Honeypot Detector

Honeypot.is Ultimate Review Guide: How I Check Tokens for Traps + FAQ

Ever wanted a quick, no-BS way to spot a token trap before you get stuck holding the bag? If you’ve been burned by tokens you can buy but somehow can’t sell, or by surprise “taxes” that gut your position, you know exactly why a fast sanity check matters.

That’s the problem I set out to solve with a simple habit: run a honeypot test before risking a cent. And the tool I reach for first is Honeypot.is. In this guide, I’m sharing how I use it in real trading, what the results actually mean, where it can fail, and how I pair it with other checks to avoid nasty surprises.

Crypto’s ugly reality: traps hide in plain sight

Crypto moves fast, and scammers move faster. The worst part? A token can look completely normal until you try to sell. Here are the tricks I see over and over:

• Silent sell blocks: buys go through, sells revert or only work for whitelisted wallets.


• Predatory taxes: 40%+ on buys or sells, or “dynamic” fees that spike the moment you enter.


• Blacklists and shadow rules: contracts that target fresh buyers or certain addresses.


• Upgradeable/proxy contracts: looks green today, flips the rules tomorrow.


• Timing traps: per-block changes, anti-bot windows, or functions that trigger only at higher slippage.

This isn’t paranoia—it’s documented. Market intel firms have flagged how common scam tokens and exit strategies have become. For example, Solidus Labs has reported widespread malicious token deployments, and Chainalysis has repeatedly shown that scams and rug-pulls keep evolving across chains. The takeaway: a clean logo and active Telegram don’t mean much without on-chain checks.

The plan: simple checks, real signals, fewer regrets

Here’s what I’m going to walk you through in clear, plain English:

• How Honeypot.is simulates buy and sell and what “Buy OK / Sell OK” really imply.


• What high taxes mean in practice (and when they’re temporary vs. predatory).


• Where this tool can be wrong, the common error messages, and how I avoid false confidence.


• A fast workflow I use before I press buy, with examples and a practical FAQ based on what people actually ask.

Who this guide is for

• Degen hunters chasing early entries who need a rapid sell-test.


• New traders who want an easy, reliable pre-buy routine.


• Anyone who refuses to be exit-liquidity for a contract trick.

What you’ll get

• Simple steps to run quick checks without connecting a wallet.


• Accuracy tips to reduce misreads and tool hiccups.


• Limitations to watch so you don’t mistake green for “safe.”


• Comparisons to other scanners and when to add backups.


• My personal checklist that I run in minutes before risking capital.

How I actually test tokens day to day

I keep it practical. When a token shows up on my radar, I:

• Confirm the contract from the official X/Telegram/website or the project’s GitHub.


• Run it through Honeypot.is for a quick buy/sell simulation and tax sanity check.


• Cross-verify with a second scanner and a permissions/ownership check.


• Look at live trades on a DEX tracker to confirm real sells are happening.


• Only then consider a small entry with measured risk.

“Green” on a scanner is not a buy signal—it’s an invitation to keep checking. That mindset has saved me more times than I can count.

If you’ve ever wondered what Honeypot.is actually checks under the hood and why I keep it on my first screen, you’ll like what’s next. Ready to see how it works—and what it’s not telling you?

What Honeypot.is is and why I keep it on my first screen

I keep this tool open because it answers the only question that matters before I touch a fresh token: can I actually sell it, and what’s the hidden cost if I try? In a world where a single bad click can freeze your funds, I’d rather get a fast, honest signal than stare at a risky chart and hope.

“The worst feeling in crypto isn’t missing the pump—it’s pressing sell and realizing you can’t.”

What it does in simple terms

Honeypot.is runs a quick, simulated test to check if a token lets you buy and sell, and it estimates the taxes on each side. If a token is a classic honeypot (you can buy but not sell) or sneaks in a 70%+ tax, it’ll usually catch it in seconds.

• Buy/Sell simulation: It attempts trades through the token’s main liquidity pool and reads whether the transactions would succeed.


• Tax snapshot: It shows buy and sell taxes as percentages so you can spot “gotchas” like 25% in, 45% out.


• Trouble flags: It highlights reverts, unusual gas behavior, or mechanics that hint at blocked sells.

Real sample I’ve seen on BNB Chain: a new token looked hyped, but the test showed “Buy OK / Sell failed” with a simulated 100% sell tax. That result saved me from becoming exit liquidity. Another time on Ethereum, it reported Buy OK / Sell OK but with ~18% sells. Not my style, but at least I knew the rules up front.

How it works under the hood (high level)

Think of it as a safe, off-chain rehearsal for your trade. It doesn’t move your funds. It asks the chain, “If I try this swap, what happens?” and then analyzes the response.

• Transaction outcome: It checks if the token’s transfer and swap logic would revert, pass, or pass with conditions (like huge slippage).


• Tax math: It compares the input vs. expected output, then infers the fee/tax percentage based on the token’s transfer hooks.


• Behavior clues: It looks for things like elevated gas requirements, fee-on-transfer logic, or anti-sell patterns that often correlate with traps.

