Smart Contract Launch Checklist: 10 Steps Before Mainnet

Once a smart contract is deployed and holds funds, mistakes are expensive and often permanent. Most serious incidents come from problems that a careful launch process would have caught. This is the checklist we work through before any contract we build goes to mainnet.

1. Write a specification

Describe in plain language what each contract does, who can call each function, and what must always be true, for example “total supply never exceeds 250 million” or “only the treasury can release vested tokens”. These statements become your tests.

2. Use proven building blocks

Do not rewrite what already exists in well-audited form. Libraries such as OpenZeppelin provide token standards, access control and security utilities that have been reviewed and used at scale.

3. Test thoroughly

Write unit tests for every function, including the failure cases. Add fuzz tests that throw random inputs at the contracts, and invariant tests that check your specification’s rules hold after any sequence of actions. Foundry and Hardhat both support this well on EVM chains.

4. Deploy to a testnet

Deploy the full system to a testnet and use it the way real users and admins will, through the actual front end. Integration problems between contracts, and between contracts and the app, often appear only here.

5. Run static analysis

Automated tools such as Slither catch common vulnerability patterns quickly. They do not replace a human review, but they are cheap and catch real issues.

6. Get an independent review

For contracts that will hold meaningful value, an external audit is worth the cost. Freeze the code before the audit, fix the findings, and have the fixes reviewed too.

7. Lock down access control

List every privileged function and who can call it. Use role-based permissions instead of a single all-powerful owner, and remove roles that are no longer needed after launch.

8. Use a multisig and consider a timelock

Admin keys should not live in one person’s wallet. A multisignature wallet such as Safe means several people must approve sensitive actions. A timelock delays admin changes so users can see them coming.

9. Verify the source code

Publish and verify the contract source on the block explorer, such as Etherscan or BscScan. Verified code lets users, partners and auditors confirm exactly what is deployed.

10. Plan monitoring and incident response

Set up alerts for large transfers, admin actions and unusual activity. Decide in advance who can pause the system, how, and how users will be informed if something goes wrong.

From our work

We followed this approach for a nine-contract suite on BNB Smart Chain covering token, presale, vesting, token locker, staking, rewards, migration, treasury and governance, with role-based permissions and admin controls designed for multisig approval. The suite was tested on testnet and reviewed before delivery. Read more in the Wave smart contracts case study.

Summary

A safe launch is a process: specify, build on proven code, test deeply, rehearse on testnet, analyse, review, restrict access, share control, verify and monitor. Each step is far cheaper than a single incident.

Need contracts built or reviewed before launch? See our Web3 development services or contact us.