product-hunt

name	Product Hunt
description	Launch, hunt, and research products on Product Hunt. API integration via web_fetch (GraphQL v2), launch strategy, engagement rules, and competitive intelligence.

Setup

API credential: env.PRODUCTHUNT_API_KEY (Developer Token)

If the user doesn't have a token, guide them:

1. Go to https://api.producthunt.com/v2/oauth/applications
2. Sign in with ProductHunt account
3. Create a new application (any name + redirect URI)
4. Scroll down → click "Generate Developer Token"
5. Paste the token in chat → agent stores it via config set env.PRODUCTHUNT_API_KEY <token>

Alternatively, use client credentials (API key + secret):

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/oauth/token",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"client_id":"API_KEY","client_secret":"API_SECRET","grant_type":"client_credentials"}'
})

API Reference (GraphQL v2)

Endpoint: https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql Auth header: Authorization: Bearer <PRODUCTHUNT_API_KEY> Rate limit: 6250 complexity points per 15 minutes

Trending products (today, featured)

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ posts(first: 20, featured: true) { edges { node { name tagline votesCount commentsCount website url makers { name username } } } } }"}'
})

Products by date range

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ posts(first: 20, postedAfter: \"2026-03-23T00:00:00Z\", postedBefore: \"2026-03-24T00:00:00Z\", featured: true) { edges { node { name tagline votesCount url } } } }"}'
})

Product detail with comments

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ post(slug: \"SLUG\") { name tagline description votesCount commentsCount reviewsRating website url makers { name username } topics(first: 5) { edges { node { name } } } comments(first: 10) { edges { node { body createdAt user { name } } } } } }"}'
})

Search by topic

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ posts(first: 20, topic: \"artificial-intelligence\", order: VOTES) { edges { node { name tagline votesCount url } } } }"}'
})

Find topics (get slug for filtering)

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ topics(first: 10, query: \"AI\") { edges { node { name slug postsCount } } } }"}'
})

User profile

web_fetch({
  url: "https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql",
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer TOKEN", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: '{"query":"{ user(username: \"USERNAME\") { name headline followersCount madePosts(first: 5) { edges { node { name votesCount url } } } } }"}'
})

API limitations

• Cannot create posts via API — launch submission is web-only
• Mutations limited to: goals (create/update/complete), follows
• No text search for products — filter by topic slug or date range
• Pagination: cursor-based (after: "CURSOR", use pageInfo.endCursor)

Quick Reference

Topic	File	Key Trap
Launch execution	launch.md	Wrong launch time (not 12:01 AM PT)
Hunting products	hunting.md	Hunting without maker coordination
Competitive research	research.md	Treating upvotes as validation
Engagement rules	engagement.md	Vote manipulation detection

Critical Launch Traps

Timing:

• Launch window: 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM Pacific Time — not your timezone
• Best days: Tuesday-Thursday. Mondays = catch-up mode, Fridays = weekend mode
• First 4-6 hours determine ranking trajectory — front-load your promotion
• Verify current specs at https://www.producthunt.com/launch before launch day

Assets (verify specs before launch — may change):

• Gallery images: 1270x760px — first image is EVERYTHING
• GIF/video dramatically outperforms static images (<30 seconds)
• Logo: 240x240px
• Tagline: 60 chars max, no buzzwords ("revolutionary", "AI-powered" = instant skip)

Maker Comment:

• Personal story, not corporate pitch — PH community is indie-friendly
• Why you built it, what problem you personally faced
• Update throughout the day with new info

Engagement Anti-Patterns

What Gets Detected & Penalized:

• Multiple upvotes from same IP/device → shadowbanned votes
• Burst of upvotes from new accounts → astroturfing pattern
• Upvote circles (same 50 people always vote each other)
• External vote exchange groups (PH actively monitors Slack/Discord)
• Asking for upvotes in comment threads → public callout

Competitive Intelligence

Useful Signals:

• Comment sentiment reveals real user feedback
• "I wish it had..." patterns = your opportunities
• Velocity curve > total upvotes (200 in 2h > 500 in 24h)

Don't Trust:

• Upvotes ≠ users ≠ paying customers (zero correlation)
• High upvotes + low comments often = gamed launch

Scope

Covers: API queries, launching, hunting, competitive research, engagement. Does NOT cover: building the product, growth outside PH, paid acquisition. Posts cannot be created via API — launch submission is web-only.