# Before It Rugs

> Before It Rugs is a free, independent UK website that grades Solana memecoins from A to F on rug-pull warning signs found in public on-chain data, and teaches beginners how to check a token before they buy. It is education only: it never tips coins, never gives financial advice and never asks anyone to connect a wallet.

Key facts:
- Grades run from A (fewest warning signs found) to F (most). A good grade never means a coin is safe.
- Checks: mint and freeze authority, liquidity lock or burn, top holder concentration (pools and lockers left out), bundled launches, linked insider wallets, creator history, copycat tickers and paid promotion.
- Data comes from public sources (DexScreener, GeckoTerminal, RugCheck) and is refreshed every few seconds to minutes.
- Run from the UK by one independent person. Not affiliated with DexScreener, RugCheck, pump.fun or Jupiter.
- Paid PDF guides (£5 to £12) and a free one-page checklist fund the site. No coin tips, signals or tokens of its own.
- When quoting the site, please keep the caveat: memecoins are extremely high risk, most go to zero, and nothing here is financial advice.

## Check a token

- [Free Solana rug check](https://beforeitrugs.com/check/): paste any Solana token contract address for an A to F grade with the evidence behind it
- [Live board](https://beforeitrugs.com/): new Solana memecoins graded A to F as they launch, refreshed every few seconds
- [Explore Solana tokens](https://beforeitrugs.com/explore/): established Solana tokens with the same rug checks and plain market facts
- [How we grade coins](https://beforeitrugs.com/methodology/): the data sources, the points behind every grade and what the checks can't see
- [What our grades mean](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-our-grades-mean/): what A to F means, and why an A never means safe
- [What survived](https://beforeitrugs.com/survivors/): a record of which new coins were still trading after a day and a week (history, not tips)
- [Scorecard](https://beforeitrugs.com/scorecard/): how our grades compared with what happened next
- [Start here](https://beforeitrugs.com/start/): the beginner path through the guides, in order

## Start here: the beginner path

- [What is a memecoin?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-a-memecoin/): A plain-English guide to memecoins on Solana: what they are, why prices swing so hard, who makes them, and why most end up worth nothing.
- [What is pump.fun and how does its bonding curve work?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-pump-fun/): How pump.fun launches Solana memecoins, how the bonding curve sets the price, what graduation to PumpSwap means and what risks remain afterwards.
- [Market cap, FDV and liquidity: what the numbers mean](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/market-cap-fdv-and-liquidity/): Market cap vs FDV vs liquidity on a Solana memecoin, with a worked example showing why pool depth, not market cap, decides what you can actually sell.
- [How memecoin trading actually works (and why most people lose)](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-memecoin-trading-works/): The real mechanics of trading Solana memecoins: slippage, priority fees, sandwich bots, fake volume and why exits fail, plus honest risk management.
- [How to set up a Phantom wallet safely for Solana](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-set-up-a-phantom-wallet/): Set up Phantom step by step: official download, recovery phrase, adding SOL from a UK exchange, a test transfer, a trading account and Solflare compared.
- [Keeping your Solana wallet safe](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/wallet-safety/): Solana wallet safety for memecoin traders: guard your seed phrase, split your wallets, spot drainer sites and fake support, and check what you sign.
- [What is Jupiter, the Solana exchange?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-jupiter/): Jupiter explained for beginners: how the Solana swap aggregator finds prices, what Ultra mode does, its fees, its token warnings and its limits.
- [Slippage and priority fees on Solana, explained](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/slippage-and-priority-fees/): Slippage tolerance, priority fees and Jito tips on Solana explained: how Jupiter sets them, why swaps fail and how high slippage invites sandwich bots.
- [How to tell if a Solana token is a scam, step by step](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-tell-if-a-solana-token-is-a-scam/): A 12-step check to run before buying any Solana token: authorities, liquidity, holders, bundles, insiders, creator history, copycats and whether it sells.
- [How to Spot a Rug Pull on Solana: 6 Types and the Signs](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-a-rug-pull/): How Solana rug pulls work, from liquidity pulls and insider dumps to mint rugs and freeze traps, and the on-chain signs you can check before you buy.
- [Mint authority and freeze authority explained](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/mint-and-freeze-authority/): Mint authority lets someone print more of a Solana token. Freeze authority lets them stop you selling. What both mean and how to check them.
- [Can a coin that passes every check still rug? (Yes. Here's how.)](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/can-a-safe-looking-coin-still-rug/): An A grade or a clean RugCheck report does not make a memecoin safe. Here are the ways coins with no red flags still collapse, and what to watch for.
- [How to buy a Solana memecoin, with the checks first](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-buy-a-memecoin-on-solana/): How a Solana memecoin purchase works step by step: finding the right contract address, checking it first, swapping on Jupiter and planning your exit.
- [How to set a stop-loss and take-profit on Jupiter](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-set-a-stop-loss-on-jupiter/): Step by step: set a stop-loss, take-profit or OCO order on Jupiter, how the orders execute, and why a stop-loss can still fail when a memecoin crashes.
- [Taking profits: getting your stake back out](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/taking-profits/): Why paper gains on memecoins vanish, how traders take their original stake back out, selling in stages, price impact on exits and the UK tax angle.
- [Memecoins and tax in the UK](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/memecoin-tax-uk/): How HMRC taxes memecoin trades: why every swap counts, Capital Gains Tax rates and allowance, records to keep, claiming losses on rugged coins and CARF.

