# Hacker News MCP Server — Stories & Comments for AI Agents (`longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper`) Actor MCP Server for Hacker News. Fetch top stories, new posts, job listings, and comments. AI-agent ready — perfect for developer news monitoring and AI research pipelines. - **URL**: https://apify.com/longanimous\_bracken/hacker-news-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [petteri mähönen](https://apify.com/longanimous_bracken) (community) - **Categories:** News, Developer tools, MCP servers - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.50 / 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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows. 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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 MCP Server — Stories Search & Trends for AI Agents Search and scrape **Hacker News** stories via the Algolia API. Find the most popular or most recent stories by keyword, with points, comments, author, and story text. ### 🧠 MCP Server — AI Agent Ready This actor is a **Model Context Protocol (MCP) server** — AI assistants (Claude, GPT, Cursor) can call it directly: ```json { "searchQuery": "node.js", "maxResults": 10, "sortBy": "byPopularity" } ```` Returns structured data: title, URL, points, author, comments, domain — perfect for **developer news monitoring**, **trend analysis**, and **AI research pipelines**. ### Features - **Full HN archive** — searches 10M+ stories (back to 2006) - **Sort by popularity or date** — hottest first or newest first - **Numeric filters** — filter by points (`points>100`), date, or comments - **Structured output** — title, URL, points, author, comments, story text, domain, HN thread URL - **CheerioCrawler** — JSON API, 256MB RAM, ~0.5s per query - **No API key needed** — free Algolia API, no authentication - **No proxy needed** — fully accessible from datacenter IPs ### Quick Start #### Search popular stories ```json { "searchQuery": "node.js", "maxResults": 30, "sortBy": "byPopularity" } ``` #### Search recent stories about AI ```json { "searchQuery": "artificial intelligence", "maxResults": 20, "sortBy": "byDate" } ``` #### Filter by high-quality posts ```json { "searchQuery": "rust", "maxResults": 10, "sortBy": "byPopularity", "numericFilters": "points>200" } ``` ### Input Parameters | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `searchQuery` | string | `"node.js"` | Search term or phrase | | `maxResults` | integer | `30` | Max stories to return (max 200) | | `sortBy` | select | `byPopularity` | `byPopularity` (points) or `byDate` (recent) | | `numericFilters` | string | `""` | Filter by points/date. E.g. `points>100`, `created_at_i>1721800000` | ### Output Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `objectID` | string | Hacker News story ID | | `title` | string | Story title | | `url` | string | External article URL (or HN thread if no external link) | | `hnUrl` | string | Hacker News discussion thread URL | | `points` | integer | Upvote count | | `author` | string | Submitte r username | | `num_comments` | integer | Comment count | | `created_at` | string | ISO timestamp of submission | | `storyText` | string | Story/ask text (HTML stripped, truncated to 1000 chars) | | `domain` | string | Source domain (e.g., "github.com", "arstechnica.com") | | `searchQuery` | string | Original search term | | `sortBy` | string | Sort method used | | `scrapedAt` | string | Timestamp of scrape | ### Use Cases - **Trend monitoring** — track what the HN community is discussing about your industry - **Content research** — find popular articles and discussions by keyword - **Lead generation** — identify active HN users and discussions in your space - **Data analysis** — analyze HN story patterns, point distributions, domain popularity - **Personal feeds** — build custom HN search feeds for specific topics ### Pricing **$1.50 / 1,000 results** — pay only for what you scrape. No monthly subscription. ### Changelog | Version | Date | Changes | |---------|------|---------| | 0.0.1 | 2026-07-24 | Initial build — Algolia API, sort by date/popularity, numeric filters | ### Support - [Open an issue](https://apify.com/longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper/issues) for bugs or feature requests - [Leave a review](https://apify.com/longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper) — it helps others discover the tool # Actor input Schema ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Search term (e.g., 'node.js', 'AI', 'startup', 'YC') ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of stories to return (max 200) ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Sort order for results ## `numericFilters` (type: `string`): Filter by points or date. Examples: 'points>100', 'created\_at\_i>1721800000' ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQuery": "node.js", "maxResults": 30, "sortBy": "byPopularity" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `stories` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQuery": "node.js", "numericFilters": "" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${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 = { "searchQuery": "node.js", "numericFilters": "", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper").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 '{ "searchQuery": "node.js", "numericFilters": "" }' | apify call longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=longanimous_bracken/hacker-news-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News MCP Server — Stories & Comments for AI Agents", "description": "MCP Server for Hacker News. Fetch top stories, new posts, job listings, and comments. AI-agent ready — perfect for developer news monitoring and AI research pipelines.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "5xDJve71e2bHcDMXZ" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/longanimous_bracken~hacker-news-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-longanimous_bracken-hacker-news-scraper", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/longanimous_bracken~hacker-news-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-longanimous_bracken-hacker-news-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/longanimous_bracken~hacker-news-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-longanimous_bracken-hacker-news-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "searchQuery" ], "properties": { "searchQuery": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Search term (e.g., 'node.js', 'AI', 'startup', 'YC')" }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max Results", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of stories to return (max 200)", "default": 30 }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort By", "enum": [ "byDate", "byPopularity" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort order for results", "default": "byPopularity" }, "numericFilters": { "title": "Numeric Filters", "type": "string", "description": "Filter by points or date. Examples: 'points>100', 'created_at_i>1721800000'" } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```