Key Takeaways
RugCheck is a free tool designed specifically for Solana tokens that scans for risks including active mint authority, freeze authority, locked liquidity, and bundled token launches.
The tool assigns a risk rating to each token, but beginners should read the individual flags rather than relying on the summary score alone.
RugCheck is most useful as a first filter. It cannot detect all forms of fraud and should be combined with other research before you make any trading decision.
Solana has become one of the most active blockchains for new token launches. The speed and low cost of Solana transactions make it attractive for developers and traders alike, but those same properties also make it a popular environment for low-effort scams, rug pulls, and short-lived tokens designed to extract money from buyers.
RugCheck was built to help ordinary users run a quick safety check on any Solana token before buying. This guide explains how it works, what each flag means, and how to use it as part of a sensible approach to token research.
What Is RugCheck?
RugCheck is a free, web-based tool that analyzes Solana token contracts and returns a structured risk report. You input a token's contract address (also called its mint address on Solana), and the tool scans the token's program configuration and liquidity setup for known risk patterns.
It was built with Solana's SPL token standard in mind and focuses on the specific risks that affect Solana tokens. This makes it more relevant for Solana than general-purpose scanners that were originally designed for Ethereum.
The tool is free to use at rugcheck.xyz and requires no account or wallet connection.
Why Solana Tokens Have Different Risks
To understand what RugCheck checks, it helps to understand how Solana tokens work at a basic level.
When a token is created on Solana using the SPL token standard, the developer has two optional authorities they can retain:
Mint Authority: The ability to create new tokens after launch. If a developer keeps mint authority, they can print unlimited new tokens, instantly diluting every existing holder's share of the supply.
Freeze Authority: The ability to freeze any wallet holding the token. If a developer keeps freeze authority, they can prevent any wallet from moving or selling the token.
These two authorities are the most dangerous powers a token creator can hold. Legitimate projects typically revoke both after the initial token supply is set.
Additionally, Solana memecoins and new tokens often list on decentralised exchanges like Raydium or Orca. The liquidity added to these pools can be withdrawn by the developer at any time unless it has been locked through a third-party service. An unlocked liquidity pool can be drained in seconds, leaving buyers with a token they can no longer sell at any meaningful price.
What Does RugCheck Actually Check?
RugCheck runs several checks and presents them in a clearly labeled report.
Check | What It Means | Risk Level |
Mint authority | Can the creator still print new tokens? | High risk if active |
Freeze authority | Can wallets be frozen? | High risk if active |
LP tokens burned or locked | Is the trading liquidity secured? | High risk if neither |
Bundled launch | Did a small group buy most of the supply at launch? | High risk |
Top holder concentration | How much does the largest wallet hold? | Context dependent |
Token metadata | Is the name and symbol properly configured? | Minor |
Creator wallet activity | What other tokens has this wallet launched? | Context dependent |
The tool also retrieves the token's holder distribution and flags situations where one or a small number of wallets hold a disproportionate share of the total supply.
How to Use RugCheck Step by Step
Step 1: Find the token's mint address Every Solana token has a unique mint address. You can find it on the token's official website, on Solscan.io, or on Birdeye. Copy the full address carefully. Scammers sometimes create tokens with similar names, so the mint address is the only reliable identifier.
Step 2: Go to rugcheck.xyz Open the website in your browser. No login or wallet connection is needed.
Step 3: Paste the mint address into the search bar The tool will load the scan results within a few seconds.
Step 4: Look at the risk rating RugCheck gives each token a label such as Good, Warn, or Danger. Use this as a starting point, not a conclusion.
Step 5: Read every individual flag The summary rating can miss nuance. A token rated as a warning might have one easily explained flag and several clean checks. A token rated as good might still have a flag worth understanding. Read the full list.
Step 6: Check the liquidity section Note whether liquidity has been locked and for how long. A token with unlocked liquidity can have its pool drained at any moment.
Step 7: Check the holder distribution Scroll through the top holders list. If one or two wallets hold the majority of supply, a coordinated sell-off could crash the price.
How to Read RugCheck Results: A Practical Guide
Mint Authority: Active This is a serious flag. It means the token creator can still create new tokens at will. Unless the project has a clear, documented reason for keeping mint authority (such as a staking rewards mechanism), this is a strong reason to be cautious.
