Overview

The Hacker News MCP server provides multiple methods for retrieving stories from the platform. Understanding how to access different story feeds allows you to stay current with tech discussions, discover trending content, and monitor specific types of submissions that matter most to your workflow.

Available Story Feeds

The server provides access to three primary story feeds, each serving a different purpose:

Top Stories represent submissions that have gained significant community traction and currently appear on the Hacker News front page. These stories have been voted up by users and reflect what the community finds most valuable at this moment. Top stories are ideal when you want to understand what's capturing widespread attention in the tech community.

New Stories shows the most recent submissions to Hacker News as they arrive, regardless of voting or community engagement. This feed is perfect for early discovery of content and monitoring breaking news before it gains mainstream attention within the community.

Best Stories highlights submissions that have demonstrated sustained value and quality over time. This curated feed surfaces content that has proven particularly noteworthy, making it useful for discovering high-quality discussions and articles.

Retrieving Stories

To access any story feed, simply ask your AI assistant for the content you're interested in. You can make requests like:

• "Show me the current top stories on Hacker News"
• "What are the latest new submissions?"
• "Get the best stories from Hacker News"

The server returns structured information for each story, including the title, URL to the original content, author username, submission time, current score, and the number of comments. This data gives you immediate context about each submission without needing to visit the website.

Working with Story Data

Each story includes a unique identifier that you can use for deeper exploration. If a particular submission interests you, request its comment thread to see community discussion, or look up the author's profile to understand their contribution history.

Story scores and comment counts update in real-time, so you're always working with current information. This makes the server suitable for monitoring how specific submissions evolve and gain traction within the community.

Practical Applications

Use top stories to stay informed about what matters in tech today. Check new stories when you need early awareness of emerging topics or breaking news. Turn to best stories when you want curated, high-quality content that has proven its value to the community.

By understanding these different feeds and how to access them, you can efficiently tap into Hacker News content that aligns with your specific needs and interests.