• TRENDS
  • ANALYSIS
  • REPORTS
  • HUMAN

How to research historical tech news with your AI

Connect your AI to Hacker News to pull stories from specific dates. Once connected, your agent can scan the archives to find exactly what you're looking for.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I use AI to look up old Hacker News stories?

Your AI uses the Hacker News Connector to query the Algolia index for stories from specific dates. It pulls the relevant headlines and summaries so you can see what was trending. You get a clear view of the tech landscape from any point in the past.

Research outcomes

What you get from the archives

The AI turns raw index data into organized research.

TRENDS

Map tech shifts

The AI pulls stories from a specific month or year to show which technologies were gaining traction. You see the evolution of specific niches over time.

ANALYSIS

Review old debates

Your agent finds specific discussions from the past. It summarizes the sentiment and the main arguments used in those threads.

REPORTS

Build timelines

The AI organizes stories into a chronological sequence. This gives you a structured timeline of major industry events.

HUMAN

Verify the details

You review the AI's summaries against the actual story titles and links. This ensures the historical context is accurate before you use it.

The workflow

What your AI does when the request arrives.

The AI acts as a researcher that can navigate the Hacker News archives for you.

  1. Target a date

    Your agent identifies the specific timeframe you want to investigate from your prompt.

    fetch_top_stories_by_date

  2. Pull the index

    The AI reaches into the Algolia index to grab the stories that match your date range.

    fetch_top_stories_by_date

  3. Filter and group

    The AI sorts through the results to find the most relevant tech news or specific topics you asked for.

    fetch_top_stories_by_date

  4. Synthesize findings

    The agent presents a clean summary of the news, highlighting the key players and technologies from that era.

    fetch_top_stories_by_date

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your research.

Starting points

Swap out the dates and topics in these prompts to get specific results.

Hacker News Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_f1JQPomxoScUL02DccHuIgqB6z60nrcXgwjsjDAW/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Hacker News capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hacker-news-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_f1JQPomxoScUL02DccHuIgqB6z60nrcXgwjsjDAW/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find the top Hacker News stories from June 2015 and tell me what the main tech trends were.

  • What were people talking about on Hacker News during the first week of January 2020?

  • Search for stories from October 2012 that mention 'blockchain' or 'bitcoin'.

  • Give me a summary of the most discussed tech news from the third quarter of 2018.

  • Claude
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Start here

Connect Hacker News once, then ask.

Click the link to connect the MCP to your client. Your credentials stay encrypted, and you can start querying the index immediately.

Connect Hacker News to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI post comments on Hacker News?

    No. This MCP only allows the AI to read and fetch stories from the index.

  • 02

    Can I search for specific users?

    No. The current tools are limited to fetching stories based on specific dates.

  • 03

    Does the AI have access to the entire history of Hacker News?

    Yes, it can query the Algolia index for stories from past dates.

  • 04

    Can the AI delete old stories?

    No. The AI has no write access or permission to modify the Hacker News database.

  • 05

    Will the AI remember my previous searches?

    The AI's memory depends on your specific AI client, not the MCP itself.

  • More questions about Hacker News? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Hacker News Connector can do

Connect Hacker News to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more