The most common mechanic is the snapshot. At a specific block height or timestamp, the project takes a “photograph” of the blockchain — recording every wallet address that has interacted with their protocol, plus what they did and how much. Then they run analysis on that data to decide who gets what, and how much.
A rough sequence:
- You use a protocol (swap tokens, provide liquidity, bridge, stake, vote — depends on the project)
- The project takes a snapshot of on-chain activity, sometimes without warning
- They process eligibility, often filtering out bots and Sybil wallets
- They publish a claim website or distribute tokens automatically
- If it’s a claim-based airdrop, you have a window — usually 30 days to several months — to collect your tokens
Miss the claim window and you’re out. Projects routinely reallocate unclaimed tokens. Set reminders when a claim goes live.
