How to Use the Hacker News MCP in AutoGen

Let your AutoGen agents debate tech trends by using the Hacker News Alternative MCP server as their source of truth.

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Connect Hacker News MCP to AutoGen

Create your Vinkius account to connect Hacker News to AutoGen — we handle the hosting, security, and runtime updates so you don't have to. No server setup required.

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Setup Hacker News with AutoGen

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Consensus-based story evaluation

Deploy a researcher agent to fetch data via `get_top_stories` while a critic agent reviews the content. They negotiate the relevance of each post before presenting you with a summary. This prevents your system from blindly trusting popular posts. The agents challenge each other to find the most meaningful technical insights.

Multi-perspective news gathering

Have one agent track `get_show_stories` and another monitor `get_job_stories` simultaneously. They synthesize these different feeds into a single, coherent report for your team. You get a balanced view of the market without manual work. The agents handle the cross-referencing and validation of the incoming data.

Automated trend verification

Use `get_max_item` to monitor for new entries in real-time. Your agents can then trigger a deep dive using `get_item` as soon as a new trend appears. It keeps your system ahead of the curve. Your agents are always working in the background to ensure you never miss a critical update.

Setup guide

Set up Hacker News MCP in AutoGen

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
autogen-ext[mcp] package
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install AutoGen with MCP
Run pip install "autogen-ext[mcp]" autogen-agentchat. The MCP extension includes mcp_server_tools for stateless tool access.
2

Fetch tools from the MCP
Call mcp_server_tools(SseServerParams(url=...)) with your Vinkius endpoint. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com.
3

Run your agent
Pass the tools to AssistantAgent and call agent.run(). The agent invokes Hacker News tools and returns structured results.

agent.py

from autogen_ext.tools.mcp import SseServerParams, mcp_server_tools
from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient

server_params = SseServerParams(
    url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
)

tools = await mcp_server_tools(server_params)

agent = AssistantAgent(
    name="Hacker News_assistant",
    model_client=OpenAIChatCompletionClient(model="gpt-4o"),
    tools=tools,
)

result = await agent.run("List recent Hacker News data")
print(result.messages[-1].content)

Get your connection token →

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
autogen-ext[mcp] + autogen-agentchat
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install dependencies
Same packages as above. McpWorkbench is ideal when your agent needs stateful sessions across multiple tool calls.
2

Use McpWorkbench as context manager
Wrap your agent in async with McpWorkbench(...) to maintain shared state and resources. The workbench manages the full MCP session lifecycle.
3

Run with workbench
Pass workbench=workbench to your agent. State is preserved across multiple tool calls within the same session.

agent.py

from autogen_ext.tools.mcp import McpWorkbench, SseServerParams
from autogen_agentchat.agents import AssistantAgent
from autogen_ext.models.openai import OpenAIChatCompletionClient

server_params = SseServerParams(
    url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
)

async with McpWorkbench(server_params) as workbench:
    agent = AssistantAgent(
        name="Hacker News_assistant",
        model_client=OpenAIChatCompletionClient(model="gpt-4o"),
        workbench=workbench,
    )

    result = await agent.run("List recent Hacker News data")
    print(result.messages[-1].content)

Get your connection token →

Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by Hacker News. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.

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Common questions about Hacker News MCP in AutoGen

They use the tools to pull raw data into the conversation context. One agent might suggest a topic, and another uses the tool to gather facts to support or refute it.

It does. The server is designed to work with AutoGen's architecture, supporting both stdio and HTTP transports for your multi-agent setups.

Yes. You pass a filtered list of tools to the AssistantAgent constructor. This lets you control exactly what data your agents can access.

It provides the raw material for your agents to reach a consensus. By using the official API, you ensure the agents are debating based on accurate, real-time facts.

Everything stays within your local execution environment. The MCP server only handles the specific data payloads you request, ensuring no logs are kept on our end.

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