# Hacker News Keyword Monitor (`kempt_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor`) Actor Track Hacker News mentions of any keyword, brand, or competitor across stories & comments. Structured data for lead gen, scheduled daily. - **URL**: https://apify.com/kempt\_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor.md - **Developed by:** [Nikolas Gevorkyan](https://apify.com/kempt_sprinkles) (community) - **Categories:** News, Lead generation, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $4.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Hacker News Keyword Monitor — Track Brand Mentions, Leads & Competitors on Hacker News **Know the same day when Hacker News talks about your product, your competitor, or the problem you solve.** Hacker News Keyword Monitor is a no-code **hacker news keyword monitor** and **HN mention tracker** that watches any keyword, brand name, or phrase across Hacker News **stories *and* comments** and delivers fresh items as clean, structured data. No API keys. No code. Just enter your keywords, hit run (or schedule it daily), and get every new mention in a spreadsheet-ready table. Whether you're doing **Hacker News lead generation**, **brand monitoring**, or competitor research, this **hacker news scraper** turns the HN firehose into an actionable daily feed — powered by the official, free Hacker News Search API. ### What you get Every matching story or comment is returned as a structured row. Example output: | keyword | type | title | author | points | createdAt | hnUrl | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | asana alternative | story | Show HN: a lightweight Asana alternative for small teams | founder1 | 128 | 2026-06-12T08:14:03Z | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=111 | | project management tool | comment | (on) Ask HN: what PM tool do you use? | dev_jane | 0 | 2026-06-12T06:41:55Z | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=222 | | notion | story | Notion vs the world: a teardown | writer7 | 88 | 2026-06-11T19:02:10Z | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=333 | Each item in the dataset follows this exact JSON schema: ```json { "keyword": "asana alternative", "source": "hackernews", "type": "comment", "objectId": "48508487", "title": "Ask HN: best lightweight Asana alternative?", "snippet": "Honestly the best alternative I've found is … (first 300 chars, HTML-cleaned)…", "author": "dev_jane", "points": 0, "numComments": 0, "createdAt": "2026-06-12T08:14:03Z", "url": "https://example.com/article-or-hn-item", "hnUrl": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48508487", "matchedIn": "body" } ```` You can download the dataset in **JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML, or RSS**, or pull it via the Apify API. ### Use cases - **Lead generation** — catch people on HN actively asking for a tool like yours ("Ask HN: alternative to X?", "anyone using Y?") in stories *and* comments, and reach out while the thread is warm. - **Brand monitoring** — track every mention of your company or product so you can reply to questions, complaints, and praise before they snowball. - **Competitor tracking** — monitor competitor names to see what HN's high-intent, technical audience loves, hates, and asks for. - **Content & market research** — discover the exact questions and pain points your audience posts about, and turn them into content, features, and launch ideas. ### How to use 1. **Enter your keywords** — add the words, brand names, or phrases you want to watch. 2. **Choose stories or stories + comments** — flip on "Search comments too" to catch tool-recommendation threads (where most leads are). 3. **Run it — or schedule it daily** — run on demand, or set up an Apify Schedule so the monitor checks Hacker News every morning automatically. 4. **Export or automate** — download results as CSV/Excel/Google Sheets, or pipe them straight to Slack, email, a webhook, Make, or Zapier using Apify integrations. ### Input parameters | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `keywords` | array of strings | **required** | Words or phrases to monitor. Each keyword is searched separately. | | `searchComments` | boolean | `false` | Also search HN comments, not just stories. | | `timeRange` | enum | `day` | How far back to search: `hour`, `day`, `week`, `month`, `year`, `all`. | | `sort` | enum | `new` | Result order: `new`, `relevance`, or `top` (most points). | | `maxResultsPerKeyword` | integer | `50` | Max items collected per keyword (1–1000). | | `proxyConfiguration` | proxy | off | Optional. The HN API is open, so no proxy is needed. | ### Scheduling & integrations This actor is built to **run daily on autopilot**. - **Daily scheduling** — open the actor in Apify Console → **Schedules** → create a schedule (e.g. every day at 08:00) with your saved input. Each morning you'll get a fresh dataset of overnight Hacker News mentions. - **Google Sheets** — connect the [Apify → Google Sheets integration](https://apify.com/integrations) to append every run's results to a live spreadsheet. - **Slack / email / webhooks** — get pinged the moment a run finishes (or only when it finds new mentions) via Apify's Slack, email, and webhook integrations. - **Make & Zapier** — trigger thousands of downstream apps: add leads to your CRM, create tasks, post to a channel, or kick off an outreach sequence. Because results arrive as structured JSON, you can wire Hacker News mentions into virtually any workflow without writing code. ### Pricing This actor uses Apify's simple **pay-per-event** pricing: - a small fixed fee each time the actor **starts** a run, plus - a small fee **per result** (per HN story or comment) it finds. That means you only pay for what you actually get. A typical daily monitoring run on a handful of keywords finds a few dozen items and **costs just a few cents**. If a run finds nothing, it writes a tiny "no results" marker so you can confirm it ran — at **near-zero cost** (only the start fee, no per-result charges). ### FAQ **Do I need an API key?