What is Sniping?
Also known as: snipe, sniper bot
Using bots to buy a token in the first block(s) after launch to secure the lowest price before humans can react.
Sniping is the practice of using automated bots to buy a token the instant it becomes tradable — often in the same block it launches. Snipers get the lowest entry on the bonding curve, then sell into the wave of human buyers that follow.
Heavy sniping concentrates early supply in a few bot wallets and can dump price the moment retail arrives. Teams fight it with anti-snipe measures: delayed trading, max-buy limits per wallet for the first minutes, and blacklisting known sniper addresses.
For buyers, a token where the top wallets all bought in block 0 is a sign that early supply is concentrated and risky.
Related terms
Bonding Curve
A mathematical formula that sets a token’s price automatically based on its circulating supply — price rises as more tokens are bought.
Airdrop
A free distribution of tokens to wallets, used to reward early supporters, bootstrap a community, or market a launch.
Rug Pull
A scam where a token’s creators drain liquidity or dump their holdings, collapsing the price to near zero.