How to Read a Token Risk Score: A Complete Guide to Hannisol's Analysis
Most crypto risk tools display a single number — a score or a rating — without explaining what went into it. "Risk: 72 / 100" tells you almost nothing about why a token is risky, which specific risks are present, or whether those risks are relevant to your particular use case and time horizon. A num
A risk score is only as useful as your ability to interpret it
Most crypto risk tools display a single number — a score or a rating — without explaining what went into it. "Risk: 72 / 100" tells you almost nothing about why a token is risky, which specific risks are present, or whether those risks are relevant to your particular use case and time horizon. A number without context is just noise.
Hannisol's scoring system was designed around the opposite philosophy: not a single opaque number, but a structured, multi-dimensional analysis where every score has a defined meaning, a traceable source, and a clear implication for how you should think about the token. This guide explains every dimension of the Hannisol score, what each one measures, how they're weighted, and — most importantly — how to use them together to make better decisions.
The eight dimensions
Every Hannisol token analysis evaluates eight independent risk dimensions. Each dimension has its own score from 0 (lowest risk) to 100 (highest risk), and they combine into a composite overall risk score through weighted averaging. Here is what each dimension captures:
1. Pump-Dump Risk (20% weight)
Measures the probability that a token is configured for a pump-and-dump scheme. Primary inputs: mint authority status (25% of this sub-score), holder concentration (25%), freeze authority status (20%), liquidity lock status (20%), token age (5%), domain age (5%). A high Pump-Dump Risk score means the token exhibits multiple characteristics associated with coordinated exit scams. This is the first score to check for any newly launched token.
2. Exit Ability Score (20% weight)
Measures how easily and completely you can sell your position if you decide to exit. Inputs: liquidity pool depth (can you sell your intended position size without >10% slippage?), active freeze authority (could your account be locked?), Token-2022 transfer restrictions, and recent sell transaction history. A low Exit Ability score does not always mean a scam — it may simply mean the token has low liquidity. But it does mean your exit carries significant execution risk.
3. Manipulation/Monopoly Score (15% weight)
Measures whether trading activity appears coordinated or artificial. Inputs: wash trading signals (wallets appearing on both buy and sell sides repeatedly), volume/holder ratio anomalies, synchronized transaction timing across related wallets, and the Gini coefficient of holder distribution. High manipulation scores indicate that apparent market activity may not represent genuine organic demand.
4. Token Authenticity Score (15% weight)
Measures the probability that the project behind the token represents genuine development intent rather than a temporary extraction operation. Inputs: audit status (has the program been independently audited?), upgrade authority status (can the program code be changed post-launch?), team transparency (doxxed vs. anonymous), domain age and history, and consistency between claimed functionality and on-chain program behavior. This is the dimension most closely related to long-term project legitimacy rather than immediate scam risk.
5. Short-Term Suitability Score (10% weight)
Measures whether the token's current on-chain profile is consistent with a viable short-term trading setup. Inputs: liquidity depth relative to your trade size, recent volume trend (increasing = more tradeable), bid-ask spread on DEX, holder growth rate, and price volatility normalized against liquidity. A high Short-Term Suitability score means the token is technically tradeable in the short term — it does not mean the trade is profitable.
6. Long-Term Suitability Score (10% weight)
Measures whether the token has the foundational properties associated with tokens that retain value over multi-month horizons. Inputs: supply structure and inflation model, vesting unlock schedule (no imminent large unlocks), team commitment signals, protocol revenue or utility metrics (if applicable), and community growth quality. Most meme coins with active mint authority score very low on this dimension, which is accurate — they are not designed for long-term holding.
7. Holder Growth Score (5% weight)
Measures the quality and velocity of wallet adoption. Inputs: absolute holder count, holder count growth rate over 7 and 30 days, holder count to volume ratio, and signs of bot-created wallets (mass wallet creation within narrow time windows, wallets with identical creation patterns). Organic holder growth is a genuine signal of community formation; artificial holder growth (bot wallets) is a manipulation technique.
8. Volatility Score (5% weight)
Measures historical and implied price volatility, normalized against the token's liquidity depth. High absolute volatility is expected in small-cap Solana tokens and is not inherently a negative signal. This dimension primarily flags tokens whose volatility is disproportionate to their liquidity — meaning even small trades generate large price swings, making risk management difficult.
How to read the composite score
The overall risk score is the weighted average of the eight dimensions. Here is a rough interpretive framework:
| Overall score | Risk level | Suggested approach |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 25 | Low risk | Standard due diligence; normal position sizing appropriate |
| 26 – 50 | Moderate risk | Reduce position size; monitor closely; verify key signals manually |
| 51 – 75 | High risk | Speculative positions only; maximum capital at risk = amount you can lose entirely |
| 76 – 100 | Critical risk | Token exhibits multiple scam-pattern signals simultaneously; avoid or exit |
The most important single dimension for most buyers
If you only have time to look at one number, make it the Pump-Dump Risk score. This dimension captures the most common and most financially devastating risks in the Solana token ecosystem. A Pump-Dump Risk score above 70 means the token fails multiple fundamental security checks and should be treated as a potential scam regardless of how compelling its narrative or community appears.
The Exit Ability score is the second most critical check. A token can have a low Pump-Dump Risk score (legitimate) but a very low Exit Ability score (illiquid) — meaning it's not a scam, but you could still lose significantly if you can't exit when you need to.
What the score cannot tell you
Hannisol's scoring system is a risk assessment tool, not a trading signal generator. A low risk score does not mean a token will increase in price. A high risk score does not mean the project will definitely fail. The score tells you about the structural and on-chain risk characteristics of a token — not about market timing, not about which tokens will outperform, and not about the broader market environment.
Use the score as one input among several. Combine it with your own research on the project's fundamentals, your assessment of current market conditions, and — most importantly — a clear decision about how much capital you are willing to risk before you enter any position.
Run a full 8-dimension analysis on any Solana token at Hannisol.
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