[Cotlet](https://cotlet.dev/index.md) · [Integrations](https://cotlet.dev/integrations.md) · [How it works](https://cotlet.dev/how-it-works.md) · [Security](https://cotlet.dev/security.md) · [For developers](https://cotlet.dev/for-developers.md) · [For automation agencies](https://cotlet.dev/for-agencies.md) · [Blog](https://cotlet.dev/blog.md) · [API docs](https://cotlet.dev/docs.md) · [Help center](https://cotlet.dev/help.md) · [Changelog](https://cotlet.dev/changelog.md) · [Contact](https://cotlet.dev/contact.md) · [Pricing](https://cotlet.dev/pricing.md) · [Sign up](https://cotlet.dev/signup) # Hacker News API and MCP server: Let your AI agent read what you saved on Hacker News. > Hacker News has an official API, but it is public and read-only, and there is no official MCP server (checked 28 Oct 2026). For public stories and comments you do not need Cotlet. The 9 Cotlet tools cover what sits behind your login: upvoted and hidden items, your favorites, favorite and hide. Your upvoted, hidden and favorite items and your comment threads on Hacker News. Use it in ChatGPT, Claude or any AI agent over MCP, or in n8n, Make and scripts over REST. [MCP setup](https://cotlet.dev/integrations/hacker-news-api-mcp-server.md#connect) [REST API guide](https://cotlet.dev/integrations/hacker-news-api-mcp-server.md#rest-api) - Free 7-day trial, no card - Unofficial, not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator - Page: https://cotlet.dev/integrations/hacker-news-api-mcp-server ## What can you automate in Hacker News? - Digest the stories you upvoted - Spot new replies to your comments - Group your favorites by topic - See how your submissions did - Hide stories you are done with - Read a thread two levels deep ## Does Hacker News have an MCP server or an API? - The Firebase API at hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0 returns items, users and the story lists with no key and "currently no rate limit". It has no write calls and nothing private. - HN Search by Algolia adds full-text search, also without a key, capped at 10,000 requests an hour per IP. n8n's Hacker News node and the GitHub servers read the same public data. - Your upvoted and hidden lists exist only on pages you see when logged in. Favorites are a public page that neither API returns. | What you need | Firebase + Algolia API | GitHub MCP server | Cotlet | |---|---|---|---| | Public stories, comments and search | Yes, free | Yes, free | Items only, no search | | Your upvoted and hidden items | No | No | Yes, as you | | Your favorites | No | No | Stories and comments | | Favorite or hide an item | No | No | Yes, undo with one call | | Upvote, comment or submit | No | No | No, on purpose | Checked 28 Oct 2026. Sources: [Hacker News API (Y Combinator, GitHub)](https://github.com/HackerNews/API), [Hacker News Search API (Algolia)](https://hn.algolia.com/api), [Hacker News Guidelines](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html), [Hacker News FAQ](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html), [n8n Hacker News node](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/app-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.hackernews/), [Y Combinator Terms of Use](https://www.ycombinator.com/legal) ## How does Cotlet connect to Hacker News? 1. **Sign in to Hacker News.** Use your own account in its Cotlet Cloud Browser. 2. **Choose MCP or REST.** Connect your agent or create a Cotlet API key. 3. **Run your workflow.** Ask your agent or send an HTTP request. We never keep your Hacker News password, and no tool can vote, comment or submit in your name. ## Connect Hacker News to your agent or workflow Use MCP with your AI agent, or HTTP requests in n8n, Make, Zapier and scripts. Follow the MCP setup below or jump to the REST guide. 1. **Enable Hacker News for agents.** Create a Cotlet account, log in to Hacker News in its Cloud Browser and press Enable for agents. 2. **Add the Cotlet address.** Put https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 in your agent as an MCP server or custom connector. 3. **Confirm who you are.