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wei

HackerNews MCP Server

by wei

Server Configuration

Describes the environment variables required to run the server.

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault

No arguments

Instructions

Guidance the server publishes about itself, which clients place ahead of the tool catalog so the model reads it before choosing anything.

This server publishes no instructions, or was last inspected before Glama recorded them.

Capabilities

Server capabilities have not been inspected yet.

Tools

Functions exposed to the LLM to take actions

NameDescription
search-postsA

Search HackerNews for stories, comments, and other content by keyword.

Supports:

  • Keyword search across titles, text, and authors

  • Tag filtering (story, comment, poll, show_hn, ask_hn, front_page, author_USERNAME)

  • Numeric filters for points, comments, and dates

  • Pagination with customizable results per page

  • Advanced filtering with OR logic and multiple conditions

Basic Examples:

  • Search for AI stories: { "query": "AI", "tags": ["story"] }

  • Find popular posts: { "query": "Python", "numericFilters": ["points>=100"] }

  • Filter by author: { "query": "startup", "tags": ["author_pg"] }

  • Date range: { "query": "startup", "numericFilters": ["created_at_i>1640000000"] }

Advanced Filtering Examples:

  • High engagement posts: { "query": "programming", "numericFilters": ["points>=100", "num_comments>=50"] }

  • OR logic for tags: { "query": "web", "tags": ["(story,poll)"] } - returns stories OR polls

  • Author with filters: { "query": "", "tags": ["author_pg", "story"], "numericFilters": ["points>=50"] }

  • Multiple conditions: { "query": "AI", "tags": ["story"], "numericFilters": ["points>=200", "num_comments>=100"] }

Numeric Filter Operators: < (less than), <= (less than or equal), = (equal), >= (greater than or equal), > (greater than) Numeric Filter Fields: points, num_comments, created_at_i (Unix timestamp)

Tag Syntax:

  • Single tag: ["story"] - only stories

  • Multiple tags (AND): ["story", "show_hn"] - stories that are also show_hn

  • OR logic: ["(story,poll)"] - stories OR polls

  • Author filter: ["author_USERNAME"] - posts by specific author

Returns paginated results with hits, total count, and page information.

get-front-pageA

Retrieve posts currently on the HackerNews front page.

Returns stories sorted by HackerNews ranking algorithm. The front page typically contains the most popular and trending stories.

Supports:

  • Pagination to view beyond the first page

  • Customizable results per page (default: 30)

  • All posts are tagged with 'front_page'

Examples:

  • Get first page: { }

  • Get with custom page size: { "hitsPerPage": 50 }

  • Get second page: { "page": 1 }

Returns the same structure as search results with hits, pagination info, and metadata.

get-latest-postsA

Retrieve the most recent HackerNews posts sorted by date.

Returns posts in chronological order (newest first), including all types of content unless filtered.

Supports:

  • Filter by content type using tags (story, comment, poll, show_hn, ask_hn, etc.)

  • Pagination to view older posts

  • Customizable results per page (default: 20)

  • Empty query to get all recent posts

Examples:

  • Get latest stories: { "tags": ["story"] }

  • Get latest comments: { "tags": ["comment"] }

  • Get all recent activity: { }

  • Get with custom page size: { "hitsPerPage": 50 }

Use this to monitor real-time HackerNews activity or find the newest content.

get-itemA

Retrieve detailed information about a specific HackerNews item by ID.

Returns complete item details including the full nested comment tree. Use this to:

  • View a story with all comments

  • Read a specific comment with its replies

  • Explore discussion threads in depth

  • Get complete metadata for any item

Features:

  • Full nested comment tree (all levels)

  • Complete item metadata (title, url, text, points, author, etc.)

  • Works for stories, comments, polls, and poll options

  • Includes creation time and item type

Examples:

  • Get story with comments: { "itemId": "38456789" }

  • Get specific comment: { "itemId": "38456790" }

  • Get poll: { "itemId": "126809" }

Note: Large comment threads (>500 comments) may take 2-3 seconds to load due to nested fetching. Returns error if item doesn't exist or has been deleted.

get-userA

Retrieve public profile information for a HackerNews user.

Returns user profile including karma, bio, and account creation date. Use this to:

  • Check user reputation (karma score)

  • Read user bio and about information

  • See when account was created

  • Verify user existence before searching their content

Features:

  • Username (case-sensitive)

  • Karma score (total upvotes received)

  • About/bio text (may contain HTML)

  • Account creation date (Unix timestamp)

Examples:

  • Get famous user: { "username": "pg" }

  • Check moderator: { "username": "dang" }

  • Verify author: { "username": "tptacek" }

Username validation:

  • Alphanumeric characters and underscores only

  • Case-sensitive

  • Must exist on HackerNews

Returns error if user doesn't exist or username format is invalid.

Prompts

Interactive templates invoked by user choice

NameDescription

No prompts

Resources

Contextual data attached and managed by the client

NameDescription

No resources

TDQS

A4.4/5.0

Scored across 5 tools

Disambiguation5/5

Each tool has a distinct purpose: get-front-page retrieves the front page, get-item fetches a specific item with comments, get-latest-posts shows recent posts, get-user provides user profiles, and search-posts enables keyword searches. There is no overlap or ambiguity in functionality.

Naming Consistency5/5

All tool names follow a consistent verb_noun pattern with hyphens: get-front-page, get-item, get-latest-posts, get-user, and search-posts. This uniformity makes the set predictable and easy to understand.

Tool Count5/5

With 5 tools, the server is well-scoped for interacting with HackerNews. It covers key areas like front page, items, recent posts, users, and search without being too sparse or overwhelming.

Completeness4/5

The tool set covers most essential HackerNews operations, including reading, searching, and user lookup. However, it lacks write operations (e.g., posting comments or stories), which might be a minor gap for full interaction, though not critical for a read-focused server.

Maintenance

ActivityInactive
ResponsivenessNo issues