What is the Hacker News MCP Server?

The Hacker News MCP Server connects your AI assistant directly to Hacker News, giving you instant access to tech discussions, stories, and community insights without leaving your workflow. Instead of manually browsing the site, you can ask your AI assistant to fetch top stories, explore comment threads, or research user profiles through simple conversational requests.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• An MCP-compatible client (such as Claude Desktop or another MCP-enabled application)
• Basic familiarity with MCP server configuration
• The Hacker News MCP Server installed and configured in your environment

Connecting the Server

Add the Hacker News MCP Server to your MCP client's configuration file. Once configured and the client is restarted, the server will be available for your AI assistant to use automatically. You don't need to authenticate or provide API keys—the server connects directly to Hacker News's public API.

Making Your First Request

Start with simple queries to get comfortable with the server's capabilities:

View trending stories: Ask your assistant "What are the top stories on Hacker News right now?" to see what's currently popular in the tech community.

Explore discussions: Request "Show me the comments on the top Hacker News story" to dive into community discussions and expert perspectives.

Research users: Try "Get the profile for [username] on Hacker News" to learn about specific contributors and their activity history.

Common Use Cases

Stay informed: Check top stories each morning to stay current with tech news and discussions that matter to developers and founders.

Deep research: When evaluating a technology or company, ask your assistant to find related Hacker News discussions to gather unfiltered community feedback.

Track topics: Monitor mentions of specific technologies, products, or companies by searching through recent submissions and comments.

Find quality content: Discover well-vetted technical articles and resources that have earned community approval through upvotes and engagement.

Tips for Effective Use

Be specific in your requests. Instead of "Tell me about Hacker News," try "What are the highest-scored stories about AI from the past week?"

Explore comment threads for deeper insights. The real value often lies in the discussions, where experts share nuanced perspectives you won't find in the original articles.

Check user profiles when you encounter insightful comments. This helps identify subject matter experts and thought leaders in your areas of interest.

Next Steps

Now that you're connected, experiment with different types of queries to discover how the server can enhance your workflow. The more you use it, the more you'll find valuable ways to integrate Hacker News insights into your daily routine.