get_hot_topics

Instructions

Fetch currently trending/hot topics from USCardForum.

This returns the most actively discussed topics right now, ranked by
engagement metrics like recent replies, views, and likes.

Use this to:
- See what the community is currently discussing
- Find breaking news or time-sensitive opportunities
- Discover popular ongoing discussions

Args:
    page: Page number for pagination (0-indexed). Use page=1 to get more topics.

Returns a list of TopicSummary objects with fields:
- id: Topic ID (use with get_topic_posts)
- title: Topic title
- posts_count: Total replies
- views: View count
- like_count: Total likes
- created_at: Creation timestamp
- last_posted_at: Last activity timestamp

Example response interpretation:
A topic with high views but low posts may be informational.
A topic with many recent posts is actively being discussed.

Implementation Reference

• src/uscardforum/server_tools/topics.py:12-47 (handler)

  MCP tool handler for get_hot_topics: decorated with @mcp.tool(), calls the client API with optional page parameter, returns list of TopicSummary.

  @mcp.tool()
  def get_hot_topics(
      page: Annotated[
          int | None,
          Field(default=None, description="Page number for pagination (0-indexed, default: 0)"),
      ] = None,
  ) -> list[TopicSummary]:
      """
      Fetch currently trending/hot topics from USCardForum.
  
      This returns the most actively discussed topics right now, ranked by
      engagement metrics like recent replies, views, and likes.
  
      Use this to:
      - See what the community is currently discussing
      - Find breaking news or time-sensitive opportunities
      - Discover popular ongoing discussions
  
      Args:
          page: Page number for pagination (0-indexed). Use page=1 to get more topics.
  
      Returns a list of TopicSummary objects with fields:
      - id: Topic ID (use with get_topic_posts)
      - title: Topic title
      - posts_count: Total replies
      - views: View count
      - like_count: Total likes
      - created_at: Creation timestamp
      - last_posted_at: Last activity timestamp
  
      Example response interpretation:
      A topic with high views but low posts may be informational.
      A topic with many recent posts is actively being discussed.
      """
      return get_client().get_hot_topics(page=page)

• src/uscardforum/models/topics.py:10-25 (schema)

  Pydantic model TopicSummary used as return type for get_hot_topics, defining the structure of each topic summary.

  class TopicSummary(BaseModel):
      """Summary of a topic for list views (hot, new, top topics)."""
  
      id: int = Field(..., description="Unique topic identifier")
      title: str = Field(..., description="Topic title")
      posts_count: int = Field(0, description="Total number of posts")
      views: int = Field(0, description="Total view count")
      like_count: int = Field(0, description="Total likes on the topic")
      category_id: int | None = Field(None, description="Category identifier")
      category_name: str | None = Field(None, description="Category name")
      created_at: datetime | None = Field(None, description="When topic was created")
      last_posted_at: datetime | None = Field(None, description="Last activity time")
  
      class Config:
          extra = "ignore"

• src/uscardforum/api/topics.py:30-50 (helper)

  Client-side API implementation in TopicsAPI.get_hot_topics: makes HTTP GET to /hot.json, parses JSON, returns list of TopicSummary.

  def get_hot_topics(self, *, page: int | None = None) -> list[TopicSummary]:
      """Fetch currently trending topics.
  
      Args:
          page: Page number for pagination (0-indexed, default: 0)
  
      Returns:
          List of hot topic summaries
      """
      params: dict[str, Any] = {}
      if page is not None:
          params["page"] = int(page)
  
      payload = self._get(
          "/hot.json",
          params=params or None,
          headers={"Accept": "application/json, text/plain, */*"},
      )
      topics = payload.get("topic_list", {}).get("topics", [])
      return [TopicSummary(**t) for t in topics]

• src/uscardforum/server_core.py:136-180 (helper)

  get_client() helper: creates and returns the shared DiscourseClient instance, handles auto-login if credentials provided.

  def get_client() -> DiscourseClient:
      """Get or create the Discourse client instance."""
      global _client, _login_attempted
  
      if _client is None:
          base_url = os.environ.get("USCARDFORUM_URL", "https://www.uscardforum.com")
          timeout = float(os.environ.get("USCARDFORUM_TIMEOUT", "15.0"))
  
          username = os.environ.get("NITAN_USERNAME")
          password = os.environ.get("NITAN_PASSWORD")
          user_api_key = os.environ.get("NITAN_API_KEY")
          user_api_client_id = os.environ.get("NITAN_API_CLIENT_ID")
  
          _client = DiscourseClient(
              base_url=base_url,
              timeout_seconds=timeout,
              user_api_key=user_api_key if not (username and password) else None,
              user_api_client_id=(
                  user_api_client_id if not (username and password) else None
              ),
          )
  
          if _client.is_authenticated:
              print("[uscardforum] Using User API Key authentication")
          elif not _login_attempted:
              _login_attempted = True
  
              if username and password:
                  try:
                      result = _client.login(username, password)
                      if result.success:
                          print(f"[uscardforum] Auto-login successful as '{result.username}'")
                      elif result.requires_2fa:
                          print(
                              "[uscardforum] Auto-login failed: 2FA required. Use login() tool with second_factor_token."
                          )
                      else:
                          print(
                              f"[uscardforum] Auto-login failed: {result.error or 'Unknown error'}"
                          )
                  except Exception as e:  # pragma: no cover - logging side effect
                      print(f"[uscardforum] Auto-login error: {e}")
  
      return _client

• src/uscardforum/server_tools/__init__.py:56-64 (registration)

  Import of get_hot_topics from server_tools/topics.py in server_tools __init__.py, which triggers registration via @mcp.tool() decorator when imported by server.py.

  from .topics import (
      get_all_topic_posts,
      get_hot_topics,
      get_new_topics,
      get_top_topics,
      get_topic_info,
      get_topic_posts,
  )