How to Use the Hacker News MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Build production-grade agents in OpenAI Agents SDK that pull real-time technical insights directly from the Hacker News Alternative MCP Server.

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Works with every AI agent you already use

…and any MCP-compatible client

MCP Servers — Included with Plan

Connect Hacker News MCP to OpenAI Agents SDK

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

GDPR Included with Plan

Setup Hacker News with OpenAI Agents SDK

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Automated trend monitoring for OpenAI Agents SDK

Your agent tracks the technical pulse by querying `get_top_stories` and `get_best_stories` on a schedule. It processes the raw feed before your team even opens their browsers. By chaining these with `get_item`, the agent pulls full comment threads into your context window. You get the signal without the noise of manual refreshing.

Context-aware research with Hacker News Alternative

Deep dive into specific project histories using `get_user` and `get_item`. Your agent resolves linked discussions and author credentials without leaving your Python script. Validation guardrails catch API anomalies immediately. You keep your agent logic clean while the server handles the messy HN data structure.

Real-time updates via MCP Server tools

Keep your agent current by polling `get_updates` for item and profile changes. This ensures your system reacts to breaking news as it happens. Integration remains lightweight. The SDK handles the connection, letting you focus on the agent behavior rather than writing custom scrapers.

Setup guide

Set up Hacker News MCP in OpenAI Agents SDK

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+ installed
openai-agents package (pip install openai-agents)
Active Vinkius subscription with a valid endpoint token

1

Install the SDK

Run pip install openai-agents to install the OpenAI Agents SDK. The MCP integration is built-in — no extra dependencies needed.
2

Connect via SSE transport

Use MCPServerSse with your Vinkius endpoint URL. Replace [YOUR_TOKEN_HERE] with your token from cloud.vinkius.com. The SDK auto-discovers all Hacker News tools at runtime.
3

Create your Agent

Pass the MCP to Agent(mcp_servers=[server]). The agent receives Hacker News tools as native definitions — JSON schemas resolve automatically.
4

Run the agent

Call Runner.run(agent, prompt) to execute. The agent invokes the appropriate Hacker News tools and returns structured results. Copy the full example on the right to get started.

agent.py

import asyncio
from agents import Agent, Runner
from agents.mcp import MCPServerSse

async def main():
    async with MCPServerSse(
        url="https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    ) as server:
        agent = Agent(
            name="Hacker News Agent",
            instructions="You have access to Hacker News tools.",
            mcp_servers=[server],
        )
        result = await Runner.run(agent, "List recent transactions")
        print(result.final_output)

asyncio.run(main())

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