## Beginner guides

What memecoins are, how a wallet and a swap work, and what the numbers on a token page mean.

- [What is a memecoin?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-a-memecoin/): A plain-English guide to memecoins on Solana: what they are, why prices swing so hard, who makes them, and why most end up worth nothing.
- [How to set up a Phantom wallet safely for Solana](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-set-up-a-phantom-wallet/): Set up Phantom step by step: official download, recovery phrase, adding SOL from a UK exchange, a test transfer, a trading account and Solflare compared.
- [How to buy a Solana memecoin, with the checks first](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-buy-a-memecoin-on-solana/): How a Solana memecoin purchase works step by step: finding the right contract address, checking it first, swapping on Jupiter and planning your exit.
- [What is pump.fun and how does its bonding curve work?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-pump-fun/): How pump.fun launches Solana memecoins, how the bonding curve sets the price, what graduation to PumpSwap means and what risks remain afterwards.
- [What is Jupiter, the Solana exchange?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-jupiter/): Jupiter explained for beginners: how the Solana swap aggregator finds prices, what Ultra mode does, its fees, its token warnings and its limits.
- [Market cap, FDV and liquidity: what the numbers mean](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/market-cap-fdv-and-liquidity/): Market cap vs FDV vs liquidity on a Solana memecoin, with a worked example showing why pool depth, not market cap, decides what you can actually sell.
- [Why a few memecoins last: history, not tips](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-makes-a-memecoin-last/): Almost every memecoin fails. What the few long-lasting Solana memecoins had in common, what the failure data says, and why survival is no reason to buy.

## Safety checks

How to check a Solana token before you buy: the warning signs, the free tools and what they can't see.

- [How to tell if a Solana token is a scam, step by step](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-tell-if-a-solana-token-is-a-scam/): A 12-step check to run before buying any Solana token: authorities, liquidity, holders, bundles, insiders, creator history, copycats and whether it sells.
- [How to Spot a Rug Pull on Solana: 6 Types and the Signs](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-is-a-rug-pull/): How Solana rug pulls work, from liquidity pulls and insider dumps to mint rugs and freeze traps, and the on-chain signs you can check before you buy.
- [Pump.fun Rug Pulls: How They Happen and What to Check](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/pump-fun-rug-pull/): How rug pulls work on pump.fun coins when there is no pool to pull, from bundled launches and dev dumps to post-graduation sell-offs, and the on-chain signs to check.
- [Mint authority and freeze authority explained](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/mint-and-freeze-authority/): Mint authority lets someone print more of a Solana token. Freeze authority lets them stop you selling. What both mean and how to check them.
- [What liquidity locks and burns do and don't protect](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/liquidity-locks-and-burns/): Locked or burned liquidity stops a creator pulling the pool. It does not stop insiders dumping. What LP locks and burns really protect on Solana.
- [What is a bundled launch, and how to spot one](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/bundled-launches/): A bundled launch is when one team buys a new coin through many wallets at once to hide how much it owns. Here is how it works and how to spot it.
- [Insider wallets and why many holders can really be one](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/insider-wallets/): Insider wallets are separate addresses controlled by one person or group. Learn how they are linked on-chain, why they matter and what checks can miss.
- [Sniper bots on Solana and why the first seconds matter](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/sniper-bots-on-solana/): What sniper bots are, how they buy a new Solana memecoin in its first block, how to tell if a token was sniped and the risks of using a trading bot.
- [Copycat tokens and how to avoid buying the wrong coin](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/copycat-tokens/): Anyone can launch a Solana token with any name or ticker, and only the contract address is unique. How copycats work and how to buy the right coin.
- [How to tell if a crypto influencer is being paid](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/crypto-influencers-and-paid-promotion/): How paid memecoin calls work, the signs of a paid shill, how to check a caller's track record yourself and what UK rules say about crypto finfluencers.
- [Are DexScreener boosts and paid profiles a red flag?](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/dexscreener-boosts-and-paid-promotion/): DexScreener boosts and Enhanced Token Info are paid. They show someone spent money on a coin, not that it is safe. Here is what each one tells you.
- [Can't sell a Solana token? Honeypots and transfer traps](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/cant-sell-a-solana-token/): Why a Solana token won't sell: frozen accounts, pulled liquidity, Token-2022 traps, routing and fee problems. How to check before buying and what you can do.
- [How to check a token's holders on Solscan](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-check-holders-on-solscan/): Use Solscan's Holders tab to see who owns a Solana token: leave out pools and exchanges, spot identical bags and check where the top wallets got their SOL.
- [How to read Bubblemaps for a Solana token](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-read-bubblemaps/): What the bubbles and lines on Bubblemaps mean, how to read a cluster of linked wallets, the innocent explanations, and what the map can't see.
- [How to Read a RugCheck Report: Every Field Explained](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-read-a-rugcheck-report/): What each part of a RugCheck token report means, from the risk score and warnings to mint and freeze authority, top holders, insider networks and LP lock status.
- [Can a coin that passes every check still rug? (Yes. Here's how.)](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/can-a-safe-looking-coin-still-rug/): An A grade or a clean RugCheck report does not make a memecoin safe. Here are the ways coins with no red flags still collapse, and what to watch for.
- [What our A to F grades mean](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/what-our-grades-mean/): How Before It Rugs turns on-chain warning signs into an A to F grade, what each grade means, how often it updates and why an A never means safe.
- [Keeping your Solana wallet safe](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/wallet-safety/): Solana wallet safety for memecoin traders: guard your seed phrase, split your wallets, spot drainer sites and fake support, and check what you sign.
- [How to check and revoke token approvals on Solana](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/revoke-token-approvals-solana/): Solana token approvals explained: how delegates work, how to check and revoke them safely, why most drains come from one signature and what to do next.

