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TOOL10 min read2025-06-23

NFT Project Launch Checklist — 45-Point Verification Before Your Mint

The most common NFT project failures are preventable. This checklist covers every failure mode documented across 1,000+ NFT project post-mortems.

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Tool Overview

The most common NFT project failures are preventable. This checklist covers every failure mode documented across 1,000+ NFT project post-mortems.

Key Result

A 45-point NFT launch checklist covering Pre-Production (concept, artwork, traits, rarity weights), Metadata and Storage (IPFS/Arweave upload, provenance hash, permanent storage), Smart Contract (max supply, per-wallet limit, Merkle root, EIP-2981 royalty, audit), Minting Website (WalletConnect, allowlist proof, gas estimation, load testing), Community and Marketing (Discord, Collab.Land, allowlist), and Launch Day (mint phase, gas monitoring, post-mint reveal). The most common NFT mint failure: gas wars caused by insufficient per-wallet limits combined with FCFS minting.

Pre-Production ✓

01

Collection concept defined (size, utility, pricing, chain)

02

Artwork complete and reviewed (original, no copyright infringement)

03

Trait layers finalized (background, body, accessories — in render order)

04

Rarity weights set and documented

05

Compatibility rules defined (which traits cannot appear together)

06

Art generation completed with collision detection

07

Rarity scores calculated for all tokens

08

Provenance hash generated (before upload to IPFS)

Metadata and Storage ✓

01

All images uploaded to IPFS or Arweave

02

All metadata JSON uploaded to IPFS or Arweave

03

IPFS pinning service confirmed active (NFT.Storage, Pinata)

04

Arweave permanent storage purchased (if using Arweave)

05

No metadata pointing to your own web server

06

baseURI set to permanent IPFS/Arweave directory (not placeholder)

07

Hidden URI set if using delayed reveal

08

Provenance hash published publicly before mint

Smart Contract ✓

01

Contract functions specified in Technical Spec Document

02

Mint price set correctly (allowlist price, public price)

03

Max supply enforced on-chain (not just in logic)

04

Per-wallet limit enforced on-chain

05

Merkle root set for allowlist

06

EIP-2981 royalty set (recipient address and percentage)

07

Withdraw function tested (correct address receives funds)

08

Reentrancy guard on all external-facing functions

09

Test coverage: 95%+ line

10

External audit completed

11

All Critical and High audit findings remediated

12

Contract verified on Etherscan

Minting Website ✓

01

WalletConnect 2.0 integration working (test with 5 different wallets)

02

Allowlist proof generation working

03

Live supply counter updating correctly

04

Gas estimation showing before signing

05

Mint confirmation with Etherscan link

06

Mobile responsive (50%+ of buyers will be on mobile)

07

Load tested at expected traffic (10× expected peak concurrent users)

08

Transaction status handling: pending, confirmed, failed

Community and Marketing ✓

01

Discord server set up with standard channels

02

Announcement channel, FAQ, rules, minting-help

03

Collab.Land bot ready for holder verification post-mint

04

Allowlist list compiled and Merkle root generated from final list

05

Allowlist holders notified of mint date and instructions

06

Twitter announcement scheduled for mint day

Launch Day ✓

01

Mint phase set to CLOSED in contract (open at announced time only)

02

Team monitoring Discord 24/7 during first 48 hours

03

OpenSea collection page claimed and royalty configured

04

Gas monitoring active (communicate to community if unusually high)

05

Post-mint: reveal execution plan ready (if delayed reveal)

FAQ

Common Questions

1

Gas wars caused by insufficient per-wallet limits combined with first-come-first-served minting. If thousands of people try to mint simultaneously with no limit enforcement beyond max supply, gas fees spike to hundreds of dollars per transaction. Prevention: dutch auction pricing, per-wallet limits, or allowlist pre-mint to stagger demand.

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Ready to Launch Your NFT Collection?

Get expert guidance on launching your NFT project from concept to sellout.