Overview

The Hacker News MCP server provides real-time access to one of technology's most influential discussion platforms. By connecting through this server, you can monitor breaking tech news, track emerging discussions, and stay informed about topics that matter to your work—all without manually browsing the site.

Accessing Real-Time Updates

To monitor current Hacker News activity, simply ask your AI assistant for the latest stories or updates. The server retrieves live data directly from Hacker News, ensuring you're always working with current information rather than cached content.

Common requests include:

• "Show me the top stories on Hacker News right now"
• "What are the newest submissions on Hacker News?"
• "Get the best stories from Hacker News today"

Each query returns structured data including story titles, URLs, scores, submission times, and author information, giving you a complete picture of current discussions.

Monitoring Specific Topics

You can track discussions about particular technologies, companies, or subjects by reviewing story titles and accessing their comment threads. When you find a relevant story, request its comments to read community reactions and expert insights.

For example, if you're monitoring discussions about a specific programming language or framework, you can regularly check new and top stories, then dive into comment threads where relevant topics appear.

Tracking User Activity

The server provides access to user profiles, allowing you to follow thought leaders or domain experts. Request a user's profile to see their recent submissions and comments, making it easy to stay updated on contributions from influential community members.

This is particularly useful for tracking perspectives from recognized experts in specific technical domains or monitoring how key figures in the tech community respond to emerging trends.

Setting Up Monitoring Workflows

Rather than manually checking Hacker News throughout the day, you can establish regular check-ins through your AI assistant. Ask for updates at specific intervals or when you need to stay informed about breaking developments in the tech world.

The real-time nature of the server means you'll catch important stories as they gain traction, often before they reach mainstream tech news outlets. This early awareness can be valuable for competitive intelligence, research, or simply staying ahead of industry conversations.

Best Practices

Focus your monitoring on specific story categories that match your needs. The "top" feed shows community-validated content, "new" catches breaking submissions, and "best" highlights stories with lasting value. Combine story retrieval with comment analysis to understand not just what's being discussed, but how the community responds to it.