Guide · Tokenomics
Token vesting explained
On a Verified launch on the default Meteora route, 5% of the supply vests to the maker in 30 equal steps over 30 days from migration, without a cliff. Token vesting releases a locked allocation on a schedule; each release is a token unlock. On KABOOM! the dev-buy is not locked, and an Open bundle launch has no maker vesting.
What token vesting is
Token vesting means an allocation of tokens is locked when a token launches and released over time, on a schedule fixed in advance. The tokens exist from day one, but the holder cannot move them until they unlock. Each release is a token unlock.
The reason is simple. Someone who receives a large share at launch and can sell it all at once has every reason to do so. A schedule turns that one big sale into many small ones, or at least makes the holder wait.
Cliff, linear and step vesting
Schedules come in a few shapes. The shape tells you when new supply can reach the market:
| Schedule | How tokens unlock | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Cliff only | Nothing until the cliff date, then everything at once | One large unlock on one day |
| Cliff, then linear | Nothing until the cliff, then a steady stream | The size of the cliff release, then the daily flow |
| Equal steps | The same amount at fixed intervals | Step size compared with the pool |
| Continuous linear | A little every second or every block | The total per day or per week |
Maker vesting on KABOOM!
On a Verified launch, 5% of a Solana coin's supply is set aside for the maker. It is not paid out while the coin is on the bonding curve. At migration it moves into a vesting escrow and unlocks in 30 equal steps over 30 days, without a cliff: 0.1667% of the supply every day. No way to cancel the escrow was found, though that is not proven.
| Rule | Verified | Open bundle |
|---|---|---|
| Share of the supply that vests | 5% | None |
| Starts | At migration | |
| Steps | 30 equal steps over 30 days | |
| Cliff | None | |
| Maker's dev-buy tokens | Not vested, free from the start | Not vested, free from the start |
Multiplied out over the 1,000,000,000 supply, the Verified schedule unlocks this much:
| After | Unlocked, share of supply | Unlocked, tokens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 of 30 steps | 0.1667% | 1,666,667 |
| 8 of 30 steps | 1.3333% | 13,333,333 |
| 15 of 30 steps | 2.5% | 25,000,000 |
| 30 of 30 steps (day 30) | 5% | 50,000,000 |
Each step is about 1,666,667 tokens. The Solana coin page reads the vesting escrow from the chain and shows how much has unlocked so far. Method: launch rules; per-tier numbers: tokenomics.
Token unlocks and what they mean for holders
An unlock does not sell anything by itself. It makes tokens sellable. Whether that matters depends on how big each unlock is next to the liquidity in the pool and next to what already trades. A small, steady step is easier for a pool to absorb than one large release on a single day, which is why the shape of the schedule matters as much as the total.
Here each step is 0.1667% of the supply. After migration the coin trades in a pool whose liquidity is permanently locked (locked liquidity explained), so the pool stays; how much the price moves on a sale depends on how much is in it.
How to read any token unlock schedule
- What share of the supply vests, and who receives it: the team, the maker, early backers.
- When the schedule starts: at launch, at a listing, or at a later event such as migration.
- Whether there is a cliff, and how much unlocks when it ends.
- How often tokens unlock, and how much each time.
- Whether anyone can cancel or speed up the schedule.
- What is not vested at all. Tokens bought at launch usually are not.
What vesting does not cover
Vesting only covers the allocation in the escrow. On KABOOM!, the maker's dev-buy is a normal buy inside the launch transaction and can be sold at once, and so can the buys of any bundle wallets. An Open bundle launch has no maker vesting at all. The rug pull checklist covers the other checks to run before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
What is token vesting?
Token vesting means an allocation of tokens is locked and released on a schedule instead of all at once. Teams, makers and early backers often get tokens this way, so they cannot sell everything on day one.
What is a token unlock?
A token unlock is the moment a vested amount becomes free to move. Once unlocked, those tokens can be sold, so a large unlock adds supply that can reach the market at once. Unlock calendars list the date and size of each one.
What is a vesting cliff?
A cliff is a waiting period at the start of a schedule during which nothing unlocks. After the cliff, tokens unlock in steps or continuously. Maker vesting on KABOOM! runs without a cliff.
How does maker vesting work on KABOOM!?
On a Verified launch, 5% of the supply is set aside for the maker and moves into a vesting escrow at migration. It is released in 30 equal steps over 30 days, so before migration the maker cannot sell it. No way to cancel the escrow was found, though that is not proven. An Open bundle launch has no maker vesting. A Raydium launch has no maker vesting: no share of the supply is set aside for the maker.
How much unlocks per step?
0.1667% of the supply every day: about 1,666,667 tokens of the 1,000,000,000 supply, from migration until day 30.
Are the maker's dev-buy tokens vested?
No. The dev-buy is a normal buy inside the launch transaction, and those tokens are free to sell from the start. Only the maker allocation set aside by the launch config vests. The coin page shows the dev-buy as a share of the supply.
How do I read a token unlock schedule?
Check what share of the supply vests, when the schedule starts, whether there is a cliff, how often tokens unlock, who receives them and whether the schedule can be cancelled. Then compare the size of each unlock with the liquidity in the pool.
Where can I see a coin's vesting schedule?
On the Solana coin page. The vesting panel reads the schedule from the chain and shows how much has unlocked so far.
Keep reading
- How to spot a rug pullA 5-point check before you buy a new token: supply held by insiders, maker lock, LP lock, mint and metadata authority, and bundled early buys.
- Locked liquidity explainedWhat locked liquidity means, how an LP lock differs from an LP burn and how to check whether a pool can be pulled.
- TokenomicsSupply, curve and fee split per launch route, a fee calculator and the KABOOM token plan: 20% team, 12-month cliff, no presale.
- FAQLaunches open on Solana mainnet. Answers on costs, the fee split, maker vesting, LP lock, disclosure and risks.