** Chat apps send you through a Cotlet sign-in. Editors, n8n and scripts take an API key from the console. Hacker News shares `https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1` with every other app you enable. Turned Hacker News on after you connected? Refresh the connector and its 9 tools appear. Claude: ``` Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector URL: https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1/connect Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http cotlet-hacker-news \ https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" ``` ChatGPT: ``` Settings > Apps & Connectors > Create MCP server URL: https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1/connect Authentication: OAuth ``` Cursor: ``` // ~/.cursor/mcp.json { "mcpServers": { "cotlet-hacker-news": { "url": "https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:COTLET_API_KEY}" } } } } ``` Codex: ``` # ~/.codex/config.toml [mcp_servers.cotlet-hacker-news] url = "https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1" bearer_token_env_var = "COTLET_API_KEY" ``` n8n: ``` MCP Client Tool (inside an AI Agent) Transport: HTTP Streamable URL: https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 Auth: Bearer, Tool: hacker_news_read ``` Make, Zapier: ``` Make: MCP Client > Call a tool Zapier: MCP Client by Zapier > Run Tool Server URL: https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 Token: Tool: hacker_news_write ``` ## How to use the Hacker News REST API ### Create your Cotlet API key Create a Cotlet API key with access to Hacker News and its read operations. Store it as `COTLET_API_KEY` in your environment or automation platform's credential store. Connect Hacker News in Cotlet and enable it for agents. Account access: Your own Hacker News account (any account; upvoted and hidden lists are private to you). ### Make your first Hacker News API request REST: ``` curl https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/hacker-news/my-profile \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" ``` ### Read my profile and apply the operation limits A successful REST call puts the tool output in `result`. This illustrative response excerpt omits call IDs, messages and credit details. Illustrative response excerpt: ``` { "status": "success", "app": "hacker-news", "tool": "get_my_profile", "result": { "username": "maya_dev", "karma": 1284, "created": "2019-03-14", "about": "Building small tools." } } ``` Returns the account behind the Cloud Browser session. It is the call to make first to check that the session is signed in and which username the other tools act for. Keep the same selection when continuing a list. Compare changed record values as well as identifiers when refreshing your destination. ### Hacker News workflows for agents and automations | Tool | Connect through | Example workflow | |---|---|---| | n8n | HTTP Request | List the stories or comments you added to your favorites. Use `list_favorites` in your configured workspace report. | | Make | HTTP > Make a request | List your comments with the thread each one belongs to. Use `list_my_comments` in your configured workspace report. | | Python or Node.js | REST API | List the stories you submitted, with points and comment counts. Use `list_my_submissions` in your configured workspace report. | Send `Authorization: Bearer ` in request headers. You configure the schedule, destination and record comparisons. Cotlet reads Hacker News; your workflow steps write to your chosen destination. These HTTP workflows do not require a native Cotlet connector or a prebuilt template. Python and Node.js can use the same HTTP requests without an AI agent. Keep access keys in credentials, outside shared workflow exports. The [API and MCP reference](https://cotlet.dev/integrations/hacker-news-api-mcp-server.md#tools) lists operations and inputs. The [REST API guide](https://cotlet.dev/docs/api.md) explains authentication, errors and approvals. ## Hacker News API endpoints and MCP tools ### Your upvoted, hidden and favorite lists Upvoted and hidden are visible to you alone; favorites are public on your profile. One page of the list per call, in the order Hacker News shows it. - **List upvoted items** (`list_upvoted_items`, read): List what you upvoted: stories by default, comments with comments set to true. - **List hidden items** (`list_hidden_items`, read): List the stories you hid from your own view. - **List favorites** (`list_favorites`, read): List the stories or comments you added to your favorites. ### Your profile, comments, submissions and threads Public on Hacker News, but read as you: one call gives reply counts, points and whether an item is in your favorites. - **Get my profile** (`get_my_profile`, read): Read the signed-in account: username, karma, age and the about text. - **List my comment threads** (`list_my_comments`, read): List your comments with the thread each one belongs to. - **List my submissions** (`list_my_submissions`, read): List the stories you submitted, with points and comment counts. - **Get an item with its comments** (`get_item`, read): Read one story, comment or poll with its comment tree. ### Favorite and hide Both change only your own view and the same tool undoes them. Nothing here votes, flags, vouches or posts. - **Favorite an item** (`favorite_item`, write): Add a story or comment to your favorites, or remove it with favorite set to false. - **Hide an item** (`hide_item`, write): Hide a story from your own view, or show it again with hide set to false. Inputs, REST path and example response of every tool: https://cotlet.dev/integrations/hacker-news-api-mcp-server#tools ## Who can see my Hacker News session, and how do I revoke it? - **What we store.