Hacker News MCP Server
The Hacker News MCP Server provides comprehensive access to Hacker News data, enabling you to:
Search Hacker News: Search stories and comments using Algolia's search API with customizable parameters
Fetch Stories by Type: Retrieve stories filtered by type (top, new, best, ask, show, job)
Access Story Data: Get details of individual stories, either alone or with their associated comments
Explore Comment Trees: Retrieve hierarchical comment structures for stories
View User Profiles: Access user profile details, including karma, creation date, and about text
Get User Submissions: Fetch a user's submitted stories and comments
Real-Time Data: Access up-to-date Hacker News data seamlessly
Uses Algolia's HN Search API to search for stories and comments on Hacker News
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type
@followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Hacker News MCP Server search for recent posts about AI safety"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Hacker News MCP Server
Official Hacker News MCP Server - Adds powerful Hacker News integration to Cursor, Claude, and any other LLM clients. Access stories, comments, user profiles, and search functionality through the Model Context Protocol.
Features
Search stories and comments using Algolia's HN Search API
Get stories by type (top, new, best, ask, show, job)
Get individual stories with comments
Get comment trees and user discussions
Get user profiles and submissions
Real-time access to Hacker News data
Related MCP server: HackerNews-Search
Set Up
Running on Claude Desktop
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"hackernews": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@devabdultech/hn-mcp-server"]
}
}
}Installing via Smithery
To install Hacker News MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install @devabdultech/hn-mcp --client claudeTools
searchSearch for stories and comments on Hacker News using Algolia's search API
Inputs: *
query(string): Search query *type(optional string): Filter by type ('story' or 'comment') *page(optional number): Page number for pagination *hitsPerPage(optional number): Results per page (max 100)Returns: Search results with stories and comments
getStoriesGet multiple stories by type (top, new, best, ask, show, job)
Inputs: *
type(string): Type of stories to fetch ('top', 'new', 'best', 'ask', 'show', 'job') *limit(optional number): Number of stories to fetch (max 100)Returns: Array of story objects
getStoryWithCommentsGet a story along with its comment thread
Inputs: *
id(number): Story IDReturns: Story details with nested comments
getCommentTreeGet the full comment tree for a story
Inputs: *
storyId(number): ID of the storyReturns: Hierarchical comment tree structure
getUserGet a user's profile information
Inputs: *
id(string): UsernameReturns: User profile details including karma, created date, and about text
getUserSubmissionsGet a user's submissions (stories and comments)
Inputs: *
id(string): UsernameReturns: Array of user's submitted stories and comments
Contributing
Fork the repository
Create your feature branch
Commit your changes
Push to the branch
Create a new Pull Request
License
This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
About
This MCP server is built and maintained by devabdultech. It uses the official Hacker News API and Algolia Search API to provide comprehensive access to Hacker News data through the Model Context Protocol.
Available Tools
9 toolsgetCommentA
Get a single comment by ID
Inputs: id (required).
getCommentsC
Get comments for a story
Inputs: storyId (required), limit.
getCommentTreeC
Get a comment tree for a story
Inputs: storyId (required).
getStoriesA
Get multiple stories by type (top, new, best, ask, show, job)
Inputs: type (required), limit.
getStoryA
Get a single story by ID
Inputs: id (required).
getStoryWithCommentsB
Get a story with its comments
Inputs: id (required).
getUserA
Get a user profile by ID
Inputs: id (required).
getUserSubmissionsC
Get a user's submissions
Inputs: id (required).
searchB
Search for stories and comments on Hacker News
Inputs: query (required), type, page, hitsPerPage.
Tool Schema Changelog
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
TDQS
Scored across 9 tools
Most tools have distinct purposes, but there is some overlap between getComments, getCommentTree, and getStoryWithComments, which all retrieve comments for stories in slightly different formats. This could cause confusion for an agent about which to use for a given scenario, though the descriptions clarify the differences.
All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with camelCase (e.g., getComment, getStories, search). The naming is predictable and readable throughout the set, with no deviations in style or convention.
With 9 tools, this server is well-scoped for interacting with Hacker News, covering core resources like stories, comments, and users. Each tool has a clear role, and the count is neither too sparse nor bloated for the domain.
The toolset provides comprehensive read-only coverage for Hacker News, including stories, comments, users, and search. However, it lacks write operations (e.g., posting stories or comments), which might be expected for a full API but are not essential for basic interaction, leaving a minor gap.
Maintenance
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