Overview

The Hacker News MCP Server provides real-time access to new submissions as they arrive on the platform, allowing you to monitor fresh content without constantly refreshing the site or writing custom polling scripts. This capability is essential for staying current with breaking news, tracking specific topics as they emerge, or being among the first to discover valuable resources shared with the community.

Accessing New Submissions

To retrieve new submissions, simply request the "new stories" feed through your AI assistant. The server will fetch the most recently submitted items from Hacker News, ordered by submission time with the newest entries appearing first. These submissions include all types of content: external links, Show HN posts, Ask HN discussions, and job postings.

Each submission returned includes comprehensive metadata such as the title, URL (if applicable), author username, submission timestamp, current score, and the number of comments. This structured data makes it easy to quickly evaluate whether a submission warrants deeper investigation.

Monitoring Strategies

Continuous Monitoring

For ongoing awareness, periodically request new submissions throughout your work session. Since the server provides real-time data, each query returns the current state of new submissions. You can establish a rhythm that matches your needs—checking every few minutes for high-frequency monitoring or less frequently for casual awareness.

Topic Filtering

Once you've retrieved new submissions, you can ask your AI assistant to filter them based on keywords, domains, or themes relevant to your interests. For example, request only submissions mentioning "machine learning" or links from specific publications. This combination of real-time access and intelligent filtering creates a powerful monitoring tool.

Deep Dives

When a new submission catches your attention, immediately request its comments to gauge community reaction. Early comments often set the tone for discussion and provide expert insights. This rapid transition from discovery to detailed analysis is one of the key advantages of having direct API access through the MCP server.

Practical Applications

Developers can track new open-source project announcements. Researchers can monitor papers and articles in their field as they're shared. Product teams can catch discussions about their space early enough to participate meaningfully. Technical recruiters can spot promising talent through thoughtful submissions and comments.

The real-time nature of new submission monitoring means you're accessing the same stream of content that Hacker News power users watch, giving you equivalent awareness without requiring constant manual checking.