Understanding Connection Problems

Connection issues with the Hacker News API through your MCP server typically stem from a few common causes. The Hacker News API is generally reliable, but network conditions, configuration problems, or rate limiting can occasionally prevent successful connections.

Start by verifying that your internet connection is stable and that you can access external websites. The Hacker News API is hosted at hacker-news.firebaseio.com, so any network restrictions or firewall rules blocking Firebase domains will prevent the server from functioning.

Configuration Verification

Ensure your MCP server is properly configured in your application's settings. The server should be listed in your MCP configuration file with the correct path and permissions. If you recently updated the server or your application, you may need to restart both to establish a fresh connection.

Check that no other applications or processes are conflicting with the server's operation. Port conflicts or resource limitations can sometimes prevent the server from initializing correctly.

Rate Limiting and API Constraints

The Hacker News API has built-in rate limiting to protect their infrastructure. If you're making numerous requests in rapid succession, you may experience temporary connection failures or delayed responses. This is particularly common when requesting large comment threads or iterating through many user profiles.

If you suspect rate limiting, reduce the frequency of your requests or implement delays between queries. The API is designed for reasonable use, and spacing out requests typically resolves these issues.

Testing Your Connection

Try requesting a simple, single item to test basic connectivity. Ask your AI assistant to retrieve a specific story by ID or fetch the current top stories list. If these basic queries fail, the issue is likely with your fundamental connection rather than specific API endpoints.

If basic queries succeed but complex requests fail, you may be encountering timeout issues with large data retrievals. Break complex queries into smaller, manageable chunks.

Checking Server Status

Occasionally, Firebase or Hacker News itself may experience outages. Check the Hacker News website directly in your browser—if it's inaccessible or slow, the API will likely exhibit similar behavior.

Logs and Error Messages

Review any error messages provided by your MCP server or application. These messages often pinpoint the exact nature of the connection problem, whether it's a timeout, authentication issue, or malformed request.

If problems persist after these troubleshooting steps, try restarting your MCP server entirely and reinitializing the connection to establish a clean state.