How do you build a token unlock schedule?

Step 1: list the slices

CoinMarketCap says most token supplies are split into named buckets, each with its own release schedule.¹ So the first step is a table: each slice, its size, and its rule.¹

Step 2: turn each rule into a monthly amount

Every vesting rule here follows OpenZeppelin's code. Released so far = total × months since the start ÷ total months, with nothing before a cliff.^2,5

Step 3: add it up month by month

Data sites such as CoinMarketCap publish unlock calendars for real projects.⁶ To build one, add every slice together for each month.^6,2 Comparing each row with the max supply shows how much is still to come, as lesson 2 explained.⁷

Step 4: check it

• It adds up. The slices must total the max supply, and the contract's totalSupply must match.^8,9
• The chain agrees. Each vesting contract's balance should match the table. Etherscan's Holders tab shows every address and its share.³
• The data sites agree. CoinGecko works out circulating supply by taking locked tokens, at addresses the team gives it, away from total supply.⁴

Step 5: explain it

CoinMarketCap says the shape of a schedule and who receives the tokens both matter, and that its ratios are not price predictions.^1,7 MiCA bars white papers from making claims about a token's future value.¹⁰