What are Natural Language Queries?

Instead of learning complex commands or API syntax, you can interact with the Hacker News MCP server using simple, conversational requests through your AI assistant. Just describe what you want in plain English, and the server handles the technical details of fetching and formatting the data.

Getting Information About Stories

Ask your AI assistant questions like "What are the top stories on Hacker News right now?" or "Show me the newest submissions." The server retrieves current story data including titles, URLs, scores, and submission times. You can be specific with requests like "Find the top 10 stories from today" or keep it general with "What's trending on Hacker News?"

For individual stories, try queries such as "Get details about Hacker News item 39847362" or "Show me the story with the highest score today." The server returns comprehensive information about each submission, including the author, number of comments, and current ranking.

Exploring Comments and Discussions

Comments often contain the most valuable insights. Request them naturally: "Show me the comments on that story about AI" or "What are people saying about the latest Python release?" The server fetches entire comment threads, preserving the conversation structure so you can follow discussions as they unfold.

You can also dive deeper with queries like "Show me the most upvoted comments on this thread" or "Get all comments by user X on this story." This makes it easy to identify expert opinions and understand community sentiment.

Researching Users

Learn about community members by asking "What has user patio11 posted recently?" or "Show me the profile for user tptacek." The server retrieves user karma, submission history, comment activity, and biographical information, helping you identify subject matter experts or track contributions from specific individuals.

Monitoring in Real-Time

Stay current with ongoing discussions by making requests like "What new stories have been posted in the last hour?" or "Are there any new comments on that article about databases?" The server provides live data, ensuring you're always working with the most recent information.

Tips for Effective Queries

Be conversational and specific about what you need. Instead of worrying about exact syntax, focus on clearly describing the information you want. The AI assistant interprets your intent and translates it into appropriate server requests. You can refine results by asking follow-up questions or requesting different data formats.

The natural language approach makes Hacker News data accessible without technical barriers, letting you focus on insights rather than implementation details.