> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://realmtrade.gitbook.io/realm-documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://realmtrade.gitbook.io/realm-documentation/basics/creator-vaults.md). # Creator Vaults Lock supply for your team with transparent, on-chain vesting. Creator vaults let a creator set aside part of the token supply at launch, locked behind an on-chain vesting schedule that nobody can alter afterwards, not the creator, not Realm. Vaults are the **only** allocation mechanism on Realm. No supply is ever granted to a creator automatically without vaults, every token goes into the token's liquidity (the Uniswap V4 pools on a direct launch, or the bonding curve and its Uniswap V2 pair on a V2 token). A creator who wants tokens otherwise has to buy them like anyone else.
## How it works At creation, the creator can define up to **5 vaults**. Each vault has: * An **owner:** the address that will eventually claim, which doesn't have to be the creator * An **allocation:** a share of the total supply, in **5% steps** * A **cliff:** a period during which nothing unlocks * A **vesting period:** after the cliff, tokens unlock linearly Combined, all vaults may hold at most **30% of the supply**. The allocation is set aside when the token is created, it is never seeded into a pool and never sold to the market. ## The vesting schedule ``` Before the cliff ends → 0 tokens claimable Cliff ended, vesting ongoing → unlocks linearly over the vesting period Vesting complete → full allocation claimable ``` The clock starts when the token is created. A vault with no vesting period unlocks its full allocation at the cliff, all at once. On a Uniswap V4 [direct launch](/realm-documentation/basics/direct-launch.md), vaults follow the cliff and vesting schedule alone. {% hint style="warning" %} **Uniswap V2 tokens only:** nothing can be claimed until the token graduates. The vesting clock runs during the bonding curve phase, but the vault stays locked until the token reaches Uniswap. A token that never graduates never releases its vaults. {% endhint %} Each vault is claimed by its own owner, from the vault page. Claiming is never automatic. ## Effect on the opening price On a **direct launch**, locked supply is simply left out of the pools: the remaining supply is seeded at the same 1.125 ETH opening market cap, which is measured across the full 1B supply. On a **Uniswap V2 token**, locking supply means less of it is for sale on the curve. Realm compensates by putting the token on a bonding curve solved specifically for that allocation, so that **graduation is unaffected**: * The graduation threshold stays the same * The market cap at graduation stays the same * The 285.7M tokens into liquidity stay the same What changes is the **starting market cap**: with a smaller float, the token starts higher on the curve. Locking 30% of supply is a visible, up-front decision that early buyers can see and price in. ## Dividends and airdrops Tokens locked in a vault are not excluded from [dividends](/realm-documentation/basics/fee-structure.md#dividends): they earn their pro-rata share like any other balance. Anything a vault receives on top of its locked allocation, such as dividends, native currency or airdropped tokens, can be swept to the vault owner at any time. The sweep can never touch the locked allocation itself. ## Locking tokens after launch Vaults are not only for creators. **Anyone** holding a Realm token can lock some of it in a vault of their own, at any time, through `RealmCreatorVaultFactory`: approve the factory, then call `createVault` with the owner, amount, cliff and vesting period. The factory pulls the tokens into the new vault in the same transaction. These vaults follow the same rules as launch vaults, with three differences: * The clock starts when **the vault is created**, not when the token was * The 5-vault and 30% limits do not apply; they only bound what is locked at launch * They have no effect on the token's pools or bonding curve, which were fixed when the token launched On a Uniswap V2 token, claims are still gated on graduation. ## Transparency Every vault is a separate contract with its allocation, cliff and vesting written on-chain at creation. Anyone can read them. The schedule is public before anyone buys, and there is no function to change it, accelerate it, or withdraw early.