How to Check for Locked Liquidity And Why It Matters

Locked liquidity means a project’s LP tokens (its liquidity on a DEX) are secured in an immutable contract for a set time. In practice, this prevents the developers from suddenly withdrawing the pool of funds, which is a common rug-pull scam.

By locking LP tokens in a timelock contract, projects signal trustworthiness: investors know the team cannot drain the liquidity overnight. Locking liquidity “ensures that these funds remain available for trading, protecting investors from scams”. In short, locked liquidity is a safety fuse for any token.

Why Locked Liquidity Is Important

For developers, locking LP builds trust and stability. It shows commitment to the project’s future, investors see months or years of locked liquidity as a sign the team plans to stick around. Locked pools also tame volatility: without fear of an instant drain, large trades won’t send prices crashing, so the market remains more stable.

For investors, locked LP is crucial protection. A locked pool means the devs can’t pull out the rug. Locked liquidity minimize the risk of scams and gives investors assurance that their funds are less likely to be misused. Always check that a new token’s liquidity is locked before buying, it’s one of the strongest safety checks you can do.

Checking Locked Liquidity: Steps & Tools

Even non-tech users can verify LP locks. A good first step is a blockchain explorer. For example, open Etherscan (for Ethereum tokens) or BscScan (for BNB Chain) and search the token’s contract. Look on the token’s page or “Contract” tab for any note of liquidity locking, or inspect who holds the LP tokens.

On Etherscan’s “Token Tracker” page, you may see LP positions or lock dates if the project renounced or timelocked them[5]. Similarly, Solana explorers like SolanaFM or Solscan let you examine a token’s supply and transaction history: if 100% of the LP token’s supply has been burned (sent to a dead address), that effectively locks the pool.

Beyond explorers, several third-party platforms list locked liquidity on one dashboard:

• Mudra Liquidity Locker (BSC) – A popular BNB Chain locking service. Projects using Mudra can generate a public Lock Certificate as proof of their LP lock. You can visit Mudra’s site and connect your wallet; under “Browse All Locks” you can even look up locks by token. The generated certificate (a shareable URL) is strong evidence that a token’s liquidity is locked.
• Unicrypt Liquidity Locker (ETH/BSC/etc.) – A cross-chain locking platform. Go to the Unicrypt site and click Explore; enter the token’s LP pair address in the search bar. The resulting page will show all lock details (amount locked, unlock date, etc.) for that pair. This makes it easy to confirm a token’s LP is locked and how long it remains locked.
• TrustSwap / Team.Finance (Multi-Chain) – Team.Finance aggregates locks across chains. Its “View All Tokens” tool (formerly TrustSwap) tracks 35,000+ projects. You can look up any token and see the percentage of its LP that’s locked and upcoming unlock schedule. For example, the dashboard below (Team.Finance) highlights a token with 99.01% of its liquidity locked and shows the next unlock date:

Team.Finance dashboard highlighting locked liquidity (99.01% LP locked) and upcoming unlocks.

• Solana Tools: On Solana, RugCheck.xyz is the go-to scanner. Simply visit RugCheck, paste the Solana token’s mint address, and hit “Check”. RugCheck will display a risk report including an “LP Locked” metric. Bitbond’s guide explains how to use RugCheck: “Access the Tool: Visit rugcheck.xyz. Enter the Token Address… Review the Report”. For example, the RugCheck homepage below lets you enter a token address:

RugCheck.xyz web interface for checking Solana tokens.

After submitting an address, RugCheck provides details like mint authority status, top holders, and LP Locked percentage. In the sample report below, RugCheck reports 100% LP Locked, indicating all liquidity has been locked (e.g. LP tokens burned).

RugCheck analysis for a Solana token (SOLCAT): the “LP Locked” field shows 100%, confirming the token’s liquidity is fully locked.

Additional Tips

No single check is foolproof. Also engage with the community – forums or Discord/Telegram may note if there’s any dispute about a lock. Look for audit reports from reputable firms: many audits explicitly verify that liquidity is locked.

In summary, checking for locked liquidity is a crucial diligence step in crypto. Use blockchain explorers and tools (Mudra, Unicrypt, Team.Finance, RugCheck, etc.) to confirm the LP tokens can’t be withdrawn. A project with verifiably locked liquidity is far less likely to rug pull, making it a safer investment.

Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services.

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