How to snipe pump.fun tokens

Sniping means buying a token in its first seconds, before most traders have found it. On pump.fun that window is tiny. This guide covers how launches work, how to snipe them with a bot, and how not to become someone else's exit liquidity.

How a pump.fun launch works

Every pump.fun token starts on a bonding curve: a formula that sets the price from how much has been bought. The earliest buyers get the lowest prices, and each buy pushes the price up. If enough SOL goes in, the token graduates and its liquidity moves to a regular DEX pool. Most tokens never get that far.

Where early buys come from

• Call channels. Telegram groups post contract addresses; a channel sniper buys the moment one appears.
• Wallets you follow. Copy trading buys when a wallet you trust buys.
• Filtered launch feeds. Rules like "pump.fun only" or minimum buyer counts cut the noise.

A setup that survives

1. Size small. Assume every snipe can go to zero. Sizes you won't miss let you take enough trades for the winners to matter.
2. Set exits before you buy. Stop-loss, a first take-profit to recover your stake, and a trailing stop on the rest. See auto exits.
3. Screen tokens. Skip tokens with live mint or freeze authority and dangerous Token-2022 extensions. See how to spot a rug.
4. Track honestly. Count fees, failed buys and the rent your token accounts lock up. A strategy that looks green before costs is often red after them.

Traps that catch new snipers

• Bundled launches. The dev buys most of the supply across many wallets in the first block, then sells into your buy.
• Paid calls. Some channels are paid to post, or buy first and sell to their followers.
• "It can be sold" isn't "it has buyers". A dead token can still show a working sell quote. Check real recent sell volume, not just whether a route exists.
• Chasing. If you missed the first minute, you're not sniping anymore; you're buying someone else's bag.

Memecoins are extremely risky. Most go to zero, often within hours. Nothing on this page is financial advice. Only trade what you can afford to lose.