** Your logged-in Hacker News profile, AES-256-GCM, in Finland. Not your password. - **What your agent gets.** The 9 Hacker News tools, never the session cookie. - **What the session sees.** Your account: upvoted and hidden lists, favorites, threads, karma. - **What no tool touches.** Votes, flags, vouches, comments, submissions, profile and password. - **If Hacker News logs you out.** You get an email with a link to log in again. We never type it for you. - **How to cut access.** Disable for agents, reset the browser or delete the API key. cotlet.dev scores A+ on Qualys SSL Labs, securityheaders.com and Mozilla Observatory ([live results](https://cotlet.dev/security.md)). We have no SOC 2 report or third-party pentest yet. ## Is it against Hacker News's terms? Account safety > In connection with your use of the Site you will not engage in or use any data mining, robots, scraping or similar data gathering or extraction methods. > > [Y Combinator Terms of Use, which cover Hacker News](https://www.ycombinator.com/legal) The [HN guidelines](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) go further on posting: "please don't automate posting" and, since 12 Mar 2026, "Don't post generated text or AI-edited text." That is why Cotlet has no tool to upvote, comment or submit, and never will. Moderators do ban accounts for AI-written comments. We found no public case of a ban for reading your own lists or for favoriting and hiding (checked 28 Oct 2026). Reading through any tool is still automation under the terms above. How we keep your account looking like you: - Your own account, logged in by you - No votes, comments, submissions or flags, ever - One list page per call, no crawling of the site - You finish the login yourself - If Hacker News objects, we pause the Hacker News tools for everyone within 24 h > The FAQ says an IP that requests many pages quickly may get banned, and the terms forbid getting round a block with another IP. Read a long upvote history over a few days, not in one go. ## What happens when Hacker News changes? - **12 h** between tests of the Hacker News tools - **$0** for a call to a Hacker News tool paused for repair Hacker News changes its pages rarely, but a new field on the upvoted page or a moved hide link would break a tool that reads them. The repair happens on our side. [status.cotlet.dev](https://status.cotlet.dev) watches the site, console and API every 3 minutes. ## Approvals, undo and mistakes 1. **Reads your upvotes.** Your upvoted page, 30 stories at a time. 2. **Opens each thread.** Top comments two levels deep, in ranked order. 3. **Writes your digest.** Two lines per story, in your chat, not on Hacker News. 4. **Files the keepers.** Favorites the stories you pick, one call each. | Action | Undo | |---|---| | Favorite an item | Yes, favorite_item with favorite false | | Hide a story | Yes, hide_item with hide false | | Upvote, comment, submit | No tool does these | None of the 9 tools waits for your OK. The 2 writes change only your own favorites and hidden list, other readers see no difference, and one call reverses each. Enable Hacker News read only if you want no writes at all. > Favorites are public on your profile. Favoriting a story shows it there to anyone who looks. MCP call: ``` { "name": "favorite_item", "arguments": { "id": 45012345, "favorite": true } } ``` REST: ``` curl -X POST https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/hacker-news/item/favorite \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"id":45012345,"favorite":true}' ``` Response: ``` { "id": 45012345, "favorited": true } ``` Scripts and cron jobs call the same tools over REST at `/api/v1/hacker-news`, with the same key and price. An item id that does not exist fails, and a failed call costs nothing. The tools table lists the REST path of each tool. ## How much does the Hacker News MCP server cost? **About $19 a month** for a reader who checks replies daily and digests upvotes weekly, 3,320 credits. Hacker News itself is free. | Job | Calls | Credits | |---|---|---| | Check replies to my comments, daily | 3 × 30 | 900 | | Digest of upvoted stories, weekly | 11 × 4 | 440 | | Favorites sorted by topic, weekly | 6 × 4 | 240 | | Favorite or hide what I picked, weekly | 5 × 4 | 200 | | How my submissions did, monthly | 4 × 1 | 40 | | Cloud Browser, 30 days | | 1,500 | | Total | | 3,320 | - Free 7-day trial, no card - 10 credits per successful call, MCP or REST - 50 credits a day for the Cloud Browser - Public stories need no Cotlet: the official API is free Hacker News publishes no per-user numbers, so the month is our example: about 10 upvotes a week, a few comments, a submission now and then. The Cloud Browser is close to half the bill; a weekly digest alone costs less. Dollars at the $29 pack rate. ## Hacker News MCP server on GitHub, n8n or hosted: which to use | Option | What it does | Where it stops | |---|---|---| | [erithwik/mcp-hn](https://github.com/erithwik/mcp-hn) | Python MCP server on the public API, 76 stars, MIT: front page, Ask and Show HN, threads, search, users. | No login, so none of your lists. Last commit 14 Jul 2025. | | [pskill9/hn-server](https://github.com/pskill9/hn-server) and about a dozen more | Node, Rust and Python servers, 10 to 40 stars, reading the public API or HN's HTML. | Public data only, on your own computer. | | [sidoshi/karakeep-sync](https://github.com/sidoshi/karakeep-sync) | Copies your upvotes into Karakeep every day, 147 stars, MIT. | Not an MCP server; your `user` cookie sits in its config; upvotes only. | | [Composio](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews), MCPBundles | Hosted MCP with 14 and 10 read tools on the Firebase and Algolia APIs. | Public data only, no Hacker News login. | | [hnrss.org](https://hnrss.github.io/) and the n8n Hacker News node | RSS of anyone's favorites; n8n gets items, articles and users. | Favorites feed has posts, not comments; n8n reads public data only. | For the front page, search and public threads, take a free GitHub server or Composio and skip Cotlet. To feed upvotes into a bookmark app, karakeep-sync does it with a cookie you manage. Pick Cotlet when your agent should read your upvoted, hidden and favorite lists and keep them in order without you running anything. ## Who runs Cotlet Behind Cotlet is Take Group sp. z o.o., a Polish software company in the EU (VAT PL6342984273) that has worked since 2019. Bart Krawczyk (Co-founder, CTO) and Jake Slugocki (Co-founder, SEO, sales and marketing) founded it. Questions about the Hacker News tools go to contact@cotlet.dev. ## Hacker News API and MCP: questions ### How do I get access? Make a free account at https://cotlet.dev, open Hacker News under Integrations in the console and log in to Hacker News in its Cloud Browser. The trial starts with your first app, no card. ### How do I connect Hacker News to ChatGPT or Claude? Sign up at cotlet.dev, log in to Hacker News once in its Cloud Browser and add Cotlet to ChatGPT or Claude, following the steps in your console. No API key is needed. ChatGPT and Claude then work in your Hacker News account through Cotlet, in their phone apps too. ### What can ChatGPT do in Hacker News? With Cotlet, ChatGPT, Claude and other AI agents handle jobs like these in Hacker News: weekly digest of upvoted stories; track replies to my comments; turn upvotes into a reading list. You ask in plain words, and anything that reaches other people waits for your OK first. ### Can the agent upvote, comment or submit on Hacker News? No. Cotlet has no tool for these. The Hacker News guidelines say "please don't automate posting" and "don't post generated text or AI-edited text". The agent reads your lists and threads and keeps your favorites and hidden items in order; you write and vote yourself. See the guidelines in the sources. ### Do I need a Hacker News account for the public stories? No. Stories, comments and users are public through the official API, and a plain MCP server or script can read them without a login. Cotlet adds the lists that exist only behind your login: upvoted and hidden items, plus favorite and hide. ### Can it search Hacker News? No, there is no search tool. HN Search by Algolia does that for free without a key, up to 10,000 requests an hour per IP, and the free GitHub servers wrap it. Cotlet is for the lists behind your login. ### Does Hacker News have webhooks? No. The Firebase API can push changes to public items, but nothing tells an agent about a new reply to you or a change in your lists. Run your agent on a schedule, for example a daily list_my_comments pass. ### Is the MCP server different from the REST API? Only the way in differs. Both carry the same 9 tools, inputs and answers, with one API key and one price. Agents use MCP; scripts and HTTP steps use REST. ### Is Cotlet affiliated with Hacker News? No. Cotlet is independent and not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator. ### Can I use the Hacker News API without an AI agent? Yes. Call Cotlet's REST API from a script or an HTTP step in n8n, Make or Zapier with your Cotlet key. 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