| name | hn-get |
| description | Use the hn-get Hacker News CLI to search Hacker News, inspect stories, fetch comments, check user activity, browse live lists, find hiring posts, and return agent-friendly JSON or Markdown. Use when a task asks for Hacker News data, Show HN posts, Ask HN threads, user submissions, item comments, who is hiring results, or current HN lists. |
hn-get
Use hn-get for Hacker News data instead of scraping the website.
Prefer JSON when you need data to reason over. Use Markdown when the user wants readable context or a concise brief.
Check the tool
Start with:
hn-get help
If hn-get is not installed, use:
npx hn-get help
Use subcommand help when unsure:
hn-get help search
hn-get help item
hn-get help show
Run the local MCP server with:
npx hn-get mcp
Output choice
Use --format json or the default for structured work.
Use --format compact when another command will parse the output.
Use --format ndjson for list processing.
Use --format markdown when the next step is summarizing, quoting, or giving the user a readable answer.
Use --format text only for quick human inspection.
Common tasks
Search HN:
hn-get search "sqlite" --limit 10
hn-get search "postgres" --since 30d --limit 20
hn-get search "llm" --type story --points 100 --comments 20
Find popular Show HN posts:
hn-get show --sort points --since 30d --limit 20
hn-get show --sort points --points 100 --comments 20 --format markdown
Browse live lists:
hn-get frontpage --limit 30
hn-get newest --limit 30
hn-get best --limit 30
hn-get active --limit 30
Fetch one item:
hn-get item 40956979
hn-get item 40956979 --comments --depth 2 --comments-limit 20
hn-get item 40956979 --format markdown
Search comments on one item:
hn-get item-comments 40956979 "sqlite" --limit 20
hn-get item 40956979 --feed --limit 20
Inspect users:
hn-get user pg
hn-get user pg --submitted-limit 20
hn-get submitted pg --limit 20
hn-get threads pg --limit 20
hn-get replies pg --limit 20
hn-get user omits the full submitted ID list by default. Use --submitted-limit <count> when you need some IDs, or --submitted when the full list is really needed.
Search hiring threads:
hn-get whoishiring --limit 20
hn-get whoishiring jobs --limit 20
hn-get whoishiring hired --limit 20
hn-get whoishiring freelance --limit 20
Sorting and dates
Search and section commands default to newest first.
Use --sort points for popular posts.
Use relative dates for recent windows:
hn-get search "rust" --since 7d
hn-get show --sort points --since 30d
hn-get comments "react compiler" --since 24h
Use ISO dates for fixed ranges:
hn-get search "postgres" --since 2026-01-01 --until 2026-06-01
Safe usage
Keep limits small unless the user asks for more. Most agent tasks only need 10 to 30 results.
Do not fetch linked article URLs through hn-get. The CLI returns HN data and linked URLs, but it does not crawl article pages.
For a final answer, cite the HN item URLs returned in hnUrl when useful. If a result has a separate url, mention it as the article or project link.
