# Hacker News MCP MCP > Hacker News provides direct access to stories, comments, and user profiles from Hacker News using your AI client. You can pull current top articles, job listings, or ask-specific discussions on demand. This MCP lets you analyze community sentiment and track tech trends without leaving your development environment. ## Overview - **Category:** developer-tools - **Price:** Free - **Tags:** y-combinator, tech-news, hacker-news, api-integration, real-time-updates ## Description Need to know what the dev world is talking about right now? Your agent can connect directly to Hacker News, pulling in structured data instead of just a messy webpage scrape. You get feeds for top stories, new launches, or specific job postings—all filtered and ready to read. It’s basically an instant intelligence layer over the entire tech conversation. If you're tracking industry shifts, this MCP lets your AI client pull deep details on any item or user profile, giving you context that’s hard to find otherwise. When you connect it via Vinkius, you get access to this stream of data right alongside thousands of other services in one place. ## Tools ### get_ask_stories Retrieves up to 200 of the latest questions posted on Ask HN. ### get_best_stories Fetches a list containing up to 500 of the highest-rated stories. ### get_item Gets detailed information for one specific Hacker News story, comment, or poll ID. ### get_job_stories Retrieves up to 200 of the latest job postings from the community. ### get_max_item Returns the current largest item ID number used on the platform for historical reference. ### get_new_stories Fetches up to 500 stories that were posted most recently. ### get_show_stories Retrieves up to 200 of the latest posts showing off new projects (Show HN). ### get_top_stories Gets a list containing up to 500 stories that are currently at their peak popularity. ### get_updates Shows recent item and profile changes, useful for tracking what's trending right now. ### get_user Retrieves detailed account information and metadata for any public Hacker News user. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` What are the top 5 stories on Hacker News right now? ``` **Response:** ``` I'll fetch the top stories for you. Using `get_top_stories`, I've found the current leaders: 1. 'New LLM release' (ID: 123), 2. 'Open Source Database' (ID: 124)... Would you like details on any of these? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get the profile details and karma for user 'pg'. ``` **Response:** ``` Fetching profile for 'pg' via `get_user`... Paul Graham has 156,000 karma and has been a member since 2006. He has submitted over 10,000 items. Would you like to see his recent submissions? ``` **Prompt:** ``` Tell me more about the story with ID 42301234. ``` **Response:** ``` Inspecting item 42301234 using `get_item`... This is a story titled 'The Future of MCP' by user 'techie'. It has 450 points and 82 comments. The URL points to a GitHub repository. Should I summarize the comments for you? ``` ## Capabilities ### Retrieve top and trending content feeds Fetch lists of the best-read or most recent stories across various specialized topics. ### Analyze specific story details Get full metadata, comment counts, and point totals for any single Hacker News item ID. ### Profile a user's activity Check a public username’s history to see their total karma score and submission count. ### Monitor real-time platform changes Track recent updates, including new items and profile modifications across the whole site. ## Use Cases ### Assessing a competitor's interest. A Product Manager wants to see if competitors are discussing their new feature set. They ask their agent to run `get_ask_stories` and filter results for keywords like 'blockchain' or 'react'. The agent provides the top 10 questions, allowing the PM to scope out the market conversation. ### Building a talent pipeline. A recruiter needs quick insights into developer skill sets. They use `get_user` to look up key contributors' profiles and then cross-reference those users with recent postings from `get_job_stories` to find the best candidates. ### Tracking a viral launch. A tech journalist wants to see the immediate community reaction to an announcement. They check the item ID on the original post using `get_item` and then run `get_updates` to monitor comment volume spikes over the last hour. ### Comparing job market stability. A career counselor wants a quick overview of different tech sectors. They ask for both `get_job_stories` and compare those results against general top stories from `get_top_stories` to see what technologies are driving hiring. ## Benefits - Instantly check job market sentiment. Use `get_job_stories` to compile a list of open roles, helping you assess industry demand for specific skills without visiting multiple career sites. - Deep dive into content context. If you find an interesting article ID, use `get_item` to pull all the metadata—points, comments, and source links—for immediate analysis. - Gauge community interest in new tech. Running `get_show_stories` lets you see what projects are currently getting attention, giving you a quick read on emerging trends. - Monitor user reputation. Use `get_user` to check a contributor's history and karma score. This helps filter out low-effort noise when tracking high-value industry voices. - Catch up on the absolute latest news. Running `get_new_stories` or `get_top_stories` ensures your agent has the most current, relevant data points to analyze right now. ## How It Works The bottom line is your AI client handles the messy web scraping; you just ask for the specific insight. 1. Tell your AI client exactly what you need—for example, 'Give me the top 5 jobs posted today' or 'What are the latest Ask HN questions?' 2. The MCP routes that request to the correct internal tool (like `get_job_stories`), which hits the Hacker News API. 3. Your agent receives clean, structured data containing titles, authors, and IDs, ready for you to analyze. ## Frequently Asked Questions **How do I find job openings using get_job_stories?** You simply ask your agent to run `get_job_stories`. It pulls the latest 200 listings, allowing you to analyze specific roles and companies without leaving your terminal. **Can I check a user’s entire history with get_user?** Yes, `get_user` retrieves detailed metadata for any public username. You can see their total karma count and how many items they've submitted over time. **What is the difference between get_top_stories and get_best_stories?** While both show highly rated content, `get_top_stories` generally refers to stories at their current peak of popularity. `get_best_stories` pulls a fixed list designed to showcase historically high-quality or evergreen posts. **Do I need an API key for get_item?** No, this MCP uses the public Hacker News API endpoints, so no personal keys are needed. Just provide the unique integer ID of the story you want details on. **Are there any rate limits when using get_updates?** No strict API rate limit exists, but we recommend calling it every minute or so. If you need continuous monitoring, check the documentation for best practices on handling high-frequency requests. **What data structure does get_item return?** It returns all item details in a clean JSON format that your AI client can easily parse. This includes points, comment counts, and the full text body for context. **How should I use get_max_item to find new or historical content?** Use this tool to retrieve the highest item ID currently indexed on the platform. You can then work backward from that number to walk through site history or check for newly added content. **Can I use both get_ask_stories and get_show_stories together?** Yes, your AI agent handles this by executing sequential calls. This lets you gather a combined feed of questions and new projects into a single analysis context. **How can I get the full text of a specific Hacker News comment or story?** Use the `get_item` tool with the unique integer ID of the item. The agent will return the title, text, author, and other metadata associated with that ID. **Can I see the latest projects launched by the community?** Yes! Use the `get_show_stories` tool to retrieve the latest 'Show HN' posts where developers share their recent work and projects. **Is there a way to track what has changed recently on the site?** The `get_updates` tool provides a list of recently changed items and user profiles, allowing you to stay on top of the latest activity.