This approach works well because many malicious contracts reveal their intent once you simulate the swap path. If the sell path is wired to fail (or skim almost everything), the tool usually surfaces it.

Why it’s on my first screen

• Speed: It’s a 5-second sanity check before I waste time reading a contract or Telegram pitch.


• Clarity: Buy/Sell status plus taxes—clean and actionable.


• No wallet connect: Safer checks and less friction.


• Multichain: Works across popular EVM networks where most of the new token action happens.

Security shops and researchers have repeatedly documented sell-block tricks and punitive fee traps in EVM tokens. I’ve watched those same patterns play out live; tools that simulate the path catch them far more reliably than static “vibes-based” checks or pretty dashboards.

What it is not

I treat the result as a bright flashlight, not a crystal ball.

• Not a guarantee of safety: A green “OK” doesn’t mean the dev won’t flip a switch later.


• Not a mind reader: It can’t judge intent. Some projects use high, temporary taxes on launch to deter snipers.


• Not omniscient: It can miss traps that activate under specific block numbers, whitelists, max wallet rules, or conditions tied to slippage and timing.

Example: I’ve seen tokens that pass sell checks for the first few hours, then a function toggles fees to 99% after a certain block. If ownership isn’t renounced or there’s a proxy, the rules can change overnight.

Supported ecosystems to expect

Coverage focuses on popular EVM chains where most new tokens launch. Behavior can vary chain by chain.

• Commonly supported: Ethereum, BNB Chain (BSC), and other major EVMs like Arbitrum and Polygon.


• Behavior differences: Router choices, liquidity depth, and gas dynamics can change how taxes, slippage, or anti-bot rules appear.


• Heads-up: Network support evolves. If a chain isn’t available, I’ll check an alternative scanner or run a tiny, controlled test trade (with strict slippage and a burner wallet).

What the “magic” really is

It’s the combo of speed and signal. I can glance at a token and instantly know: sellable or not, and what it’ll cost me to exit. That alone filters out a big chunk of risks and time-wasters.

Want to see exactly how I run the test, interpret the screen like a pro, and avoid the common false alarms I’ve run into? Stick with me—next, I’m pulling back the curtain on the exact steps I take and the labels that matter (and the ones that don’t).

How I use Honeypot.is step by step (fast workflow)

“FOMO is expensive. A 30-second check is cheap.”

Step 1 — Paste the contract and make sure it’s the real one

I start with the official contract address only. No screenshots, no copy-paste from a random chat, no “friend of a mod.”

• Grab the contract from the project’s pinned tweet, website, or announcement channel. Cross-check it on the chain’s explorer (e.g., Etherscan, BscScan) to confirm the token name, decimals, and socials match.


• Select the correct chain if Honeypot.is doesn’t auto-detect. Tokens with the same name can exist on multiple chains—wrong chain = meaningless result.


• Confirm liquidity exists on the target DEX pair (e.g., via Dexscreener). If there’s zero or absurdly thin liquidity, the simulation can fail or be misleading.

Once I’m sure the contract and chain are correct, I click “Check.” Honeypot.is spins up a quick buy/sell simulation behind the scenes.

Reading results like a pro

The screen gives you the signal you came for, but the nuance is what saves money. Here’s how I interpret it:

• “Buy OK” / “Sell OK” — The simulated transactions didn’t revert. This means the contract allowed trades with the default test size and slippage. I still look at taxes, gas, and liquidity before I cheer.


• Buy/Sell taxes (%) — If I see Buy 5% / Sell 5–10%, that’s fairly normal for meme launches. Buy 20% / Sell 40%+ is a red flag unless it’s a known token with a published tax schedule.


• “Likely Safe” — Good sign, but not a warranty. I treat this as “greenlight to continue checks,” not “ape now.”


• “Likely Honeypot” — This is usually because the sell reverted or required absurd slippage. I don’t argue with it; I pass or wait until settings change.


• Gas anomalies — If it flags high gas or can’t estimate gas, I assume the token has aggressive anti-bot logic or faulty code paths that may only pass under certain conditions.

Quick examples I’ve actually seen on screen:

• Clean launch: Buy OK (0.5%), Sell OK (0.8%), gas normal. I still check LP lock, owner status, and that real sells are hitting the DEX before buying.


• Tax trap: Buy OK (12%), Sell OK (48%). Might be “working,” but you’re exiting with half your stack gone. Unless the team publicly states a roadmap to lower taxes, I avoid.


• Classic honeypot: Buy OK, Sell Fail (revert). Sometimes it shows a revert message like “Trading not open” or “Only whitelisted.” That’s a do-not-touch for me until verified.


• Pre-launch/anti-bot window: Buy fails or Sell fails with “Trading disabled.” If the team said trading opens at a specific block/time, I wait and re-run after launch.

Common errors and what they usually mean

Not every red message means a scam. Some are just network wrinkles or launch mechanics.

• RPC rate limit / timeout — The node used by the tool is busy. I refresh or wait 30–60 seconds and try again.


• “Cannot estimate gas” — Often appears with tokens that enforce anti-bot taxes or dynamic logic. I re-run, reduce test size, or try again after initial volatility cools.


