What You'll Need

Before connecting to the Hacker News MCP server, ensure you have Supabase properly set up in your environment. The Hacker News server doesn't require API keys or authentication credentials since it connects to the public Hacker News API, making setup straightforward.

Installation Steps

First, you'll need to add the Hacker News MCP server to your Supabase configuration. Locate your MCP settings file (typically mcp.json or similar configuration file in your Supabase project directory).

Add the following server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hackernews": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-hackernews"]
    }
  }
}

If you prefer installing the package globally for better performance, run:

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-hackernews

Then update your configuration to reference the installed package directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hackernews": {
      "command": "mcp-server-hackernews"
    }
  }
}

Verifying the Connection

After adding the configuration, restart your Supabase environment to load the new MCP server. You can verify the connection is working by making a simple query through your AI assistant, such as "What are the current top stories on Hacker News?"

If the server responds with a list of current articles, you're successfully connected and ready to use all available features.

Using the Server

Once connected, interact with Hacker News through natural language requests. Here are some examples to get started:

• Browse stories: "Show me the top stories on Hacker News right now"
• Read comments: "Get the comments for Hacker News item 12345678"
• Check user profiles: "What's the profile information for user 'pg'?"
• Track new content: "What are the latest new submissions?"

The server handles all API communication automatically, returning organized data that's easy to read and analyze.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter connection issues, verify that your configuration file syntax is correct and that you have network access to reach the Hacker News API. The server requires an active internet connection to retrieve real-time data from Hacker News.