> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.kumbaya.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.kumbaya.xyz/launchpad/creator-fees.md). # Creator fees: how you earn If you launch a token on Kumbaya, your on-chain reward comes from one main source: **a share of trading fees after the token graduates**, paid out forever for as long as people trade your token. This page covers how that works, what triggers it, and where to find your earnings in the app. ![A graduated token's detail page — the Claim Fees panel for streaming trading fees sits on the right side once you're signed in as the creator.](/files/6iZCCPfJq7E54Xyb9IIz) > **Quick clarification on terminology.** "Tips" on Kumbaya are a separate thing — they're how *content creators* (people posting yaps, replies, and media in token threads) earn. Token creators don't automatically receive tips for launching. If you also post content in your own token's thread, you can earn tips like any other content creator — see [**Tipping**](/social-features/tipping.md) — but they're not a launch-economics line item. This page is about the streaming-fee income tied specifically to having launched a token. ## How it works When your token graduates, the bonding-curve liquidity consolidates into a single **full-range Uniswap V3 position**. That position keeps collecting fees on every swap going forward, forever. The fees are then split as follows on every claim: | Recipient | Share | | ----------------------------------------------------- | ----- | | **Protocol** | 50% | | **Cult fees** (pre-allocated for an upcoming feature) | 30% | | **You, the creator** | 20% | The 30% **cult fees** allocation is held against an upcoming Kumbaya feature which rewards cults — when that feature ships, the docs will be updated with how it works, the funds will be distributed upon release. You earn **both sides** of every trade: * The **numeraire** (typically ETH) when someone buys your token. * Your **own token** when someone sells it. So a successful, actively traded token compounds for you in both directions. The longer it's traded, the more you accrue. ## Where to claim On your token's page on `kumbaya.xyz`, the creator earnings panel shows **Claim Fees**. Clicking it triggers a single transaction that sweeps both sides of the accumulated fees to your wallet. > 💡 **Anyone can call Claim Fees.** The smart contract lets anyone trigger a fee distribution; you just receive your share. So even if you're hands-off, your earnings will flow through if someone else calls it. Calling it yourself is the most reliable. ## When earnings start | Phase | What's earning | | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Pre-graduation (bonding phase)** | Nothing for the token creator. Pre-grad trading fees go to the protocol treasury and Kumbaya as the integrator. Your reward is the *post*-graduation stream that compounds. | | **At graduation** | The bonding-curve liquidity consolidates into the full-range NFT, and the streaming-fee meter starts. | | **Post-graduation (forever)** | Every swap on the pool flows fees to you (minus the protocol/ecosystem share). | If your token never graduates, the streaming income never starts. **Force graduation** is the safety valve: anyone can trigger graduation after a long enough wait (governance-configurable, hard floor of 90 days). At that point your fee stream begins regardless. ## Visual: timeline of token-creator earnings ``` LAUNCH GRADUATION FOREVER │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ────────[ no creator income ]────────┤ │ ┌─ Streaming trading fees ─────────▶ │ (Claim any time, any trade adds) ``` ## Common questions **Are creator fees real ETH and real tokens?** Yes — real on-chain ETH and your real on-chain token, sent directly to your wallet via on-chain transactions. There's no platform-side "points" sitting between the contract and you. **What if my token never graduates?** You don't earn streaming fees until graduation. If a token sits a long time without crossing the graduation threshold, anyone can force-graduate it (governance-configurable, hard floor of 90 days), at which point the fee stream starts. **Do tips affect my creator income at all?** No. Tips are a content-creator economy: buyers earn small tip-bonus credits when they buy a token, and they can tip *any* user — typically yappers in the token thread — by signing a gasless message. Tips land in the recipient's **Tip Jar** (jar icon in the header, **Received** tab). If you also post content in your token's thread, you can earn tips that way like anyone else, but it's separate from the streaming-fee income that's tied to launching the token. **My wallet isn't recognized as the creator — what do I do?** You're probably looking at an [unclaimed token](/launchpad/unclaimed-tokens.md). Most of the time this means your launch was associated with a different signer (e.g. an embedded wallet from a different login). The fix is to **claim** the listing — see that page for the full flow. **Do I get fees on swaps that happen *****during***** the graduation transaction?** The graduation transaction itself sweeps any pre-graduation fees to the protocol/integrator under the pre-grad split (creators don't earn on this). Every swap *after* the graduation transaction flows to you under the post-grad split. **Why don't creators get a share of pre-graduation trading fees?** By design — pre-grad trading happens on a bonding curve where every trade contributes to graduating the token. Pre-grad fees fund protocol operations, such as the cost to run our guardian which performs graduations and tips at the protocols expense. The creator's reward is the *post*-graduation stream that compounds for the lifetime of the token. ## Where to next * [**How bonding curves and graduation work →**](/launchpad/bonding-curves.md) * [**Tipping →**](/social-features/tipping.md) — the content-creator side of Kumbaya's economy * [**If your token shows as Unclaimed →**](/launchpad/unclaimed-tokens.md) * [**Launching your own token →**](/launchpad/launch-a-token.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.kumbaya.xyz/launchpad/creator-fees.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.