• “Trading not enabled” / “Trading paused” — The owner hasn’t opened trading yet or temporarily paused it. Wait for the public go-live and re-check.


• “Insufficient liquidity” — There’s not enough in the pool to simulate. I verify LP on the explorer and Dexscreener. No LP = no trade.


• “Sell blocked” or silent revert on sell — Could be a blacklist, maxTx constraint, or a sell tax that effectively locks you in. I treat this as a major warning unless officially explained and fixed.


• Weird slippage prompts — If the tool hints at needing huge slippage (like 40–70%), it’s usually a sign of aggressive taxation or transfer tricks.

Best practices that save me from bad fills

A single green result is not victory—it’s the start. Here’s how I make it reliable in the real world:

• Re-run after a few minutes — Especially at launch. Parameters change fast. A token can flip from “sell OK” to “sell blocked” if the owner toggles settings.


• Cross-check with a second tool — I’ll quickly compare with another honeypot checker or a security API. If they disagree, I wait and observe live trades.


• Watch real sells on-chain — On Dexscreener, I want to see multiple wallets selling successfully, not just dev wallets or whitelisted addresses.


• Check owner and permissions — If the owner can change fees, pause trading, or blacklist, green today can become red tomorrow. I look for renounced ownership or time-locked permissions before risking size.


• Test size matters — Some contracts only allow tiny sells or block sells over a threshold. If I’m serious, I simulate different sizes across tools and scrutinize DEX sell sizes.


• Router and pair checks — Odd routers and multiple LP pairs can mask behavior. I confirm the main trading pair and that I’m checking the right one.


• Patience beats FOMO — If results are noisy, I wait for the chaos phase to pass. Launch minutes are when most traps spring.

Reports have shown that a meaningful chunk of fresh tokens exhibit scam-like patterns—one analysis famously pegged it in the double digits across new listings. That’s exactly why a few extra checks here save hours of regret later. If you’ve ever stared at a chart while your sell kept failing, you know the feeling.

Pro tip: If Honeypot.is shows Buy/Sell OK but taxes are high, scroll recent trades. Are everyday wallets exiting with normal slippage, or only a handful of whitelisted wallets? The tape never lies.

Now, here’s the uncomfortable question: what about those times when everything looks green, yet people still get trapped a few hours later? That’s where the sneaky stuff hides—want to see the exact scenarios I’ve seen cause that switch and how to catch them before they catch you?

Accuracy, limitations, and the traps that still slip through

I love fast answers, but I never confuse fast with final. Honeypot checks are a powerful sanity filter, not a crystal ball. Scammers know how these tools work and actively design around them. If you’ve ever seen a token look green and then morph into a nightmare, you know the feeling.

“In crypto, green means go slower.”

When results can be wrong

Here are the most common ways a token can slip through with a clean result and still trap you later, plus what I watch to avoid them:

• Whitelisting the scanner, blacklisting you: Some contracts maintain a blacklist/whitelist and quietly whitelist known scanner addresses so sells look OK. Meanwhile, regular wallets (especially fresh ones) get blocked or taxed 99% on sell.
  
  
  
  • What I look for: functions like setBlacklist, isBlacklisted, excludeFromFees, setWhitelist, setMarketMaker, and large mappings of flagged addresses. Then I confirm on-chain that multiple wallets are actually selling, not just one dev wallet.
  
  
  
  


• Per-block anti-bot windows: Some tokens revert sells if you sell within X blocks of buying (cooldown or same-block rules). The simulator’s timing may avoid that trap while your sell gets rejected.
  
  
  
  • What I look for: variables like cooldown, blockDelay, lastTxBlock, or code comparing block.number deltas. I wait a few blocks and watch real buyers sell.
  
  
  
  


• Time-based toggles: Owners can flip trading/fees with a single transaction. Testing while tradingEnabled is ON doesn’t protect you if they toggle OFF after you enter.
  
  
  
  • What I look for: setTradingEnabled, toggleFees, pause, unpause, and whether those functions are guarded by a timelock. If not, assume the rules can change instantly.
  
  
  
  


• Slippage-triggered traps: Some contracts calculate “tax” based on amount, path, or slippage windows. A tiny simulated trade might pass, while your larger sell hits a hidden bracketed fee (e.g., 80–99%).
  
  
  
  • What I look for: fee logic that references amount tiers, to/from is the pair, or path length. I compare fees on small vs bigger sells and confirm with live transactions on-chain.
  
  
  
  


• Amount thresholds and maxTx/maxWallet: The scanner’s test amount can be small enough to pass while your real trade triggers a revert or monstrous fee.
  
  
  
  • What I look for: maxTxAmount, maxWallet, and silent revert conditions. I start with a micro-buy and test a micro-sell first.
  
  
  
  


• Router-specific logic: Some tokens punish sells via certain routers or aggregators and spare others. If the scanner uses a different path, results won’t match your experience.
  
  
  
  • What I look for: hard-coded router addresses, checks on msg.sender being a specific DEX, or “special rules” for liquidity pairs.
  