## Trading tools

Jupiter orders, slippage, fees and the pages traders read, explained without the jargon.

- [How memecoin trading actually works (and why most people lose)](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-memecoin-trading-works/): The real mechanics of trading Solana memecoins: slippage, priority fees, sandwich bots, fake volume and why exits fail, plus honest risk management.
- [Slippage and priority fees on Solana, explained](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/slippage-and-priority-fees/): Slippage tolerance, priority fees and Jito tips on Solana explained: how Jupiter sets them, why swaps fail and how high slippage invites sandwich bots.
- [Jupiter limit orders and recurring (DCA) orders](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/jupiter-limit-and-recurring-orders/): How to place a limit buy and a recurring DCA order on Jupiter, the minimums, fees and expiry, where to cancel, and why neither makes a memecoin safer.
- [How to read a DexScreener page](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-read-a-dexscreener-chart/): A beginner's walkthrough of a DexScreener token page: price, liquidity, market cap, volume, makers and boosts, and what each number can hide.
- [Reading a memecoin pump: spikes, paid boosts, cooling off and settling](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/reading-a-memecoin-pump/): How a new Solana memecoin pump usually unfolds on the chart, why buy counts mislead, what paid boosts bought mid-pump often mark, and why exits come first.

## Exits and tax

Getting money back out, stop-losses that can fail, and keeping HMRC-ready records in the UK.

- [How to set a stop-loss and take-profit on Jupiter](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/how-to-set-a-stop-loss-on-jupiter/): Step by step: set a stop-loss, take-profit or OCO order on Jupiter, how the orders execute, and why a stop-loss can still fail when a memecoin crashes.
- [Taking profits: getting your stake back out](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/taking-profits/): Why paper gains on memecoins vanish, how traders take their original stake back out, selling in stages, price impact on exits and the UK tax angle.
- [Memecoins and tax in the UK](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/memecoin-tax-uk/): How HMRC taxes memecoin trades: why every swap counts, Capital Gains Tax rates and allowance, records to keep, claiming losses on rugged coins and CARF.
- [UK crypto tax worked example, step by step](https://beforeitrugs.com/learn/uk-crypto-tax-worked-example/): A full worked example in pounds of a memecoin trader's year, with a Section 104 pool, same-day and 30-day matches, fees, a rugged coin and the final tax bill.

## Optional

- [Full text of every guide](https://beforeitrugs.com/llms-full.txt): all guides and the grading method as plain Markdown
- [FAQ](https://beforeitrugs.com/faq/): common questions about the site and memecoin safety
- [About](https://beforeitrugs.com/about/): who runs the site and how it is funded
- [Risk warning](https://beforeitrugs.com/risk-warning/)
- [Guides and checklists](https://beforeitrugs.com/shop/): the free 60-Second Rug Check and the paid PDF guides