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Troubleshooting Connection Issues with the Hacker News API

Common Connection Problems

If you're having trouble connecting to the Hacker News API through your Dialer MCP server, you're likely experiencing one of a few common issues. Most connection problems stem from configuration errors, network restrictions, or temporary API unavailability.

Verify Server Configuration

First, ensure your Dialer MCP server is properly configured and running. Check that the server process has started successfully by looking for startup messages in your logs. If the server fails to initialize, review your configuration file for syntax errors or missing required parameters.

Confirm that your MCP client (such as Claude Desktop or another AI assistant) has the Hacker News server properly registered in its configuration. The server should be listed in your MCP settings file with the correct path to the server executable.

Check Network Connectivity

The Hacker News API requires an active internet connection. Test your basic network connectivity by attempting to access other websites or services. If you're behind a corporate firewall or proxy, ensure that outbound HTTPS connections are permitted.

Some network environments block API requests or rate-limit external connections. Try accessing hacker-news.firebaseio.com directly from your browser to verify that Hacker News endpoints are reachable from your network.

Handle Rate Limiting

While the Hacker News API is generally permissive, excessive requests in a short timeframe may result in temporary throttling. If you're experiencing intermittent connection failures after making many requests, wait a few minutes before retrying. Consider spacing out your requests if you're performing bulk data retrieval.

Debug API Response Issues

If the server connects but returns unexpected errors, examine the actual API responses. The Hacker News API occasionally experiences outages or degraded performance. Visit news.ycombinator.com directly to confirm the site is operational.

Enable verbose logging in your MCP server if available. Detailed logs can reveal whether requests are timing out, returning error codes, or encountering parsing issues.

Restart and Refresh

Sometimes the simplest solution works best. Restart your MCP server completely, then restart your client application. This clears any stale connection states or cached errors that might be causing problems.

If issues persist after following these steps, consult the server logs for specific error messages, which will provide more targeted debugging information.

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