  
  
  


• Gas games and RPC hiccups: Exotic tokens may require odd gas or temporary conditions. A revert in the tool can be a glitch, and a pass can still hide conditional hazards.
  
  
  
  • What I do: re-run the test, try again a few minutes later, and always cross-check with a second scanner.
  
  
  
  

Real pattern I’ve seen: token launches “Buy OK / Sell OK” with 8/8 fees. 12 hours later, owner calls setFees(0, 98) and adds five fresh wallets to a hidden blacklist. Outcomes don’t match the early scan anymore; sells start failing or bleeding 98% tax. If you only looked once, you’re cooked.

If you want broader context, industry research from firms like Chainalysis and Solidus Labs consistently shows that scam tokens evolve fast and often exploit upgradable permissions and dynamic fee mechanics. Tools help—but contract control is king.

Taxes aren’t always evil

Not every high tax is a rug. Plenty of legit launches use temporarily high fees to deter snipers or fund LP and marketing. The difference is whether taxes are transparent, temporary, and verifiably capped.

• Green flags for “high but honest” taxes:
  
  
  
  • A clear, time-based or block-based tax schedule that actually drops on-chain (you can see fee variables change).
  
  
  • Max-fee caps enforced in code (e.g., cannot exceed 10–15%).
  
  
  • Fee receiver is multi-sig or a contract with clear vesting logic, not a random EOA.
  
  
  • On-chain sells exist at different times with decreasing effective tax that matches the claimed schedule.
  
  
  
  


• Red flags for “weaponized” taxes:
  
  
  
  • Functions like setFees or setSellTax with no cap and full owner control.
  
  
  • Fee updates right after volume spikes.
  
  
  • Permanent 99% sell tax “for bots,” but no evidence of normal holders selling successfully.
  
  
  
  

Example: a launch sets 10/10 with a public promise to drop to 3/3 after 24 hours. Hours pass, charts show live sells, and then you verify the new fee in the contract. That’s the kind of behavior I want to see. If the fee never drops—or silently rises during hype—that’s a pass from me.

Upgradeable and proxy contracts: green today, red tomorrow

Here’s the quiet killer: proxies. A token can pass any honeypot test today and flip tomorrow if the owner can upgrade the implementation.

• What to check:
  
  
  
  • On Etherscan/BscScan, see if the token is a Proxy. Use “Read as Proxy” to view the implementation and admin.
  
  
  • Look for upgrade functions like upgradeTo, upgradeToAndCall or admin-only setters that point to a new implementation.
  
  
  • Confirm if the proxy admin is a timelock or a regular wallet. No timelock = overnight rule change risk.
  
  
  • Any ownership renounce? If not, can the owner still change fees, blacklist, or pause? That’s where most traps live.
  
  
  
  

Real pattern I’ve watched: clean launch, active trading, then 36 hours later an upgradeTo is executed. New implementation adds a blacklist and jacks sell tax to 100%. Overnight, holders can buy but can’t exit. A previous “green” check can’t predict a future upgrade.

My rule: treat “green” as “go to deeper checks,” not “go all in.”

When I get a green result, I immediately move to permission and behavior checks before risking real size:

• Owner/Proxy control: owner address, timelock, proxy admin, upgrade functions.


• Kill-switches: pause, setTradingEnabled, setFees, excludeFromFees, setBlacklist, limitTx, maxWallet.


• LP status: lock duration, locker address, and whether LP was migrated.


• On-chain evidence: multiple holders selling successfully across time, not just one “team” wallet.


• Micro-test: tiny buy and tiny sell to confirm your wallet isn’t treated differently.

If this sounds like work, it is—but it’s less work than getting stuck. Want to know which extra scanners and APIs I use to fill these blind spots and when I reach for each one?

Honeypot.is vs other scanners: where it shines and where I add backups

“Fast decisions need fast checks — but trust is earned when you verify from more than one angle.”

I use Honeypot.is for one thing: a quick, realistic yes/no on whether a token lets me sell and what the effective taxes look like. But I never stop there. Here’s how it stacks up against the rest of my toolkit and the exact moments I bring in backups.

Quick comparisons that actually matter when you’re about to buy

• Honeypot.is — Simulates buy/sell and estimates taxes. Fast, clean, no wallet connect. Great at catching “can buy, can’t sell” traps and brutal sell taxes. Not a full audit; doesn’t deeply analyze contract logic or ownership risks.


• Token Sniffer — Code smells, ownership flags, liquidity checks, and a simple score. Good snapshot for renounce status, mint rights, and cloned contracts. Can lag after launches and sometimes misread proxies.


• GoPlus Security




• API-driven risk labels: trading permissions, proxy/upgradeability, blacklist, mint, and transfer limits.


• Solid for “who can change what,” which is key after you get a green sell test elsewhere.




• StaySAFU and RugDoc — Rug risk profiles, team notes, and common exploit checks. Helpful for LP lock visibility, ownership patterns, and red flags on new launches, especially on BNB Chain and smaller EVMs.


• Dexscreener — Real trades and liquidity in motion. I look for consistent sells, stable liquidity, and slippage behavior. If people are selling successfully on-chain, that’s the most honest signal of all.

