auditor Attestation Flag | false | ||
| Entity Emerging Growth Company | false | ||
| Entity Shell Company | false | ||
| Entity File Number | 001-32979 | ||
| Entity Incorporation State Country Code | DE | ||
| Entity Tax Identification Number | 94-3409596 | ||
| Entity Address Address Line1 | 9301 Amberglen Blvd | ||
| Entity Address, Address Line Two | Suite 100 | ||
| Entity Address City Or Town | Austin | ||
| Entity Address State Or Province | TX | ||
| Entity Address Postal Zip Code | 78729 | ||
| City Area Code | 512 | ||
| Local Phone Number | 869-1555 | ||
| Entity Public Float | $ 29,380,632 | ||
| Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding | 56,351,647 | ||
| Security12b Title | Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value Per Share | ||
| Trading Symbol | MTEM | ||
| Security Exchange Name | NASDAQ | ||
| Document Annual Report | true | ||
| Document Transition Report | false | ||
| Auditor Name | Ernst & Young LLP | ||
| Auditor Firm ID | 42 | ||
| Auditor Location | Austin, Texas | ||
| Documents Incorporated by Reference | DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE None . |
