What You'll Need

Before diving in, ensure you have the Hacker News MCP Server installed and configured in your MCP-compatible application. The server requires no authentication or API keys—Hacker News provides public access to its content, making setup straightforward.

Your First Query

Once configured, you can start accessing Hacker News content immediately through natural language. Simply ask your AI assistant questions like:

• "What are the top stories on Hacker News right now?"
• "Show me the latest new submissions"
• "Get comments for story ID 12345"

The server translates your requests into API calls and returns structured data about stories, comments, and users.

Understanding Story Feeds

The server provides access to three main story feeds:

Top Stories - These are submissions that have risen to prominence based on community voting. They represent what's currently engaging the Hacker News audience.

New Stories - Fresh submissions as they arrive, perfect for monitoring emerging discussions or catching content before it trends.

Best Stories - Curated selections that have demonstrated lasting value, offering high-quality content that has stood the test of time.

Each story includes essential metadata: title, URL, author, score, timestamp, and comment count.

Exploring Comments

Comments often hold as much value as the articles themselves. Request comment threads to access technical discussions, expert opinions, and community perspectives. You can retrieve entire discussion trees or specific comments by their ID, allowing you to follow conversation threads and understand how discussions develop.

Researching Users

Access user profiles to view submission history, comment activity, karma scores, and biographical information. This is particularly useful for identifying domain experts, tracking thought leaders, or understanding who's contributing valuable insights in specific technical areas.

Practical Applications

Use the server to monitor trending tech topics, discover high-quality technical resources, track discussions about specific technologies, or gather community sentiment on products and announcements. The real-time nature of the data ensures you're always working with current information.

Tips for Success

Start with broad queries like fetching top stories to familiarize yourself with the data structure. Then narrow your focus to specific stories, users, or topics that interest you. The server handles all API complexity, so focus on asking clear questions about what information you need rather than worrying about technical implementation details.