There’s a reason I stack these. Research from security teams and incident reports keeps showing the same theme: rug pulls and honeypots evolve. One tool rarely sees everything. A scanner might miss a time-locked fee switch, while a live trade feed shows sellers getting rekt in real time. I want both angles.

When I reach for Honeypot.is first vs when I add others

Honeypot.is first when:

• Launch-day speed matters. New token just dropped on BNB Chain? I paste the contract and get instant buy/sell clarity. No connection. No noise.


• I need a binary sanity check — can I sell, and what’s the tax? A “Sell OK” with realistic tax is my green light to continue research, not to ape.


• I suspect a stealth sell trap (e.g., 70–100% sell tax). Honeypot.is often surfaces the effective fee early.

I add others when:

• Ownership and control become the question. I’ll use GoPlus for upgradeability, blacklist rights, and fee-setter functions; Token Sniffer for renounce status and mint access.


• Liquidity safety needs proof. StaySAFU or RugDoc to confirm LP lock status and duration. Unlocked LP with a green sell test is still a recipe for a pull.


• Market behavior needs context. Dexscreener to watch if sells are actually happening and whether slippage spikes at certain blocks.

Real moments that earned my trust (and my caution)

• Launch-day meme on BNB Chain: Honeypot.is showed “Sell OK” but a punishing 48% sell tax. Token Sniffer hadn’t updated yet. I waited. Within 10 minutes, Dexscreener filled with sells getting clipped. I passed. Hours later, tax got cranked higher and the chart nuked. Speed saved me.


• Ethereum micro-cap with clean simulation: Buy/Sell OK, taxes ~5/5. GoPlus flagged an upgradeable proxy with owner able to change fees. LP wasn’t locked (StaySAFU). I only tested with coffee money and set tight alerts. Two days later, fees got hiked and sells stalled briefly. The early caution paid off.


• Classic false comfort: Token Sniffer gave a decent score; Honeypot.is showed OK/OK; but Dexscreener had almost no sells. A few hours after hype, the team pulled liquidity. That’s when I doubled down on an iron rule: green on Honeypot.is isn’t a safety certificate — it’s permission to research deeper.

Where Honeypot.is shines, and where I want a wingman

• Shines




• Realistic trade sim that catches sell reverts and painful taxes fast.


• Launch agility when other tools lag or cache stale data.


• No wallet connect, low friction, good for repeated checks.




• Needs a wingman




• Ownership risks: fee setters, blacklist, pause trading, upgradeable proxies.


• Liquidity safety: LP lock amount and duration, unlock schedules.


• Behavioral tells: are sells actually clearing at normal slippage on-chain?

My verdict (and the stack that keeps me honest)

Honeypot.is is a fast filter, not a full audit. It’s my gatekeeper for “can I sell and what’s the hit?” Then I layer:

• GoPlus for permissions and proxy risk


• Token Sniffer for code/ownership smell checks


• StaySAFU/RugDoc for LP and rug patterns


• Dexscreener to confirm real sells and liquidity health

If that sounds like extra work, remember the market we’re in. Scam mechanics change, and even security research groups say multi-source verification cuts risk the most. Or, as an old trading friend told me, “One green light gets you moving; three keep you alive.”

Quick question before you open a new tab: are you sure you’re on the real Honeypot.is and not a slick clone asking you to connect a wallet? In the next section I’ll show how I avoid fakes and why I never sign a thing on scanners — want the exact checks I use?

Safety, privacy, and avoiding fake sites

Is Honeypot.is safe to use?

I like tools that don’t ask for permission they don’t need. To run a check on https://honeypot.is/, you paste a contract address and hit go—no wallet connection, no signatures, no approvals. That’s exactly how a read-only checker should behave.

Here’s how I keep it clean and low-risk every time:

• No wallet connection required: if you see any prompt to connect or sign, you’re not on the real site. Close it.


• Use the exact domain: type it or use a bookmark. The legit URL is https://honeypot.is/.


• SSL lock icon: check you’re on HTTPS with a valid certificate. Click the lock to view details if something feels off.


• Paste contracts only: never paste seed phrases, private keys, or approve anything on a “checker.” That’s not how these tools work.


• Assume IP logging: most sites log basic analytics. If that bothers you, use a privacy-focused browser or a separate profile.

“If a page that only needs a contract suddenly asks for your wallet, consider it a siren, not a feature.”

Phishing warning: clones are getting sneaky

Scammers know you’re anxious for quick answers. They buy ads on search engines, register lookalike domains, and copy the interface pixel-for-pixel—then slip in a “Connect Wallet” button to drain assets.

Some context that keeps me on guard:

• Wallet drainer scams are huge: research from ScamSniffer reported wallet drainer kits stole over $295M in 2023 from hundreds of thousands of victims. Source: ScamSniffer.


• Crypto scams evolve fast: Chainalysis tracks billions in yearly illicit crypto activity shifting tactics year to year. Source: Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report.

My personal anti-phishing routine is boring—but it works:

• Bookmark the real site and use the bookmark only.


