mcp-hn
The mcp-hn server is a Hacker News API wrapper that allows you to:
Fetch stories: Get top, new, Ask HN, or Show HN stories
Search stories: Find stories by text query
Retrieve story details: Access detailed information about specific stories, including comments
Access user information: Get user profiles and their submitted stories
Allows web scraping and browser automation, enabling the AI to browse articles mentioned on Hacker News and gather additional context beyond the HN comments.
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., "@mcp-hn show me the top stories from today"
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
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides tools for fetching information from Hacker News.
Tools
get_storiesFetching (top, new, ask_hn, show_hn) storiesget_story_infoFetching comments associated with a storysearch_storiesSearching for stories by queryget_user_infoFetching user info
Related MCP server: Hacker News MCP Server
Example Usage
Use prompts like the following:
User: Get the top stories of today
Output: Uses `get_stories` tool and returns a story about AI
User: What does the details of the story today that talks about the future of AI
Output: Uses `get_story_info` tool based on the results of the previous tool
User: What has the user `pg` been up to?
Output: Uses `get_user_info` tool and returns a summary of the user's activity
User: What does hackernews say about careers in AI?
Output: Uses `search_stories` tool and returns a summary of the commentsA more detailed example with the puppeteer MCP server:
User: What are the top stories of today?
Output: Uses `get_stories` tool and returns a story about AI
User: Can you use the puppeteer tool to read the article about <AI> and also use the hackernews tool to view the comments and give me a summary of what the main comments are about the article?
Output: Uses puppeteer tool to read the article about AI and then uses the `get_story_info` hn tool to get the comments and returns a summary of the commentsQuickstart
Installing via Smithery
To install Hacker News MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-hn --client claudeClaude Desktop:
Update the following:
On MacOS: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
With the following for production:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-hn": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-hn"]
}
}
}Available Tools
4 toolsget_storiesA
Get stories from Hacker News. The options are top, new, ask_hn, show_hn for types of stories. This doesn't include the comments. Use get_story_info to get the comments.
Inputs: story_type, num_stories.
get_story_infoB
Get detailed story info from Hacker News, including the comments
Inputs: story_id.
get_user_infoC
Get user info from Hacker News, including the stories they've submitted
Inputs: user_name (required), num_stories.
search_storiesA
Search stories from Hacker News. It is generally recommended to use simpler queries to get a broader set of results (less than 5 words). Very targetted queries may not return any results.
Inputs: query (required), search_by_date, num_results.
Tool Schema Changelog
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
TDQS
Scored across 4 tools
Each tool has a clearly distinct purpose: get_stories retrieves story lists by type, get_story_info provides detailed story data with comments, get_user_info focuses on user profiles and submissions, and search_stories handles story searches. There is no overlap or ambiguity between these functions.
All tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with snake_case: get_stories, get_story_info, get_user_info, and search_stories. The naming is predictable and readable throughout the set.
With 4 tools, this is well-scoped for a Hacker News server, covering core operations like listing stories, getting details, user info, and searching. Each tool earns its place without being excessive or insufficient.
The toolset covers the essential Hacker News domain well, including story retrieval, details, user info, and search. A minor gap is the lack of comment-specific operations (e.g., posting or voting), but the core workflows are complete and functional.
Maintenance
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