How to Launch a Token on Pump.fun: A Complete Guide
Launching a token on pump.fun is mechanically simple — the platform is built around a bonding curve that anyone can mint against — but the steps that actually determine whether a launch goes well happen before you click create. This walks through the process end to end, including the parts most guides skip.
1. Decide what you're actually launching
Before any technical steps, be clear-eyed about what a memecoin launch is: a bonding-curve token with no inherent utility unless you build one. Pump.fun doesn't require a whitepaper, a roadmap, or a team — which is exactly why so many launches fail to hold any value past the first hour. If you're launching for genuine long-term interest, having a real reason for the token to exist matters more than any technical setting covered below.
2. Prepare your token metadata
You'll need a name, a ticker symbol, a description, and an image. Pump.fun uploads metadata to IPFS, so once it's live it's effectively permanent — there's no clean way to rebrand a token after launch. Double-check spelling and image quality before you submit; fixing a typo means starting over with a new mint.
3. Decide your dev buy
Your "dev buy" is the amount you buy with your own (or your primary) wallet at the moment of creation. This sets your initial position on the bonding curve. A larger dev buy means a bigger stake and a higher average cost basis further up the curve; a smaller one keeps your entry cheap but leaves you with a smaller share of supply. There's no universally correct number — it depends on how much capital you're willing to commit and how much of the supply you want to control early.
4. Decide whether to bundle additional wallets
A single dev buy from one wallet is the simplest approach, and it's exposed to the sniping problem described in our same-block bundling guide: between your creation transaction and your buy, there's a gap a bot can exploit. Bundling the creation and up to four buy wallets into one atomic Jito bundle closes that gap. If you're doing this manually, that means constructing and signing multiple transactions and submitting them together — which is exactly what tools like SolBundle automate.
5. Set a Jito tip if you're bundling
If you go the bundle route, you'll need to set a tip to get your bundle included by a Jito-running validator. Too low and the bundle may not land at all; too high and you're overpaying for priority you didn't need. See our guide to Jito tips for how to size this.
6. Simulate before you commit
Whatever tooling you use, simulate the full transaction set against current chain state before signing anything. Simulation catches problems — insufficient balance, a stale blockhash, an unexpected slippage outcome — before they cost you a failed transaction fee or, worse, a partially executed launch.
7. Send it, and watch the bonding curve
Once the bundle lands (or your single transaction confirms), the token is live and trading on pump.fun's bonding curve. Price moves automatically as buys and sells happen — see our breakdown of how the curve works if you want to understand exactly how price responds to volume.
Risks worth naming plainly
- Memecoin launches carry real financial risk, including total loss of the capital committed.
- A bonding-curve token's price can fall as fast as it rises, and most tokens on pump.fun never graduate off the curve.
- Nothing about a fast, sniper-resistant launch changes the underlying odds of the token holding value over time — it only protects your entry price relative to bots.
For the mistakes that catch first-time launchers most often, see our guide on common launch mistakes to avoid.