• Skip sponsored search results; go direct to the URL.


• Watch for lookalikes: “honeуpot.is” (with a Cyrillic y), “honeypot.is.xyz,” or “honeypo1.is.” If anything looks off, it is.


• Ignore pop-ups: no airdrops, no “verify now,” no “approve to check” prompts. That’s bait.


• Sanity-check the layout: if buttons or text are out of place, assume it’s a clone until proven otherwise.

Mobile tips (and what I do when results look weird)

Performance can be patchy on mobile, especially on slow networks or when a token is trending.

• Retry on desktop if results look inconsistent or stall.


• Re-check the contract from the official source (project site, verified Twitter/X, Discord announcement, or the token’s official docs). Copy/paste errors on mobile are common.


• Confirm the chain in the checker and on the explorer. Wrong chain = wrong read.


• Use a reputable mobile browser with anti-phishing lists enabled. Extensions like ScamSniffer can help on desktop.


• Be patient during launch windows; if trading is paused or liquidity is being added, wait and re-run later.

One last emotional reminder I tell myself every day: the fastest losses come from rushing. If a page is pushing me to act now, I slow down. If it’s real, it’ll still be real in five minutes.

Ready to see how a trap actually shows up on the screen—what a blocked sell or a 100% sell tax looks like in the results? That’s exactly what I’m showing next, with screenshots and the patterns I watch for.

Real examples: what legit vs honeypot looks like on the screen

I’ve seen every flavor of launch-day chaos—tokens you can buy but never sell, “temporary” 90% sell taxes, and legit projects that look scary for 10 minutes and then settle into normal trading. Here’s exactly how those patterns show up on Honeypot.is, so you can recognize them in seconds.

“In crypto, the chart lies, the hype lies—transaction rules don’t. Trust, but verify. Then verify again on-chain.”

Classic honeypot pattern

When a token is a straight honeypot, the screen usually screams it. This is the typical combo I expect to see:

• Status:Buy OK and Sell Failed (or Sell Reverted)


• Taxes: Buy tax anywhere from 0–10%; Sell tax near 100%


• Revert clues: messages like “TRANSFER_FROM_FAILED”, “sell blocked”, or a generic revert without details


• Gas behavior: abnormally high gas estimate on sells, repeated failures


• Label: “Likely honeypot” or a warning banner about blocked sells

Real snapshot (BNB Chain, meme launch): I ran a fresh token minutes after LP was added. Honeypot.is showed Buy OK, Sell Failed, 0% buy tax, 100% sell tax. The first buys were flying on Dexscreener, but there were zero sells in the feed—textbook trap. A few hours later, the contract started blacklisting new holders while allowing a handful of wallets to sell. If you ever see Sell Failed + 100% tax, it’s not “just a launch thing.” It’s a hard pass.

Why this happens (common tricks):

• Sell path blocked unless you’re whitelisted


• Dynamic fees that jump to 99–100% only on sells


• Blacklist logic targeting new holders or non-whitelisted addresses


• Owner-controlled toggles that allow buys but revert sells

There’s also the “soft honeypot”: the tool shows Sell OK, but sell tax is 70–95%. Technically you can sell, but you’re getting wrecked. Honeypot.is makes that obvious by printing the tax estimates front and center.

Legit token with high taxes (and how I confirm it’s not a trap)

Not every high-tax token is malicious. Some launches use temporary high taxes to throttle bots during the first hour. Here’s what a healthy high-tax launch looks like on the screen:

• Status:Buy OK / Sell OK


• Taxes: Elevated but not absurd (e.g., 10–15% buy, 15–20% sell)


• Behavior: Sells actually appear on-chain from random wallets, not just insiders

Real snapshot (Ethereum, fair-launch with anti-bot tax): Honeypot.is reported Buy OK, Sell OK, 12% buy / 18% sell for the first ~30 minutes. I watched the live tape on Dexscreener—sells were hitting consistently, not just team wallets. Taxes stepped down on schedule to 5/5 after the first day. That’s the difference between “painful but fair” and “you’re the exit liquidity.”

What I look for next to confirm legitimacy:

• Real sells from many unique wallets (check a few in Etherscan or BscScan)


• Public tax schedule that actually drops, not just promises in chat


• No owner functions that can jack fees back to 99% after you buy


• LP lock proof and sane ownership permissions

Security research and industry reports have repeatedly shown that a large share of new tokens ship with tax levers or sell restrictions. The presence of a high tax isn’t the problem—it’s whether the rules let you exit and whether the rules can be changed on you.

Edge cases that look scary but are temporary

Some patterns trigger “red” signals that resolve a few minutes later. Here’s how they appear and how I handle them:

• Trading disabled pre-launch
  Honeypot.is: Buy Failed / Sell Failed with a revert suggesting trading isn’t enabled.
  Reality: Devs haven’t flipped the switch yet. I wait for LP confirmation and re-run. If it flips to Buy OK / Sell OK, then I start deeper checks.


