Check if a token has Honeypot or Rug pull Risk
Check tokens from 250+ chains for rug pull risks including liquidity locks, creator holdings, LP providers, mintable/freeze risks, and other security indicators, by analyzing data from GeckoTerminal.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Transactions fail when attempting to sell
- Extremely high or hidden sell taxes (often 90-100%)
- Wallet blacklisting mechanisms
- Transfer restrictions for non-whitelisted addresses
- One-way trading functionality
- Anonymous team with no track record
- Unlocked or developer-controlled liquidity
- Excessive token allocation to team wallets
- Unrealistic promises and guaranteed returns
- Lack of audited smart contracts
- No locked liquidity or vesting periods
- Pool Security Signals We evaluate essential pool-level indicators including honeypot risk detection, buy and sell tax percentages, proxy contract implementation, total liquidity amount, and liquidity lock status. These factors directly impact your ability to trade the token safely and exit positions when needed.
- Transaction Activity We analyze the total number of transactions and trading volume over the last 24 hours. Healthy trading activity with consistent volume typically indicates genuine market interest rather than artificial manipulation or bot activity.
- Pool Age The age of the pool since creation plays an important role in the score. Older pools that have maintained activity over time generally present lower risk than brand-new launches. Longevity demonstrates the project hasn't been abandoned and has survived market scrutiny.
- Project Information We assess the completeness of submitted social information and metadata associated with the token. Tokens listed on CoinGecko receive maximum points in this category, as they've undergone additional verification. Projects can improve their score by submitting comprehensive token information through GeckoTerminal's token listing form.
- Holder Distribution We examine how tokens are distributed among unique wallet addresses. Healthy distribution across many holders is preferable to concentration in a few wallets, which could indicate insider control and dump risk.
- Contract upgrades: Some smart contracts are upgradeable, meaning developers can modify the code after deployment. Malicious developers might deploy a clean contract initially, pass audits, build trust, and then upgrade it to include honeypot mechanisms or rug pull functions.
- Liquidity removal: Even if liquidity is initially locked, developers might have set short lock periods (7-30 days). Once the lock expires, they can drain the liquidity pool, causing the token to become untradeable and worthless.
- Progressive ownership changes: Developers might gradually transfer ownership to wallets that weren't subject to vesting schedules, allowing them to dump large amounts of tokens on the market and crash the price.
- Market manipulation: Large holders (whales) can accumulate tokens early when prices are low, then coordinate mass sell-offs that destroy token value and confidence.
- Development abandonment: Teams can stop development, cease marketing efforts, abandon promised features, and let the project die slowly - a soft rug pull that unfolds over weeks or months.
- Regularly check the Rug Checker even for tokens you already hold
- Monitor liquidity lock status and renewal dates
- Watch for unusual team wallet activity and large transfers
- Stay engaged with project communities and official channels
- Set price alerts and stop-losses to limit potential losses
- Be skeptical of sudden changes in tokenomics or governance
A honeypot is a deceptive type of scam token designed to trap unsuspecting investors. While these tokens allow you to buy them freely, they contain malicious code that prevents you from selling. The token's smart contract includes hidden restrictions like whitelisted addresses, blacklisted wallets, or sell taxes set to 99% that block transactions when you attempt to exit your position.
Honeypots are particularly dangerous because they create the illusion of a legitimate investment opportunity. You'll see your balance increase in your wallet, but when you try to convert it back to ETH, BNB, or other assets, the transaction fails. By the time investors realize they've been trapped, the scam creators have often already extracted liquidity, leaving victims with worthless tokens.
Common honeypot characteristics:
A rug pull occurs when cryptocurrency developers abandon a project and disappear with investors' funds. This scam gets its name from the phrase "pulling the rug out from under someone" as developers literally pull the financial foundation away, leaving investors with worthless tokens.
There are two main types of rug pulls:
Hard rug pulls involve outright theft through malicious code. Developers build backdoors into smart contracts that allow them to drain liquidity pools, mint unlimited tokens, or restrict selling. These are often illegal and constitute fraud.
Soft rug pulls are more subtle but equally devastating. Developers generate hype through aggressive marketing, influencer partnerships, and promises of revolutionary technology. Once the token price peaks and liquidity reaches substantial levels, the team slowly sells their holdings, abandons development, deletes social media accounts, and vanishes, leaving a dead project and plummeting token value.
Warning signs of potential rug pulls:
GeckoTerminal's Rug Checker tool provides comprehensive token security analysis through our proprietary GT Score combined with third-party security scans, giving you a complete picture of a token's risk profile before you invest.
Understanding the GT Score
The GT Score is GeckoTerminal's custom scoring formula designed to evaluate overall token quality and safety. This score is calculated using both on-chain blockchain data and off-chain information collected by GeckoTerminal, analyzing multiple critical parameters:
Third-Party Security Integration
Beyond our internal GT Score, we aggregate security scans from trusted third-party providers including GoPlus, DeFi Scanner, Trench Radar, and more. This multi-source approach ensures you're not relying on a single analysis method, giving you the most comprehensive security overview available.
These external scans often detect different aspects of smart contract vulnerabilities, providing additional layers of protection and catching risks that might be missed by any single scanner.
Using GeckoTerminal's Rug Checker is straightforward and takes just seconds:
Step 1: Access the Rug Checker tool
Navigate to GeckoTerminal's Rug Checker page under "Tools". Paste either the GeckoTerminal link or the token's contract address into the search bar, then click "Check" to initiate the analysis.
Step 2: Review the security report
Examine the comprehensive risk assessment, which includes GT security score, specific security flags and warnings, smart contract analysis results, liquidity status, and ownership information.
Step 3: Understand the flags
Each security concern is clearly labeled and explained. Take time to read what each flag means as some issues are more critical than others. For example, a "High Sell Tax" warning is concerning, but "Unable to Sell" is an immediate red flag indicating a honeypot.
Step 4: Make an informed decision
Use this information alongside your own research (DYOR). Even tokens with some yellow flags might be legitimate, but multiple red flags should make you extremely cautious.
Pro tip: Always check the Rug Checker before investing, even if a token is being heavily promoted by influencers or seems to have strong community support. Scammers often create artificial hype to lure victims.
Yes, absolutely. Token security is not static. A project that appears safe today can become risky tomorrow. This is why continuous monitoring is essential in cryptocurrency investing.
How tokens can become risky after launch:
Best practices for ongoing safety:
Remember: Due diligence isn't a one-time activity. The crypto market moves fast, and project circumstances can change overnight. GeckoTerminal's Rug Checker gives you the tools to stay informed, but staying safe requires ongoing vigilance and healthy skepticism.
Disclaimer: While GeckoTerminal's Rug Checker provides valuable security analysis, no tool can guarantee 100% safety in cryptocurrency investments. Always conduct your own research, never invest more than you can afford to lose, and treat all crypto investments as high-risk ventures.
