Introducing VCAs and Lockup v4.0
Two releases that expand what's possible with onchain token distribution.
Variable Claim Airdrops
A new airdrop primitive by Sablier.
The Problem with Traditional Airdrops
Most airdrops today fall into two camps:
- Instant airdrops — recipients get everything at once and dump immediately.
- Vesting airdrops — tokens unlock over time, but most users dump as soon as the unlock period is over.
Neither rewards loyalty. Neither gives recipients a meaningful choice.
How VCAs Work
Variable Claim Airdrops introduce a simple tradeoff: claim anytime, but the earlier you claim, the fewer tokens you receive. The rest are forfeited and redistributed to the other users who haven’t claimed yet.
Here's what a 1-year VCA looks like in practice:
Wait longer, earn more. Claim early, get less — instantly.
What Happens to Forfeited Tokens?
This is the best part. Forfeited tokens don't disappear. After the campaign expires, the admin can clawback all forfeited tokens and:
- Reward the patient — create a second campaign for users who waited until the end, as a loyalty bonus.
- Fund staking rewards — use forfeited tokens as incentives in a staking campaign.
- Replenish the treasury — send them back as a future fund.
- Buy back tokens — use them for market buybacks.
This creates a built-in, onchain, game-theoretic incentive to wait.
Under the Hood
VCAs are powered by the Merkle distribution system. Campaign admins call createMerkleVCA() through the factory contract, which deploys a new MerkleVCA contract. Recipients claim through claimTo() — they receive only the vested portion, and the remainder stays in the campaign for the admin to reclaim later.
Everything is fully onchain and transparent. Claimed vs. forfeited amounts are visible as onchain stats at any time.
Current Limitations
VCAs currently support linear unlocks only. If you need custom curves, reach out on Discord — more unlock shapes are on the roadmap.
Lockup v4.0
Alongside VCAs, we're shipping Lockup v4.0 with two headline features: Granularity and Price-Gated Unlocks (LPG).
Granularity: Fixed-Period Unlocks in Linear Streams
The LockupLinear model now accepts a granularity parameter that enables fixed-period token unlocks — daily, weekly, or any constant interval.
Previously, achieving fixed unlock schedules required the Tranched model. But Tranched has practical limits: creating a 3-year daily unlock means 1,095 tranches, which runs into Ethereum block size constraints and costs a lot of gas.
With the new granularity field, you set a period on a Linear stream and the protocol handles the rest. The behavior is equivalent to Tranched but dramatically more efficient.
What you can do now
- Daily unlocks for multi-year vesting schedules — impractical with Tranched, trivial with Granularity.
- Weekly unlocks with exact 7-day periods (unlike "monthly" which varies between 28–31 days).
- Any fixed interval that divides evenly into the stream duration.
LPG: Price-Gated Unlocks
LPG (Lockup Price Gated) brings price-based unlock conditions into lockup streams. Tokens unlock when a target price — verified by Chainlink oracles — is reached.
The Tesla analogy
Tesla's board famously incentivized Elon Musk with compensation tranches tied to market cap milestones, not calendar dates. LPG enables the same pattern onchain:
- A DAO sets up a vesting stream for a core contributor.
- Unlock milestones are tied to the token's price.
- Chainlink oracles verify the condition.
- No trust assumptions, no manual intervention.
This is ideal for market-cap-based compensation plans where teams want to align contributor incentives with protocol growth.
Other Changes in v4.0
- Batch support — LPG streams can be created in batch via createWithTimestampsLPG on SablierBatchLockup.
- LockupHelpers — the Helpers library has been renamed for clarity.
Get Started
If you're planning a token distribution and want to reward long-term holders over quick flippers, VCAs give you a new tool that aligns incentives without locking anyone out.
If you need vesting schedules with fixed unlock periods or price-based milestones, Lockup v4.0 has you covered.