Understanding Connection Issues

If you're experiencing problems connecting to the Hacker News MCP server, start by verifying your server configuration. Ensure the server process is running and that your MCP client can reach it. Check your configuration file for any syntax errors or incorrect paths that might prevent proper initialization.

Network connectivity is another common culprit. The server requires internet access to communicate with Hacker News APIs. If you're behind a corporate firewall or using a VPN, verify that outbound connections to Hacker News domains are permitted. Test your general internet connectivity by accessing news.ycombinator.com directly in a browser.

Server startup failures often stem from missing dependencies or version conflicts. Review your installation to ensure all required packages are present and compatible. Check the server logs for specific error messages that can point to the root cause of connection failures.

Rate Limiting Explained

Hacker News implements rate limiting to ensure fair resource usage across all users. When you exceed these limits, you'll receive errors indicating that too many requests have been made in a short timeframe. This protection mechanism is standard for public APIs and helps maintain service stability.

The official Hacker News API (Firebase) is generally generous with rate limits for reasonable usage patterns. However, making hundreds of rapid requests in succession will trigger throttling. Understanding this helps you design queries that respect these boundaries.

Avoiding Rate Limit Problems

Space out your requests appropriately. Instead of making rapid-fire queries for multiple stories, introduce small delays between requests. This simple approach prevents most rate limiting issues while maintaining responsive performance.

Cache data locally when appropriate. If you're analyzing a story and its comments, fetch the data once and work with it locally rather than repeatedly querying the same information. This improves both performance and reliability.

Batch your operations thoughtfully. Rather than requesting individual stories in quick succession, prioritize which data you truly need and fetch it in a measured manner. Consider whether you need all 500 top stories or if the top 30 would suffice for your current task.

Resolving Rate Limit Errors

If you encounter rate limiting, the simplest solution is to wait before retrying. Most rate limits reset within minutes, allowing you to resume normal operation. Avoid implementing aggressive retry logic that hammers the API, as this worsens the situation.

Review your query patterns if rate limiting occurs frequently. You may be requesting more data than necessary or duplicating requests unintentionally. Optimize your approach to minimize API calls while still achieving your goals.

Getting Additional Help

If connection issues persist despite troubleshooting, examine server logs for detailed error messages. These often reveal specific problems with DNS resolution, SSL certificates, or API responses that point toward solutions.