• Whitelist-only first minutes
  Honeypot.is: Sell Failed or pass for some addresses only.
  Reality: Early wallets can trade; new wallets can’t. I watch on-chain to see if random wallets can sell after the whitelist window closes. If not, I’m out.


• Anti-bot windows
  Honeypot.is: Very high temporary taxes or transfer limits; sometimes a revert if max-tx or max-wallet triggers.
  Reality: Legit teams often relax these within minutes. I re-run every few minutes and look for sells resuming from new holders.


• RPC hiccups or rate limits
  Honeypot.is: Occasional timeouts or inconsistent results during peak volatility.
  Reality: I refresh, switch networks, or wait 1–2 minutes and re-test before making a call.

Pro tip: Any time Honeypot.is shows Sell OK but with brutal taxes, I cross-check live sells. If I only see insiders selling, I treat it as a red flag until random wallets are offloading too. A legit market shows both buys and sells from a wide spread of holders, not just a handful of early addresses.

If you want the exact checklist I use to separate “just early friction” from “you’ll never get out,” plus the tools I open right after Honeypot.is, ready to see the step-by-step I rely on every day?

My pre-buy checklist + handy resources to save you time

My quick checklist

I keep this tight and repeatable. When I skip steps, I pay for it. Here’s the exact flow I use before risking a cent:

• Confirm the contract address from the official source:
  Website → X/Telegram → pinned message → block explorer.
  Never copy from comments or DMs. Check that the address on the site matches what’s on the chain’s explorer (Etherscan, BscScan).


• Run a honeypot test:
  Paste into Honeypot.is. Look for:
  
  
  
  • Buy OK / Sell OK with normal gas
  
  
  • Tax under a reasonable threshold (early launches can be high; I note exact %)
  
  
  • Any revert or blacklist-style warnings
  
  
  
  Example: I’ve seen tokens show Buy OK but Sell fails until the owner flips a toggle after liquidity is added. I wait for visible sells on-chain before touching it.


• Check liquidity and lock:
  Open the pair on Dexscreener (or DEXTools), click the pool, and verify:
  
  
  
  • Liquidity size vs FDV (tiny LP + huge FDV is a liquidation trap)
  
  
  • LP locked via Unicrypt, Team Finance, or similar (check how long)
  
  
  
  Red flag: LP sitting in a dev wallet or unlocked with “we’ll lock later” promises.


• Ownership and permissions:
  On the block explorer:
  
  
  
  • Is the owner renounced or a multisig? If not, what can they change?
  
  
  • Look for fee setters, blacklist, maxTx/maxWallet, trading toggle, and pause functions.
  
  
  • If it’s a proxy/upgradeable contract, confirm who can upgrade and how quickly.
  
  
  
  Quick rule: If one address can change taxes or block sells at will, I position smaller or pass.


• Holder distribution:
  Open the Holders tab (token and LP):
  
  
  
  • Top 10 holders under ~20–30% combined is healthier
  
  
  • Suspicious “clusters” or fresh wallets holding big chunks = caution
  
  
  • LP ownership should be the locker contract, not a random wallet
  
  
  
  Tools like BubbleMaps help visualize clusters.


• Live trade sanity check:
  On Dexscreener (or DEXTools):
  
  
  
  • Are there actual sells happening now?
  
  
  • Do new wallets buy and then manage to sell?
  
  
  • Does slippage need to be weirdly high to sell (hint: hidden tax/anti-bot)?
  
  
  
  Example: If only team wallets are selling and fresh buyers can’t, I’m out.


• Secondary scanner cross-check:
  Run a second tool for code smells, ownership, and liquidity notes: Token Sniffer, StaySAFU, or RugDoc.
  Tip: Conflicts between scanners are a signal to pause and research.


• Manual test (optional, burner wallet):
  If scanners disagree and risk/reward looks good, I use a throwaway wallet:
  
  
  
  • Buy a tiny amount
  
  
  • Try a tiny sell a few minutes later
  
  
  • Record actual in/out tax and slippage needed
  
  
  
  If the sell needs 30–50% slippage or fails without reason, I walk.


• Approval hygiene:
  Only approve the minimum. If you bailed, revoke with revoke.cash or DeBank to reduce risk.

Pro tip: Treat a green honeypot result as “permission to research deeper,” not “permission to ape.”

Why I’m strict: Industry reports from independent analytics firms consistently show scam-token deployments in the hundreds of thousands and millions of impacted wallets across EVM chains. That reality is why I make this checklist muscle memory.

Tools I pair with Honeypot.is

• Another honeypot scanner: Cross-check fast yes/no and taxes with Token Sniffer or StaySAFU to catch edge cases and misreads.


• Contract permissions/risks: Use Etherscan/BscScan “Read/Write Contract” to see fee setters, blacklists, and trading toggles. APIs from GoPlus can flag risky permissions quickly.


• Liquidity locker viewer: Verify LP lock and duration on Unicrypt, Team Finance, or network-specific lockers (e.g., Mudra on BSC).


• Live DEX tracker:Dexscreener or DEXTools for real-time buys/sells, slippage behavior, and volume. I always confirm that brand‑new wallets can sell.


