Token launches are high-stakes events where millions of dollars of value materialize in minutes. They're also prime targets for attackers — because launch day creates a narrow window where excitement overrides caution and fresh liquidity is maximally vulnerable.
This checklist covers everything that can go wrong and how to prevent it.
Pre-Launch: Contract Security
Token Contract
Review token standards compliance
Verify ERC-20/721/1155 compliance. Non-standard implementations (missing return values, incorrect event emissions) will cause integration failures with DEXs and wallets.
Check mint/burn controls
Who can mint new tokens? Is there a cap? Can the owner mint unlimited tokens after launch? Uncapped minting authority is the most common rug pull vector.
Verify transfer restrictions
Are there blacklist/whitelist functions? Pause mechanisms? Fee-on-transfer? These must be transparent and documented. Hidden transfer restrictions destroy trust.
Audit privileged functions
List every onlyOwner/onlyAdmin function. Can the owner change fees, modify supply, pause transfers, or drain the contract? Excessive admin control is a red flag for investors.
🛑The Rug Pull Checklist
Before launch, verify: owner cannot mint unlimited tokens, owner cannot pause/blacklist transfers indefinitely, liquidity cannot be withdrawn by the owner, fees cannot be set to 100%. If any of these are possible, the contract enables rug pulls regardless of the team's intentions.
Liquidity and DEX Integration
- Initial liquidity — Is it locked? For how long? Which locker are you using?
- Liquidity pool creation — Are you using a fair launch or a pre-sale? Is the initial price rational?
- Slippage protection — Does your router integration protect against sandwich attacks?
- Fee-on-transfer compatibility — If your token has transfer fees, does it work correctly with all DEX routers?
Launch Day Threats
Attack Vectors at Launch
Sniping bots
Automated bots that buy in the same block as liquidity is added, front-running all human buyers. They buy at the lowest price and dump immediately for profit.
Sandwich attacks
MEV bots that detect large pending buy transactions, buy before them (raising the price), and sell after them (at the inflated price). Common on Uniswap and other AMMs.
Flash loan manipulation
If your token's initial liquidity is thin, flash loans can dramatically move the price. Any protocol that reads your token's price is vulnerable.
Contract exploitation
Attackers will attempt to exploit any vulnerability within minutes of deployment. Your contract will be decompiled and analyzed before your launch announcement finishes.
Anti-Sniping Measures
Without Protection
- •Bots buy in block 0 at lowest price
- •Whales accumulate 5-10% of supply instantly
- •Regular buyers get worse prices
- •Price dumps within minutes of launch
With Protection
- •Max transaction amount in first N blocks
- •Max wallet cap prevents whale accumulation
- •Gradual trading limits that relax over time
- •Cooldown periods between buys from same wallet
Smart Contract Audit
criticalNon-negotiable. Every token contract must be audited before launch.
AI Audit
RedVolt's autonomous AI engine catches common patterns (reentrancy, overflow, access control gaps) and runs PoC verification on every HIGH/CRITICAL finding
Manual Review (Expert Review tier)
Optional add-on: a senior human auditor reviews the AI findings, analyzes tokenomics, launch mechanics, and admin controls. Custom pricing.
Fix & Re-Audit
Address findings, then re-run the AI audit on the fixed version to verify fixes haven't introduced new issues
Deploy
Deploy the exact audited bytecode — no last-minute changes
⚠️Deploy What Was Audited
The deployed bytecode must match the audited code exactly. Any change after the audit — even a "minor" parameter tweak — can introduce vulnerabilities. Verify the deployment transaction matches the audited commit hash.
Infrastructure Security
Don't forget the non-contract attack surface:
- Website security — Is the launch site protected against DDoS? Is the DNS secured against hijacking?
- Social media accounts — Enable 2FA on all accounts. Compromised accounts posting fake launch links is a common attack
- Team wallet security — Use hardware wallets and multisig for any team-controlled funds
- Communication channels — Discord, Telegram bots can be compromised to post phishing links
- Domain and SSL — Verify domain ownership is locked and DNS records can't be modified by unauthorized parties
Post-Launch Monitoring
24/7
Contract Monitoring
<1min
Alert Response Time
100%
Large Tx Alerts
Ongoing
Price Manipulation Detection
After launch, monitor for:
- Unusual transaction patterns (large transfers, rapid buy/sell cycles)
- Contract interactions from known exploit addresses
- Price manipulation attempts (flash loan transactions)
- Governance attacks (if applicable)
- Honeypot behavior reports from users
The Complete Checklist
| Category | Check | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Audit completed and findings resolved | Required |
| Contract | Owner privileges documented and minimized | Required |
| Contract | Mint/burn controls verified | Required |
| Liquidity | Initial liquidity locked with timelock | Required |
| Launch | Anti-sniping measures implemented | Recommended |
| Launch | Max transaction/wallet limits for launch | Recommended |
| Infra | Website DDoS protection | Required |
| Infra | Team wallets on hardware/multisig | Required |
| Infra | Social accounts secured with 2FA | Required |
| Monitor | On-chain monitoring configured | Required |
| Monitor | Alert system for anomalous activity | Recommended |
Launching a token? Get a pre-launch security audit — our autonomous AI engine analyzes your contract for common vulnerabilities, generates Foundry PoCs for HIGH/CRITICAL findings, and ships a verified report. If you also want a senior human auditor to review your tokenomics, launch mechanics, and privileged access controls on top, add the optional Expert Review tier.