Token Graduation

Everything you need to know about token graduation from bonding curves to Raydium AMM.

What is Graduation?

Graduation (also called "Nutting") is when a token reaches 85 SOL market cap and automatically transitions from the bonding curve to a Raydium Automated Market Maker (AMM) pool.

Graduation Threshold

Market Cap = 85 SOL

When a token's market cap hits this threshold:

✅ Bonding curve closes automatically
✅ Raydium AMM pool deploys
✅ Liquidity transfers to pool
✅ Trading continues seamlessly

Why 85 SOL?

The 85 SOL threshold is designed to:

Prove Demand - Shows real community interest
Ensure Liquidity - Enough SOL for viable AMM pool
Filter Quality - Only successful tokens graduate
Fair Launch - Everyone has bonding curve access first

Graduation Process

Phase 1: Approaching Graduation

As token approaches 85 SOL:

Progress Bar Updates
- Shows % toward graduation
- Example: "82 SOL / 85 SOL (96.5%)"
Community Gets Excited
- Holders anticipate "nut"
- Buying often accelerates
- Creator promotes milestone
Platform Monitoring
- Backend tracks market cap in real-time
- Graduation triggered automatically

Phase 2: The Graduation (Automatic)

When market cap hits 85 SOL:

Bonding Curve Freezes
- No more buys/sells on curve
- Current holders locked in
- SOL liquidity transferred
Raydium Pool Deploys
- Smart contract creates AMM pool
- Initial liquidity from bonding curve
- LP tokens burned (liquidity locked forever)
Trading Resumes
- Token now on Raydium
- Available on all Solana DEXs
- Embedded trading on GoonPad
Status Update
- Token moves to "Nutted" feed
- Badge shows "Graduated"
- Confetti animation

Total Time: ~30-60 seconds

Phase 3: Post-Graduation

After graduation:

Trading Continues
- Buy/sell on Raydium AMM
- Listed on Jupiter aggregator
- Available on all DEX aggregators
Creator Rewards Distributed
- Platform fees accumulated during Edging
- Creator can claim via Nut Jar
- Transparent on-chain distribution
Community Celebrates
- Token achieved major milestone
- Increased visibility
- Often price pumps post-graduation

What Changes After Graduation?

Liquidity

Before (Bonding Curve):

Fixed formula-based liquidity
Price determined by curve
Limited SOL in contract

After (AMM Pool):

Deep liquidity pool
Market-driven pricing
All bonding curve SOL + ongoing trades

Trading

Before:

Only on GoonPad
Bonding curve prices
Higher slippage on large trades

After:

GoonPad + Raydium + Jupiter + all DEXs
AMM pool prices
Lower slippage (more liquidity)

Price Discovery

Before:

Predictable curve formula
Price always increases with buys
Limited price action

After:

Free market pricing
Can go up or down
More volatile and dynamic

Creator Benefits

During Edging Phase

Platform fees accumulate (30% of 1.75%)
Community building
Promotional tools (livestreams)

After Graduation

Claim accumulated fees
Token has "graduated" credibility
Liquidity permanently locked (can't rug)
Ongoing fee share on continued trading

Fee Example

Token does 100 SOL volume before graduation:

Total platform fees: 1.75 SOL
Creator's share (30%): 0.525 SOL
Claimable via Nut Jar ✅

Trader Benefits

Liquidity Assurance

Graduated token = proven success
Permanent liquidity (locked LP tokens)
Can't be rug pulled

Wider Market Access

Trade on your preferred DEX
Better prices via aggregators
More trading pairs available

Price Potential

Larger liquidity = bigger market cap potential
Listed on tracking sites (Birdeye, Dexscreener)
Easier for new buyers to find

Watching Tokens Graduate

Real-time Graduation Feed

GoonPad shows graduations in real-time:

Notification Popup
- " [TOKEN] just nutted!"
- Links to token page
- Shows new AMM pool
Nutted Feed
- Dedicated section for graduated tokens
- Sorted by graduation time
- Shows post-graduation metrics
Token Page Badge
- "Graduated" badge
- Links to Raydium pool
- Shows graduation timestamp

WebSocket Events

Developers can listen for graduations:

javascript

ws.on('message', (data) => {
  const event = JSON.parse(data)

  if (event.type === 'token_graduated') {
    console.log(`${event.symbol} graduated!`)
    console.log(`Raydium pool: ${event.poolAddress}`)
  }
})

See WebSocket API for details.

Graduation Statistics

Typical graduation metrics:

Time to Graduate

Fast: 1-6 hours (viral tokens)
Normal: 12-48 hours (steady growth)
Slow: 2-7 days (slow burn)
Never: Most tokens don't graduate

Success Rate

Approximately:

5-10% of tokens reach 85 SOL
1-3% maintain value post-graduation
0.1-0.5% become "successful" long-term

Post-Graduation Performance

50% pump immediately after graduation
30% dump after initial pump
20% trade sideways

What if Token Doesn't Graduate?

Most tokens don't graduate, and that's okay:

Still Tradeable

Remains on bonding curve
Can still buy/sell
Smaller but active market

No Time Limit

Token can graduate anytime
No expiration date
Could graduate weeks/months later

Creator Fees

Still earns fees on trades
Smaller amounts
Can build slowly over time

FAQs

Can graduation be reversed?

No. Once graduated, token permanently stays on Raydium AMM.

What happens to my tokens during graduation?

Nothing. Your tokens remain in your wallet. Only the trading venue changes.

Do I need to do anything during graduation?

No. It's completely automatic. Just keep holding or trade as normal.

Can I trade during graduation?

Brief pause. There's a ~30-60 second window where trading is paused during the transition.

What if I'm buying when it graduates?

Transaction fails. You'll need to retry on Raydium after graduation completes.

Do fees change after graduation?

Yes. GoonPad's 1.75% fee only applies during Edging phase. After graduation, standard Raydium fees apply (~0.25%).

Next Steps

How It Works - Understand bonding curves
Nut Jar Rewards - Claim creator fees
Trading Guide - Trade graduated tokens
API Reference - Track graduations programmatically

Watch tokens graduate live on goonpad.dev