Understanding User Profiles

The Hacker News MCP server allows you to access detailed information about any user on the platform. User profiles contain valuable data including submission history, comments, karma scores, and biographical information. This feature is essential for researching contributors, tracking thought leaders, or understanding community engagement patterns.

How to Look Up a User Profile

To retrieve a user's profile, simply ask your AI assistant for information about a specific Hacker News user by their username. For example, you might request "Show me the profile for user [username]" or "What has [username] posted recently on Hacker News?"

The server will return structured data about the user, including:

• Username and karma score - The user's display name and their accumulated community points
• Account creation date - When the user joined Hacker News
• About section - Any biographical information the user has provided
• Submission count - The number of stories or links they've posted

Viewing User Activity

Beyond basic profile information, you can explore what a user has been doing on the platform. This includes both their submissions (stories they've posted) and their comments across various discussions.

Submissions

Access the stories and links a user has submitted to Hacker News. This helps you understand what topics interest them and what content they're sharing with the community. You can identify subject matter experts by examining their submission history in specific domains.

Comments

Review a user's comment history to see their contributions to discussions. Comments often reveal deeper expertise and opinions than submissions alone. This is particularly useful when you're looking for expert perspectives on technical topics or want to understand someone's viewpoint on industry trends.

Practical Applications

Research: Identify subject matter experts by examining users who consistently contribute high-quality content in specific areas like machine learning, security, or startups.

Community Analysis: Study user engagement patterns to understand how influential community members interact with the platform and what topics drive their participation.

Context Building: Before engaging with or referencing someone's work, review their profile to understand their background, interests, and areas of expertise.

Tips for Effective Use

When looking up user profiles, remember that all data is public information already available on Hacker News. Use specific usernames for accurate results, and consider combining profile lookups with story or comment queries to gain comprehensive insights into community discussions and the people behind them.