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When your Hacker News MCP server fails to connect or retrieve data, the issue typically stems from network configuration, API availability, or server setup problems. This guide walks you through systematically identifying and resolving common connection issues.
First, confirm that your MCP server is actually running. Check your application logs or process manager to ensure the Hacker News server initialized successfully. Look for startup messages indicating the server is listening for requests. If the server isn't running, review your configuration files to ensure all required parameters are properly set.
The Hacker News API itself is generally reliable, but occasional outages do occur. Visit the Hacker News website directly in your browser to confirm the service is accessible. If the main site is down, the API will be unavailable as well.
Connection failures often result from network restrictions. If you're behind a corporate firewall or using a VPN, these may block outbound connections to Hacker News API endpoints. Test your network connection by attempting to access https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0/topstories.json
directly in your browser. If this fails to load, your network is preventing API access.
Proxy configurations can also interfere with connections. If your environment requires proxy settings, ensure they're properly configured in your system environment variables or the MCP server configuration.
Double-check that your MCP server configuration matches the expected format. Incorrect endpoint URLs, malformed configuration files, or missing dependencies can prevent successful initialization. Review the server's readme documentation and compare your setup against the recommended configuration.
While Hacker News is generally permissive with API access, making excessive requests in rapid succession may trigger temporary throttling. If you're experiencing intermittent failures, implement request delays or reduce query frequency. Monitor your request patterns to identify whether rate limiting might be affecting your connection.
Enable verbose logging in your MCP server to capture detailed error messages. These logs often reveal specific connection failures, timeout issues, or API response errors that pinpoint the problem. Look for HTTP status codes, timeout messages, or DNS resolution failures in the logs.
Isolate the issue by attempting the simplest possible request, such as fetching top stories. If basic queries fail, the problem is likely fundamental (network, server setup). If only complex queries fail, the issue may be request-specific rather than a general connection problem.
The Cloudflare Observability integration lets you query analytics, logs, and metrics from your Cloudflare zones and accounts directly within your workflow, enabling automated monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance analysis of your edge infrastructure.
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