Want to avoid pitfalls in the crypto world? The key is to learn how to evaluate projects. Over the past few years, I’ve summarized five relatively reliable screening criteria. By strictly following this framework to assess, you can basically avoid over 99% of risky projects.

**First: Truly Decentralized Architecture**
Don’t be fooled by the term "decentralization." What you need to see is whether the project team has genuinely delegated authority—completely relinquished contract permissions, with no one able to upgrade or control arbitrarily, anonymous founders, no funding parties. This is the baseline.

**Second: No Internal Arbitrage Space**
In simple terms, eliminate front-running. Are there signs that insiders have profited early from the project? Check on-chain data—this is straightforward.

**Third: Unique Mechanism**
It’s not about copying other projects. There must be innovative design, and the logic for price appreciation should be clear—why should the token increase in value? Is it due to supply and demand, or ecological applications? It needs to make sense.

**Fourth: Contract Code Security**
No need to say much here—only trust projects that have passed 100% security audits.

**Fifth: Community Consensus Building**
The final step is to observe the community. Don’t rush in; watch whether there is a group of people truly committed to long-term development, operating, discussing, and promoting the ecosystem. The strength of the community determines the project’s lifespan.

While these five criteria can’t guarantee 100% risk avoidance, if executed properly, they can filter out the vast majority of "contracts." Compared to blindly following the trend, this methodology is more reliable.