> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.unstable.run/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.unstable.run/launching-a-coin/initial-dev-buy.md).

# Optional initial buy

The **Initial buy** field on the launch modal lets you snipe your own launch — in the same transaction, before anyone else can trade.

Concretely: the factory swaps whatever `USDT0` amount you specified through the fresh pool via `SwapRouter02`, and hands you the tokens the swap returns.

## Why it exists

Two reasons:

1. **Activate the pool.** A launch without an initial buy has zero USDT0 on the quote side — technically live, but the current tick sits exactly at the tickUpper of your position, which V3 defines as "out of range". Some scanners and bots read that as "empty pool". A tiny initial buy (\~$1) pushes the tick into range and marks the pool as tradeable everywhere.
2. **Seed the creator.** If you want to hold some of your own coin without buying separately after launch, do it here — you avoid MEV bots that would otherwise front-run your post-launch buy.

## The 5% cap

The factory refuses any launch where the initial buy would leave you holding **more than 5% of total supply** (50,000,000 tokens on a 1B-supply launch). Concretely:

```solidity
if (tokensOut > MAX_INITIAL_BUY) revert InitialBuyExceedsCap();
```

The cap is:

* **Hardcoded**, not a config knob. You can't opt out.
* **Enforced atomically**, in the same transaction as the launch. Nothing gets minted or spent if the cap would breach.
* **Total** — meaning if you'd receive 50,000,001 tokens, the entire launch reverts and you get your USDT back. It's not a partial fill.

### Why 5%?

Because the whole pitch of Unstable is *fair launch*. A creator walking away with 20-30% of supply in a single transaction — however atomic — reintroduces the exact rugpull surface fair launches exist to remove. 5% is a small enough bag that it feels like a normal participant's position, not a founder's stash. Traders who read the deploy tx can trust that at t=0, no wallet held more than 5% + whatever they sniped.

## How to size it

The pool at t=0 has:

* **1,000,000,000** tokens
* **0** USDT0

The starting price is `~$0.000002 USDT / token` (see [Pool & starting price](/under-the-hood/pool-and-price.md)). Because Uniswap V3 pools use concentrated liquidity, the first dollars in cause outsized token withdrawals — the closer you get to the cap, the more USDT you need per token.

Rough guide:

| Your USDT0 in | Tokens back (approx) | % of supply     |
| ------------- | -------------------- | --------------- |
| $1            | \~500,000            | 0.05%           |
| $5            | \~2,500,000          | 0.25%           |
| $10           | \~5,000,000          | 0.5%            |
| $50           | \~24,900,000         | 2.5%            |
| $100          | \~49,300,000         | 4.9% (near cap) |
| $200+         | reverts              | > 5% cap        |

Numbers are approximate — the exact tokens-out depends on where the pool ends up after your swap. Front-ends can call the Uniswap `QuoterV2` before launch to get an exact estimate.

## What the tx looks like

If you set `usdtIn = 50_000000` (i.e. $50 USDT with 6 decimals), the launch transaction ends with:

1. The factory approving SwapRouter02 for $50.
2. `exactInputSingle` swapping $50 through the fresh pool.
3. The router returning \~24.9M tokens (from our rough table).
4. Those tokens landing in your wallet.
5. An `InitialBuy(token, buyer, 50e6, ~24.9e24)` event emitted.
6. A cap check — if `tokensOut > 50e24`, the whole transaction reverts.

## What if you don't want an initial buy?

Leave the field blank (or type `0`). The factory skips the swap step entirely, no additional USDT is pulled, and no `InitialBuy` event is emitted. Your token is live and tradeable — the first buyer post-launch will be the one to push the tick into range.

## Next

* [After the launch](/launching-a-coin/after-launch.md) — what happens in the minutes and hours that follow
* [Pool & starting price](/under-the-hood/pool-and-price.md) — how the anchor tick is chosen


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