Hacker News API
Official Hacker News Firebase API for retrieving story ID feeds, item trees, user profiles, and update notifications.
Connect this API to an AI agent Browse all specs
What you can do with Hacker News API via MCP
Every endpoint below becomes a governed tool your AI agent (Claude, ChatGPT, or a customer-facing VX agent) can call — with scoped permissions, sandbox testing, and audit logs.
| Method | Path | Operation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| GET | /topstories.json |
get_topstories_json | Get top story IDs Method: GET Path: /topstories.json |
| GET | /newstories.json |
get_newstories_json | Get newest story IDs Method: GET Path: /newstories.json |
| GET | /beststories.json |
get_beststories_json | Get best story IDs Method: GET Path: /beststories.json |
| GET | /item/{item_id}.json |
get_item_item_id_json | Get a story, comment, job, poll, or poll option Method: GET Path: /item/{item_id}.json IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 0 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - item_id: Hacker News item ID |
| GET | /user/{username}.json |
get_user_username_json | Get a user profile Method: GET Path: /user/{username}.json IMPORTANT: This function has 1 REQUIRED parameter(s) and 0 OPTIONAL parameter(s) REQUIRED parameters MUST be provided OPTIONAL parameters can be omitted if not needed Parameters: Path Parameters: REQUIRED: - username: Hacker News username |
| GET | /updates.json |
get_updates_json | Get recently changed items and profiles Method: GET Path: /updates.json |
Usage guide
The official read API is public and does not require an API key or bearer token. Responses are JSON and may contain deleted or missing items; cache feed IDs responsibly and follow the project documentation for near-real-time access patterns. Official documentation: https://github.com/HackerNews/API
How to use this spec
- Create a free VX Agents account (sandbox tools included).
- Open the marketplace and connect “Hacker News API” to an agent.
- Expose it as an MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT, or chat with it directly.