---
name: Hacker News Intel
slug: hacker-news-intel
category: Automation
description: Hacker News Intel monitors Hacker News for configured keywords, deduplicates matches with a local SQLite cache, and sends Slack alerts for new posts. Use it to track topics on HN or run scheduled keyword monitoring.
github: "https://github.com/Varnan-Tech/opendirectory/tree/main/skills/hackernews-intel"
language: Python
stars: 621
forks: 66
install: "npx degit https://github.com/Varnan-Tech/opendirectory/tree/main/skills/hackernews-intel ~/.claude/skills/hackernews-intel"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/hackernews-intel
source_path: skills/hackernews-intel/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 1523
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/Varnan-Tech/opendirectory"
added: 2026-08-24T05:18:32.571Z
last_synced: 2026-08-24T05:18:32.571Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/hacker-news-intel"
---

# Hacker News Intel

Hacker News Intel monitors Hacker News for configured keywords, deduplicates matches with a local SQLite cache, and sends Slack alerts for new posts. Use it to track topics on HN or run scheduled keyword monitoring.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/Varnan-Tech/opendirectory/tree/main/skills/hackernews-intel ~/.claude/skills/hackernews-intel
```

## README

# Hacker News Intel

Monitor Hacker News for keywords. On each run, fetch new posts via the HN Algolia API, deduplicate against a local SQLite cache, and send Slack alerts for unseen matches. Run manually or schedule via cron or GitHub Actions.

---

## Step 1: Check Setup

**1a. Verify required environment variables**

Check that these are set:
- `HN_KEYWORDS` (required): comma-separated list of keywords to monitor
- `SLACK_WEBHOOK` (required): Slack Incoming Webhook URL for alerts

If either is missing, stop and tell the user:
- `HN_KEYWORDS`: list the topics you want to monitor, comma-separated. Example: `claude code,LLM agents,deno runtime`
- `SLACK_WEBHOOK`: create an Incoming Webhook at https://api.slack.com/apps. Select your workspace, enable Incoming Webhooks, and copy the URL.

**1b. Verify script dependencies**

```bash
ls /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel/node_modules/better-sqlite3 2>/dev/null
```

If missing:

```bash
cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && npm install
```

---

## Step 2: Run the Monitor

```bash
cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js
```

**Flags:**
- `--dry-run`: print matches to stdout without sending any Slack alerts. Use this to preview what would be alerted before committing.
- `--days=N`: on the first run, look back N days (default: 1). Only applies when the SQLite cache is empty.
- `--reset`: clear the cache and start fresh. Use when you change your keyword list significantly.

**What the script does:**
1. Reads `HN_KEYWORDS` from environment, splits by comma, trims whitespace
2. Opens (or creates) a SQLite database at the path in `HN_DB_PATH` (default: `./hn-intel.db`)
3. For each keyword, calls `https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date` with `numericFilters=created_at_i>lastSeen`
4. For each result, checks if the `objectID` is already in `seen_posts` — skips if yes
5. If `HN_MIN_POINTS` is set, skips posts below that threshold
6. For new matching posts, sends a Slack alert and inserts the `objectID` into the cache
7. Updates `poll_log` with the run summary
8. Prints a summary to stdout

---

## Step 3: Review Results

After the script runs, read its stdout output. It will report:

```
Run complete.
  Keywords checked: N
  Posts found: N
  Posts alerted: N
  Posts skipped (already seen): N
  Errors: N
```

If `Posts found: 0` and you expect results, check:
- Are the keywords specific enough? Very broad terms (e.g. "AI") may return 0 results if HN Algolia returns too many and the time window is narrow
- Is the `--days` window large enough for the first run? Try `--days=7`
- Is the DB cache too aggressive? Try `--reset` to clear it and rerun

If `Posts alerted: 0` but `Posts found: N`, the deduplication is working — those posts were seen in a previous run.

---

## Step 4: Schedule the Monitor

**Option A: cron (macOS/Linux)**

Add to crontab to run every 4 hours:

```bash
crontab -e
```

Add this line (adjust the path to match your install):

```
0 */4 * * * cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js >> /tmp/hn-intel.log 2>&1
```

**Option B: GitHub Actions (recommended for teams)**

Create `.github/workflows/hn-intel.yml` in any repo:

```yaml
name: HN Intel Monitor
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 */4 * * *'
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  monitor:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install
        working-directory: hackernews-intel
      - name: Run monitor
        run: node scripts/monitor-hn.js
        working-directory: hackernews-intel
        env:
          HN_KEYWORDS: ${{ secrets.HN_KEYWORDS }}
          SLACK_WEBHOOK: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}
          HN_MIN_POINTS: ${{ secrets.HN_MIN_POINTS }}
```

Add `HN_KEYWORDS`, `SLACK_WEBHOOK`, and optionally `HN_MIN_POINTS` as repository secrets.

Note: GitHub Actions does not persist files between runs, so the SQLite cache resets each run. This means every run will find all posts within the default 1-day lookback window again. For persistent dedup on GitHub Actions, store the DB in a persistent location (S3, artifact cache, or a dedicated branch).

---

## Step 5: Tune Keywords and Thresholds

**Adding or changing keywords:**
Update `HN_KEYWORDS` in your `.env` or environment. No restart needed — the script reads it fresh each run.

**Setting a minimum points threshold:**
Set `HN_MIN_POINTS=10` to only alert on posts with 10 or more points. This cuts noise for broad keywords.

**Including comments (not just stories):**
Set `HN_INCLUDE_COMMENTS=true` to also monitor comments mentioning the keyword. Off by default — comments generate significantly more volume.

**Resetting the cache:**
Run `node scripts/monitor-hn.js --reset` to clear `seen_posts` and `poll_log`. The next run fetches fresh from the lookback window.

**Testing a new keyword:**
Run `node scripts/monitor-hn.js --dry-run --days=7` to see the last 7 days of matching posts without alerting anyone.