| name | peng-post-to-hackernews |
| description | Posts URL stories to Hacker News from Markdown. Uses curl-based HTTP authentication (no browser required). Supports preview mode (verify session) and auto-submit. Use when user asks to "post to Hacker News", "submit to HN", "share on Hacker News", or provides a markdown file for HN submission. |
Post to Hacker News
Post a URL story to Hacker News from a Markdown file using curl-based HTTP authentication. No browser required — works entirely via HTTP requests.
Script Directory
{baseDir} = this SKILL.md's directory. Resolve ${BUN_X}: prefer bun; else npx -y bun; else suggest brew install oven-sh/bun/bun.
| Script | Purpose |
|---|
scripts/hn-post.ts | Post a markdown file to Hacker News |
scripts/md-to-hn.ts | Parse and preview HN post structure |
Prerequisites
bun runtime (brew install oven-sh/bun/bun)curl (usually pre-installed)- Environment variables set:
HN_USERNAME — your Hacker News usernameHN_PASSWORD — your Hacker News password
Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|
HN_USERNAME | Yes | Hacker News account username |
HN_PASSWORD | Yes | Hacker News account password |
HN_PROXY | No | HTTP proxy URL (e.g. http://127.0.0.1:7890) |
HN_CHROME_PATH | No | Chrome executable path (for profile detection only) |
Set them in your shell:
export HN_USERNAME="your_username"
export HN_PASSWORD="your_password"
Or in a .env file in the project root.
Markdown Format
Use YAML frontmatter with title and url fields.
See references/hn-format.md for full spec.
---
title: "Your post title"
url: "https://example.com/your-article"
auto_submit: false
---
Preview Post Structure
Before posting, preview how the markdown will be parsed:
${BUN_X} {baseDir}/scripts/md-to-hn.ts <file.md>
Post to Hacker News
Preview mode (default)
${BUN_X} {baseDir}/scripts/hn-post.ts <file.md>
Verifies your HN session (logs in if needed), fetches the submit form, and confirms credentials are valid. Does not submit. You can then manually submit via the browser.
Auto-submit
${BUN_X} {baseDir}/scripts/hn-post.ts <file.md> --submit
Logs in (if needed), fetches the CSRF token (fnid), and submits the story automatically. Reports the posted item URL.
With options
${BUN_X} {baseDir}/scripts/hn-post.ts <file.md> --submit --profile ~/.chrome/hn-profile
${BUN_X} {baseDir}/scripts/hn-post.ts <file.md> --submit --chrome /path/to/chrome
Parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
<file.md> | Markdown file with frontmatter (required) |
--submit | Submit automatically (default: preview mode) |
--profile <dir> | Cookies/profile directory (default: ~/.baoyu-skills/hn-profile) |
--chrome <path> | Chrome executable path (for profile detection) |
Workflow
1. Parse markdown: extract title and url from frontmatter
2. Validate: check title length, URL validity
3. Check HN_USERNAME and HN_PASSWORD env vars
4. Check for existing session cookies (skip login if valid)
5. If no valid session: POST to /login with credentials, save cookies
6. GET /submit to retrieve fnid (CSRF token)
7. If preview mode: stop, report session status
8. If --submit: POST to /r with fnid + title + url
9. Report result (post URL or error)
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|
HN_USERNAME not set | export HN_USERNAME="your_username" |
HN_PASSWORD not set | export HN_PASSWORD="your_password" |
Login failed | Check credentials; password may have changed |
This URL has already been posted | HN does not allow duplicate URL submissions |
Could not retrieve fnid | Session expired; delete cookies file and retry |
Submission failed | Check .err message in response; may need to re-login |
Notes
- Session cookies are persisted in the profile directory for subsequent runs
- HN does not allow posting the same URL twice — check if already submitted
- Only URL posts are supported (not text posts like Ask HN / Show HN)
- Cross-platform: macOS, Linux, Windows (requires curl)
