Overview

The Hacker News MCP server gives you instant access to one of tech's most influential communities. Whether you're tracking trending stories, researching discussions, or staying current with tech news, this server makes it simple to retrieve and browse Hacker News content directly through your AI assistant.

Retrieving Top Stories

Top stories represent the most popular content currently on Hacker News, ranked by community votes and engagement. To access top stories, simply ask your AI assistant for "top Hacker News stories" or "what's trending on Hacker News right now."

The server will return a structured list including story titles, URLs, scores, authors, and submission times. This gives you an immediate snapshot of what the tech community considers most important at this moment. You can request specific numbers of stories (e.g., "show me the top 10 stories") or let the server return a default set.

Accessing New Stories

New stories show the latest submissions to Hacker News as they arrive, regardless of voting or popularity. This feed is perfect for discovering emerging content before it gains traction or monitoring real-time submissions on specific topics.

Ask for "new Hacker News stories" or "latest Hacker News submissions" to retrieve the newest content. This is particularly useful for staying ahead of trends, catching breaking news in the tech world, or tracking when specific topics first appear in the community.

Exploring Best Stories

Best stories represent submissions that have demonstrated sustained value and engagement over time. Unlike top stories which reflect current popularity, best stories have proven their worth through consistent community interest.

Request "best Hacker News stories" to access this curated feed. This is ideal when you're looking for high-quality content that has been thoroughly vetted by the community, rather than just what's momentarily popular.

Working with Story Data

Each story retrieved includes comprehensive metadata: the submission title, link URL, point score, author username, submission timestamp, and number of comments. You can ask follow-up questions about any story, request to see its comments, or get more details about the author.

The server handles all API communication automatically, so you can focus on exploring content and gathering insights rather than worrying about technical implementation.

Tips for Effective Browsing

Be specific about what you're looking for—mention topics, time frames, or score thresholds to help narrow results. You can also chain requests, such as getting top stories and then diving into comments on particularly interesting submissions. The real-time nature of the data ensures you're always working with current information.