Headline Vibes Analysis MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that analyzes sentiment in news headlines from major US publications. The server provides both a standard date-based interface and natural language date parsing for easier use.

Features

Analyzes up to 100 headlines per request
Even distribution of headlines across major US news sources
Sentiment scoring on a 0-10 scale (0 = most negative, 10 = most positive)
Natural language date parsing (e.g., "yesterday", "last Friday")
Detailed source distribution information
Sample headlines included in results

Prerequisites

Node.js v16 or higher
NewsAPI key (get one at https://newsapi.org)

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/fred-em/headline-vibes.git
cd headline-vibes

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the server:

npm run build

Configure your NewsAPI key in your MCP settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "headline-vibes": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/headline-vibes/build/index.mjs"],
      "env": {
        "NEWS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

analyze_headlines

Analyze sentiment using natural language date input or specific dates.

Example usage:

// Using natural language
{
  "name": "analyze_headlines",
  "arguments": {
    "input": "yesterday"
  }
}

// Or using specific dates
{
  "name": "analyze_headlines",
  "arguments": {
    "input": "2025-02-11"
  }
}

Input examples:

"last Friday"
"3 days ago"
"March 10th"
"two weeks ago"
"2025-02-11" (YYYY-MM-DD format also supported)

Response Format

The tool returns results in the following format:

{
  "score": "6.50",              // Normalized sentiment score (0-10)
  "synopsis": "Overall positive sentiment in today's headlines",
  "headlines_analyzed": 100,    // Number of headlines analyzed
  "sources_analyzed": 12,       // Number of unique sources
  "source_distribution": {      // Distribution of headlines by source
    "Reuters": 10,
    "Associated Press": 8,
    "CNN": 9,
    // ... etc
  },
  "sample_headlines": [         // Up to 5 sample headlines
    "Example headline 1",
    "Example headline 2",
    // ... etc
  ]
}

News Sources

The server pulls headlines from major US news sources including:

Associated Press
Reuters
CNN
Fox News
NBC News
ABC News
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post
USA Today
Bloomberg
Business Insider
Time

Error Handling

The server provides clear error messages for common issues:

Invalid date formats
Unparseable natural language queries
No headlines found for the specified date
API errors from NewsAPI

Development

To run the server in watch mode during development:

npm run watch

License

MIT