• Holder analysis: Explorer holders tab + BubbleMaps to spot clusters and team-controlled rings that look organic at first glance.


• Approvals/revokes:revoke.cash, DeBank to stay clean if you test a contract and later exit.

FAQ people actually ask + final thoughts from my testing

Is Honeypot.is accurate and can I rely on it?

It’s excellent for a fast sanity check, especially on launch day, but it’s not a guarantee. It catches classic honeypots where sells revert or taxes are absurd. Where it can stumble is with tokens that change behavior after you buy: blacklist flips, owner-only toggles, time-based fee hikes, or sell rules that trigger only above certain slippage.

Industry research keeps reminding us how common scam tokens still are. For context, Chainalysis’ crypto crime reporting shows scams continue to be a major drain each year, and Solidus Labs has documented large-scale smart-contract-based token scams across EVM chains. The point: use tools, but don’t outsource your judgment.

• Green result: treat it as “pass the first gate,” then run ownership/liquidity/permissions checks.


• Red result or extreme taxes: slow down. If it’s early, re-test later; otherwise, pass.

Which chains and tokens does it support?

It focuses on popular EVM chains (think Ethereum and BNB Chain first), and coverage evolves. If your chain/token isn’t supported, you’ve got options:

• Try a second scanner that covers your chain.


• Do a tiny real-money test: buy a microscopic amount, then attempt a sell with reasonable slippage. Keep gas costs in mind.


• Watch the live tape on a DEX tracker—if no one can sell, that’s your answer.

What does “Buy OK / Sell OK” actually mean, and how should I react to high taxes?

Buy OK / Sell OK means simulated trades didn’t revert under typical parameters. It doesn’t prove your specific wallet won’t be blacklisted or blocked later.

For taxes:

• High but not insane (e.g., 5–15%): sometimes a launch tactic. Confirm real sells are happening and that taxes trend down.


• Wild (40–100%): usually a trap or a short-lived anti-bot window. If you’re not early and informed, avoid.

I always confirm on-chain that multiple wallets are selling successfully right now—and that the tax shown matches what those wallets paid.

Can a token flip from safe to honeypot after launch?

Yes. If the owner can change fees, pause transfers, edit maxTx/maxWallet, blacklist, switch routers, or upgrade logic behind a proxy, you can be fine at noon and stuck by evening.

Quick things I check after a green result:

• Ownership: Is it renounced? If not, who holds it—EOA or multisig?


• Permissions: Look for functions like setFees, setBlacklist, setTradingEnabled, setMaxTx, excludeFromFees, or upgrade calls on proxies.


• LP status: Locked or burned? If unlocked and the owner is active, risk goes up.

Is it safe to paste my contract there, and do I need to connect my wallet?

Yes, you can paste contract addresses safely. You don’t need to connect a wallet to run checks. As a rule, never connect or sign anything on scanners—especially if the domain isn’t https://honeypot.is/. Bookmark the official URL and avoid lookalikes.

Honeypot.is says Sell OK, but I still can’t sell—what gives?

A few common causes I see:

• Blacklist or “new wallet” rules: your wallet might be targeted while the simulation wallet isn’t.


• MaxTx or maxWallet limits: your sell size exceeds the limit; try a smaller amount.


• Router/path mismatch: token might only allow sells through a specific router or pair.


• Slippage or fee window: fees spiked; increase slippage modestly or wait until anti-bot windows end.


• Trading toggled off: owner paused or restricted sells temporarily.

Tip: Before blaming the tool, watch a few live sells with different wallets and sizes on a DEX tracker. If others are succeeding, check your size, router, and slippage. If no one can sell, step away.

How do I manually test a token when I’m unsure?

• Buy a very small amount.


• Attempt an immediate partial sell (e.g., 20–30%) with cautious slippage.


• Confirm the net received vs paid tax on-chain.


• If it works, sell the rest or hold based on your plan. If it fails, stop—don’t double down.

For extra safety during chaotic launches, consider private transactions via a trusted RPC to avoid being sandwiched while testing.

How often should I re-run the check?

More than you think. I’ll re-run before buying, after buying, and any time I see odd behavior in the order book. Tokens with upgradeable logic or toggles can change state fast.

What are realistic red flags that make me walk immediately?

• Owner can change fees or blacklist with no time lock or multisig.


• LP is unlocked or controlled by a single EOA.


• No verified contract, or proxy with upgradability wide open.


• Marketing promises “renounced soon” but never shares a plan or transaction.


• Zero organic sell activity despite volume spikes.

Where can I read more about the prevalence of scam tokens?

For broader context, take a look at:

• Chainalysis Crypto Crime Report (preview)


• Solidus Labs research and blog

Different methodologies, same takeaway: scam tokens and rug mechanics evolve constantly. Tools help you move quickly, but they can’t predict developer intent.

Bottom line

Honeypot.is is my fast first screen. It filters out obvious traps and brutal taxes in seconds. From there, I cross-check ownership, LP status, permissions, and live sell activity. That combo has saved me more times than I can count. Use it, pair it with two or three focused checks, and keep your trades small until the on-chain facts—not the hype—say you’re good to go.