** No. This actor uses the **official, free Hacker News Search API** (powered by Algolia) — no keys, no login, no setup. Just enter keywords and run. **How fresh is the data?** As fresh as Hacker News itself. With `sort = new` and `timeRange = day`, you get stories and comments from the last 24 hours, ordered newest-first — ideal for a daily schedule. Run it hourly with `timeRange = hour` for near-real-time alerts. **Does it search comments?** **Yes** — flip on "Search comments too". Comments are where most "anyone know a tool like X?" recommendations live, so they're gold for lead generation. By default the actor searches stories only. **What if a run finds nothing?** The actor writes a single informational item per keyword (`{"info": "no_results", ...}`) so your dataset is never empty and you can confirm the monitor ran successfully. Runs that find nothing cost almost nothing, since there are no per-result charges. *** *Keywords: hacker news keyword monitor, hacker news mention tracker, HN scraper, brand monitoring hacker news, hacker news lead generation, track hacker news mentions, monitor hacker news keywords, hacker news competitor research.* # Actor input Schema ## `keywords` (type: `array`): Words or phrases to monitor on Hacker News. Each keyword is searched separately. Use specific phrases for cleaner results (e.g. "asana alternative", your brand name, or a competitor). ## `searchComments` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, searches Hacker News comments as well as stories. Comments are where most "anyone know a tool like X?" recommendations happen — great for lead generation (but returns more results). ## `timeRange` (type: `string`): How far back to search. For daily monitoring keep this at "Past 24 hours" so you only get fresh items. ## `sort` (type: `string`): Order of results. "New" is best for monitoring (most recent first); "Relevance" and "Top" (highest points first) are better for research. ## `maxResultsPerKeyword` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of items to collect for each keyword. Lower it to keep daily runs cheap; raise it for deep research. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional. The Hacker News API is open and needs no proxy, but you can route requests through Apify Proxy if you run at very high volume. ## Actor input object example ```json { "keywords": [ "project management tool", "asana alternative" ], "searchComments": false, "timeRange": "day", "sort": "new", "maxResultsPerKeyword": 50, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "keywords": [ "project management tool", "asana alternative" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("kempt_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "keywords": [ "project management tool", "asana alternative", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("kempt_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "keywords": [ "project management tool", "asana alternative" ] }' | apify call kempt_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=kempt_sprinkles/hacker-news-keyword-monitor", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News Keyword Monitor", "description": "Track Hacker News mentions of any keyword, brand, or competitor across stories & comments. Structured data for lead gen, scheduled daily.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "jUBwdzD0drnWp5Vff" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/kempt_sprinkles~hacker-news-keyword-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-kempt_sprinkles-hacker-news-keyword-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/kempt_sprinkles~hacker-news-keyword-monitor/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-kempt_sprinkles-hacker-news-keyword-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/kempt_sprinkles~hacker-news-keyword-monitor/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-kempt_sprinkles-hacker-news-keyword-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "keywords" ], "properties": { "keywords": { "title": "Keywords", "minItems": 1, "type": "array", "description": "Words or phrases to monitor on Hacker News. Each keyword is searched separately. Use specific phrases for cleaner results (e.g. \"asana alternative\", your brand name, or a competitor).", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "searchComments": { "title": "Search comments too", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, searches Hacker News comments as well as stories. Comments are where most \"anyone know a tool like X?\" recommendations happen — great for lead generation (but returns more results).", "default": false }, "timeRange": { "title": "Time range", "enum": [ "hour", "day", "week", "month", "year", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "How far back to search. For daily monitoring keep this at \"Past 24 hours\" so you only get fresh items.", "default": "day" }, "sort": { "title": "Sort by", "enum": [ "new", "relevance", "top" ], "type": "string", "description": "Order of results. \"New\" is best for monitoring (most recent first); \"Relevance\" and \"Top\" (highest points first) are better for research.", "default": "new" }, "maxResultsPerKeyword": { "title": "Max results per keyword", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of items to collect for each keyword. Lower it to keep daily runs cheap; raise it for deep research.", "default": 50 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional. The Hacker News API is open and needs no proxy, but you can route requests through Apify Proxy if you run at very high volume.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```