Freeze Authority: Active This means any wallet holding the token can be frozen by the creator. In practice, this could prevent you from selling. Very few legitimate projects need this capability after launch.
LP Not Locked The token's liquidity pool has not been secured by a third-party locking service. The developer can withdraw the liquidity at any time. This does not mean a rug pull will happen, but it means one can happen without any technical barrier.
Bundled Launch Detected RugCheck can identify cases where a coordinated group of wallets bought a large portion of the supply at or near launch, often through automated bots. This is a common setup for pump-and-dump schemes. The bundled wallets inflate the price, then sell into the demand they have created.
High Top Holder Concentration There is no fixed percentage that automatically means a token is unsafe. However, if a single wallet holds 20% or more of supply and that wallet is not a known smart contract (such as a staking pool or liquidity contract), that concentration represents a significant price risk.
What RugCheck Cannot Detect
RugCheck is a useful tool with real limitations that beginners need to understand clearly.
It cannot verify the identity or reputation of the team behind the token. Many scam tokens are launched by anonymous developers who have revoked all technical authorities specifically to pass automated scans, then exit through other means.
It cannot detect fake trading volume or wash trading, where the same wallets buy and sell to each other to make a token appear more active than it is.
It cannot evaluate the whitepaper, roadmap, or the social media activity of the project. Marketing fraud is invisible to contract scanners.
It will not catch every form of scam. Some malicious contracts are engineered to pass automated tools by appearing legitimate at the code level while hiding extraction mechanisms in less common contract patterns.
A clean RugCheck scan means the token passed a set of automated checks. It is not a recommendation to buy.
RugCheck vs GoPlus: Which Should You Use?
Both tools are free and useful. They are not competitors. They serve slightly different purposes.
Feature | RugCheck | GoPlus |
Primary focus | Solana tokens | Multi-chain (ETH, BSC, SOL, etc.) |
Bundled launch detection | Yes | Limited |
Freeze / mint authority | Yes | Yes (on supported chains) |
Honeypot simulation | Limited | Strong (ETH, BSC) |
Chain coverage | Solana | 30+ chains |
Interface | Simple, Solana-first | More technical, multi-chain |
Best for | Solana beginners | Cross-chain traders |
If you are focused on Solana tokens, RugCheck is the better starting point due to its Solana-specific checks. If you trade across multiple chains, GoPlus covers more ground.
Using both on a Solana token is not excessive. Different tools sometimes catch different flags.
Building a Safety Habit
The goal is not to run a single tool and treat the result as a green light. The goal is to build a consistent habit before every trade.
A practical pre-buy checklist for beginners:
Run RugCheck and read every flag
Check if liquidity is locked and note the expiry date
Look at the top 10 holder list and note any unusual concentration
Search for the developer wallet's history on Solscan
Check if the project has a website, social presence, and active community
Search the token name with "scam" or "rug" to see if it has already been reported
No checklist eliminates all risk. It reduces the most obvious and avoidable risks, which is a meaningful improvement for anyone new to trading tokens.
FAQ
Is RugCheck free to use? Yes. RugCheck is free to use at rugcheck.xyz and requires no account, login, or wallet connection.
Does RugCheck work on Ethereum or BNB Chain tokens? No. RugCheck is designed specifically for Solana tokens. For Ethereum or BNB Chain tokens, use GoPlus Security or Honeypot.is instead.
What does "mint authority" mean in plain English? Mint authority means the token creator has retained the ability to create new tokens after launch. If they exercise this, the total supply increases and existing holders own a smaller percentage of the overall token.
What does it mean if LP is not locked? LP stands for liquidity pool. If the liquidity is not locked, the developer can withdraw it at any time. This makes a rug pull technically possible without any warning. Locked liquidity means a third-party smart contract holds the liquidity for a fixed period and the developer cannot withdraw it early.
Can a token pass RugCheck and still be a scam? Yes. Sophisticated scammers design tokens specifically to pass automated scanners. A clean scan is a necessary starting point, not a guarantee of safety.
How long should LP be locked for it to mean anything? A lock of 30 days is very short and provides little real assurance. Locks of six months or more are more meaningful, but they depend on the reputation of the locking service used. Always check which service was used to lock the liquidity and verify the lock on that service's platform.
What is a bundled launch? A bundled launch means a coordinated group of wallets purchased a large share of the token supply at or near launch, usually through automated bots. This setup is commonly used to inflate the price before dumping on later buyers.
