Understanding the Data You Can Access

The Hacker News MCP server gives you direct access to real-time discussions and trending content from one of tech's most influential communities. You can retrieve three main types of content: stories (links and discussion threads), comments (community responses and discussions), and user profiles (contributor activity and history).

When you request trending topics, the server pulls from different feeds including top stories (currently popular), new stories (just submitted), and best stories (highest quality based on community engagement). Each story includes key metadata like title, URL, points, author, and submission time.

Finding What's Trending

To analyze trending topics, start by asking your AI assistant to fetch the top stories. This returns submissions that have gained the most traction through community votes. The results show you what the tech community considers important right now—whether it's breaking news, technical deep-dives, or industry analysis.

Pay attention to story scores and comment counts, as these metrics indicate engagement level. A high score means the community found the content valuable, while numerous comments often signal controversial or discussion-worthy topics.

Diving Into Discussions

The real insight often lives in the comments. Once you identify an interesting story, request its comment thread to see how the community is responding. Comments on Hacker News frequently contain expert analysis, alternative perspectives, and technical corrections that add depth to the original submission.

You can traverse entire comment trees to follow specific conversation threads, helping you understand different viewpoints and identify particularly insightful contributors.

Tracking Specific Topics

If you're interested in monitoring specific subjects, you can regularly check new submissions and filter for relevant keywords. Since the server provides real-time access, you can stay current with discussions as they develop rather than discovering them after they've already peaked.

For ongoing monitoring, consider tracking particular users who consistently contribute valuable insights in your area of interest. User profiles show submission and comment history, helping you identify thought leaders worth following.

Practical Analysis Tips

When analyzing trends, look for patterns across multiple stories. Are certain technologies or companies being discussed frequently? What sentiment dominates the comments—skepticism, enthusiasm, or concern?

Compare story performance over time by checking both new and top story feeds. Some submissions gain immediate traction while others build momentum gradually, revealing different types of community interest.

The combination of voting data, comment volume, and discussion content gives you a comprehensive view of what matters to the technical community and why.