Overview

The Hacker News MCP server provides powerful tools for investigating user profiles and activity on Hacker News. Whether you're researching thought leaders in specific technical domains, tracking contributions from particular users, or analyzing community engagement patterns, these capabilities give you direct access to user data through simple natural language requests.

Accessing User Profiles

To look up a Hacker News user profile, simply ask your AI assistant about the user by their username. For example, you might say "Show me the profile for username pg" or "What's the karma score for user tptacek?"

The server will retrieve comprehensive profile information including:

• Karma score: The total points earned from upvotes on the user's submissions and comments
• Account creation date: When the user joined Hacker News
• About section: Biographical information the user has chosen to share
• Submission count: Total number of stories and links posted

This information helps you quickly assess a user's experience level, areas of interest, and standing within the community.

Viewing User Activity

Beyond basic profile data, you can explore a user's contribution history. Request to see a specific user's recent submissions or comments to understand what topics they engage with and how they participate in discussions.

For submissions, you'll see the stories and links the user has posted, complete with titles, URLs, scores, and submission times. This reveals what content the user finds valuable enough to share with the community.

For comments, you can review the user's contributions to discussions, including comment text, scores, and the stories they were commenting on. This provides insight into the user's expertise, communication style, and areas of technical knowledge.

Research and Analysis Use Cases

User profile lookups are particularly valuable for several scenarios:

Identifying Experts: Find users who frequently contribute high-quality insights on specific technologies or topics by examining their comment history and karma scores.

Tracking Thought Leaders: Monitor submissions and comments from influential community members to stay informed about emerging trends and important discussions.

Understanding Perspectives: Research how particular users or user types engage with specific topics, helping you gauge community sentiment and technical consensus.

Vetting Sources: Evaluate the credibility and expertise of users who make significant claims or recommendations in discussions.

Getting Started

To begin exploring user profiles, simply ask your AI assistant questions like "Look up Hacker News user [username]" or "Show me recent activity from [username]." The server handles all the complexity of retrieving and formatting the data, presenting it in an easily digestible format that helps you quickly understand any user's presence and contributions on Hacker News.