Understanding Common Connection Problems

When connecting to the Hacker News MCP server, you may encounter issues that prevent proper communication between your client and the server. Most connection problems stem from configuration errors, network restrictions, or server initialization failures.

First, verify that the server is properly installed and all dependencies are available. Check that your MCP client configuration correctly points to the Hacker News server executable or script. Incorrect paths or missing environment variables are frequent causes of connection failures.

If the server starts but immediately disconnects, review your system logs for error messages. Network firewalls or security software may be blocking the connection, particularly in corporate environments. Ensure that any necessary ports are open and that your security software allows the MCP server to run.

API Rate Limiting and Request Failures

Hacker News implements rate limiting to protect their infrastructure from excessive requests. If you encounter frequent timeouts or failed requests, you may be hitting these limits. Space out your requests appropriately, especially when retrieving large comment threads or making multiple sequential queries.

When specific API requests fail, the issue often relates to invalid item IDs or requesting non-existent content. Hacker News items can be deleted or flagged, making them unavailable through the API. If you're requesting a specific story, comment, or user profile that returns an error, verify the ID is correct and that the content still exists on Hacker News.

Handling Timeouts and Slow Responses

The Hacker News API occasionally experiences high load, resulting in slow response times. If you're experiencing frequent timeouts, consider increasing your client's timeout settings to accommodate temporary slowdowns. For large data requests like deep comment threads, expect longer response times.

Network connectivity issues on your end can also cause timeouts. Test your general internet connection and verify you can access news.ycombinator.com directly through a web browser. If the website loads but the MCP server times out, the issue likely involves your MCP configuration rather than Hacker News availability.

Debugging Data Retrieval Issues

When the server connects successfully but returns unexpected or empty results, examine the specific query you're making. Story feeds like "top" or "new" should always return results unless Hacker News itself is experiencing outages. Empty responses for specific items usually indicate the content has been removed or the ID is incorrect.

For persistent issues, enable verbose logging in your MCP client to capture detailed request and response information. This data helps identify whether problems originate from the server, the API, or your configuration. Check the server's GitHub repository for known issues and updates that might address your specific problem.