# The vitality lifecycle: measuring whether a market is alive, not just present

> Canonical: https://blazephoenix.xyz/learn/vitality-discovery-lifecycle
> License: CC BY 4.0 (attribution + link) · © 2026 BlazePhoenix
> Updated: 2026-08-05



A market can exist on paper and be dead in practice: a pool with a balance but no trades. The vitality lifecycle treats being listed and being alive as different states, and scores where a token sits between discovery, active vitality, and dormancy from its own on-chain activity — real trading heat against real depth.

## Pruning keeps the surface honest

Because vitality is recomputed every build, a token that falls dormant loses its place automatically rather than lingering as a stale page. This is the same fail-closed discipline the radar uses: nothing is shown unless there are live numbers to show. In V2 the same signal informs which pools are worth routing through at all.

**Verify it yourself:** Compare a token 24h volume to its liquidity in the radar feed at /radar.json; a live market turns over, a dormant one shows depth with no heat

Related: https://blazephoenix.xyz/learn/pool-vitality · https://blazephoenix.xyz/learn/autonomous-maintenance · https://blazephoenix.xyz/learn/measured-not-nominal