Guide · Safety
How to spot a rug pull
Check 5 things before you buy a new token: insider holdings, whether the maker's tokens are locked, whether the liquidity is locked, whether anyone can mint more or change the token, and bundled early buys. On KABOOM!, Solana coin pages read most of these from the chain; part of the disclosure badge is not live yet.
The 5-point check
| Check | What to look for | Red flag | Where KABOOM! shows it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Insider supply | How much of the supply a few related wallets held right after launch | More than 30% with a few linked wallets | Disclosure badge on Solana coin pages; openness score on Robinhood Chain coin pages |
| 2. Maker lock | Whether the maker's tokens are locked and how they unlock | A large maker allocation that can be sold at once | Vesting panel on Solana coin pages |
| 3. Liquidity lock | Whether the pool liquidity can be withdrawn | Unlocked liquidity controlled by one wallet | LP panel on Solana coin pages; not known for Robinhood Chain coins |
| 4. Mint and metadata | Whether anyone can mint more tokens or change the token | A live mint authority or update authority | Mint authority read from the chain on Solana coin pages |
| 5. Bundled buys | Whether the maker bought from several wallets in the launch block | Large buys from fresh wallets funded by one source | Dev-buy share; cluster figures not live yet |
1. Who holds the supply
A main risk is buying from wallets that got in far cheaper. Look at how much of the supply the maker and the earliest buyers took, and whether those wallets look linked. On KABOOM!, the disclosure badge is meant to answer that question for the first moments after launch. The bundle layer of the disclosure badge is live; cluster figures are not live yet, so no cluster number is shown. A Solana coin page shows the maker's dev-buy as a share of the supply, and a Robinhood Chain coin page shows how open the launch was.
| Badge | Share held by a few related wallets | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Below 15% | Early supply was spread out |
| Orange | 15 to 30% | A noticeable share sits with a few related wallets |
| Red | Above 30% | A few related wallets can move the price |
The badge has two layers that are never added up: bundled through this platform (certain) and detected clusters (an estimate for Solana mainnet coins, shown only with its measured false-positive rate). Details: the disclosure badge and how clusters are detected.
2. Whether the maker's tokens are locked
A maker allocation that can be sold on day one is a risk for buyers, so check whether it is locked and how it unlocks. On KABOOM!, 5% of the supply goes to the maker. It is not paid out before migration; at migration it goes into a vesting escrow and unlocks in 30 equal steps over 30 days. No way to cancel the escrow was found, though that is not proven. The maker's own dev-buy tokens are not locked. A Solana coin page shows the schedule and how much has unlocked.
3. Whether the liquidity is locked
The classic rug pull is a liquidity pull: whoever controls the pool withdraws it and the token can no longer be sold for much. On KABOOM!, a coin on the bonding curve has no liquidity provider to pull, and at migration 100% of the DAMM v2 liquidity is permanently locked: it cannot be withdrawn, while fee claims on the locked positions are untested. For Robinhood Chain coins the LP lock is not known. Locked liquidity does not stop holders from selling into the pool, so it is one check, not a verdict.
5. Whether the launch was bundled
In a bundled launch the maker buys from several of their own wallets in the launch block, so the supply looks spread out while one party holds it. Signs are fresh wallets funded from the same source that all bought in the first seconds. On KABOOM!, the dev-buy is visible on Solana coin pages, and a bundle launched through the Robinhood Chain hub would be recorded on-chain (the hub is not deployed yet). Cluster detection covers Solana mainnet coins only, and its figures are not live yet.
What fixed launch rules can and cannot stop
For Solana coins on KABOOM!, this is what the launch config is set up to close off, and what it does not stop:
Closes off
- Minting extra tokens (immutable authority option; check the coin page)
- Swapping the name, symbol or image (same option)
- Pulling the locked liquidity after migration
- The maker selling the vesting allocation before migration
Does not stop
- Early buyers selling a large share at once
- The maker selling their own dev-buy tokens
- The price falling to a fraction of what you paid
- A coin simply losing attention
- Mistakes in the disclosure estimate
A one-minute routine before you buy
- Open the coin page and read the badge colour and the percentage behind it.
- On a Solana coin, check the vesting panel and the mint authority under Token and fees.
- Check the LP panel: still on the curve, or migrated with locked liquidity? On Robinhood Chain the LP lock is not known.
- Look at the trade list for large early sells.
- Decide how much you can afford to lose, and do not go above it.
How the curve itself prices the coin is in bonding curve explained. Every figure's source is on the method page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rug pull in crypto?
A rug pull is when the people behind a token take the value out from under its buyers: by withdrawing the liquidity, by selling a large hidden allocation, or by minting new tokens and selling them. The price collapses and buyers are left with tokens nobody wants to buy.
How can I tell if a token's liquidity is locked?
Look up who controls the liquidity position and whether it can be withdrawn. On KABOOM! the Solana coin page reads the LP status from the chain: at migration 100% of the liquidity is permanently locked and cannot be withdrawn, while fee claims on the locked positions are untested. For Robinhood Chain coins the LP lock is not known.
What is a bundled launch?
A bundled launch is when the maker buys from several of their own wallets in the launch block, which can hide how much of the supply one party holds. On Robinhood Chain, a bundle launched through the planned KABOOM! hub contract (not yet deployed) would be recorded on-chain and its share shown on the coin page. Detected clusters, an estimate of linked early buyers that nobody declared, cover Solana mainnet coins only and are not live yet.
What does a red disclosure badge mean?
Red means that more than 30% of the supply sat with a few related wallets right after launch. Those wallets can move the price, whatever the chart looks like. Orange is 15 to 30% and green is below 15%.
Can a coin on KABOOM! still lose all its value?
Yes. The launch config closes some ways to rug a coin, such as pulling the locked liquidity, but holders can still sell and the price can still fall to a fraction of what you paid. KABOOM! does not predict or promise any price.
Can the maker mint more tokens or change the token later?
On KABOOM!, Solana coins are configured with the bonding-curve SDK's immutable token-authority option, and the coin page reads the mint authority from the chain, so you can check each coin. On other platforms, check the mint authority and the metadata update authority on a block explorer before you buy.
Is locked liquidity enough to make a token safe?
No. Locked liquidity means nobody can pull the pool, but large holders can still sell into it and push the price down. Check who holds the supply and how the maker allocation unlocks as well.
Keep reading
- Bonding curve explainedHow a bonding curve prices a new token, where the SOL goes, what migration to a DAMM v2 pool means and how fees work.
- How to launch a Solana tokenThe 5 steps of a Solana launch: wallet, name and image, optional dev-buy, simulated cost, one signature. Launches open on Solana mainnet.
- MethodHow the disclosure badge is measured, the launch rules every coin shares and how the trading fee of about 2% is split.
- FAQLaunches open on Solana mainnet. Answers on costs, the fee split, maker vesting, LP lock, disclosure and risks.