> 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 income stream - they're how *content creators* (people posting yaps, replies, and media in token threads) earn. As a token creator, your launch reward is the streaming-fee income this page covers. And if you also post content in your own token's thread, you can earn tips on top of that, like any other content creator - see [**Tipping**](/social-features/tipping.md).

## 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**         | 80%   |
| **You, the creator** | 20%   |

On-chain today the protocol collects a single **80%** and you get the **20%** remainder. Of that 80%, **30%** (of total fees) is reserved against an upcoming Kumbaya feature that rewards cults - it's collected by the protocol for now and will be split out when the feature ships (the docs will be updated then, and the reserved funds distributed on release). Your 20% is unaffected either way.

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)** | The curve is building toward graduation - the milestone that switches on your fee stream.              |
| **At graduation**                  | The bonding-curve liquidity consolidates into the full-range NFT, and your streaming-fee meter starts. |
| **Post-graduation (forever)**      | Every swap on the pool flows fees to you (alongside the protocol's share).                             |

Graduation is what starts your fee stream, and **force graduation** guarantees it gets there: anyone can trigger graduation after a long enough wait (currently 180 days / 6 months, governance-set), so your 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?** Your streaming fees switch on at graduation, and it's guaranteed to get there eventually: if a token sits a long time without crossing the threshold, anyone can force-graduate it (currently 180 days / 6 months, governance-set), starting your fee stream.

**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; from the graduation transaction onward, every swap 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)