What You'll Need

Before connecting the Hacker News MCP server, ensure you have an AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), such as Claude Desktop or another compatible application. You'll also need basic familiarity with editing JSON configuration files.

Installation Steps

1. Locate Your Configuration File

First, find your AI assistant's MCP configuration file. For Claude Desktop, this is typically located at:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the Server Configuration

Open the configuration file in a text editor and add the Hacker News MCP server to the mcpServers section. Your configuration should look like this:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hackernews": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-hackernews"]
    }
  }
}

If you already have other servers configured, simply add the hackernews entry alongside them, ensuring proper JSON formatting with commas between entries.

3. Restart Your AI Assistant

Close and restart your AI assistant application completely for the changes to take effect. The server will automatically initialize when the application launches.

Using the Server

Once connected, you can interact with Hacker News through natural language requests to your AI assistant. Here are some examples:

• "What are the top stories on Hacker News right now?"
• "Show me the comments on this Hacker News post" (provide a story ID)
• "Find information about [username] on Hacker News"
• "What are the newest submissions on Hacker News?"

The server handles all the technical details behind the scenes, retrieving and formatting data from Hacker News in real-time.

Troubleshooting

If the server doesn't connect, verify that:

• Your configuration file uses valid JSON syntax
• You've restarted your AI assistant completely
• You have an active internet connection
• Node.js and npx are installed on your system

With the Hacker News MCP server successfully connected, you now have instant access to tech community discussions, trending topics, and valuable insights—all through simple conversation with your AI assistant.