# How to integrate Hackernews MCP with LangChain

```json
{
  "title": "How to integrate Hackernews MCP with LangChain",
  "toolkit": "Hackernews",
  "toolkit_slug": "hackernews",
  "framework": "LangChain",
  "framework_slug": "langchain",
  "url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/langchain",
  "markdown_url": "https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/langchain.md",
  "updated_at": "2026-05-12T10:14:33.217Z"
}
```

## Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Hackernews to LangChain using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Hackernews agent that can summarize today's top hacker news stories, find recent posts about ai startups, show comments from this frontpage post through natural language commands.
This guide will help you understand how to give your LangChain agent real control over a Hackernews account through Composio's Hackernews MCP server.
Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

## Also integrate Hackernews with

- [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Agent SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-code)
- [Claude Cowork](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-cowork)
- [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/codex)
- [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/openclaw)
- [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/hermes-agent)
- [CLI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/cli)
- [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/google-adk)
- [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/ai-sdk)
- [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/mastra-ai)
- [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/llama-index)
- [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/crew-ai)

## TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
- Get and set up your OpenAI and Composio API keys
- Connect your Hackernews project to Composio
- Create a Tool Router MCP session for Hackernews
- Initialize an MCP client and retrieve Hackernews tools
- Build a LangChain agent that can interact with Hackernews
- Set up an interactive chat interface for testing

## What is LangChain?

LangChain is a framework for developing applications powered by language models. It provides tools and abstractions for building agents that can reason, use tools, and maintain conversation context.
Key features include:
- Agent Framework: Build agents that can use tools and make decisions
- MCP Integration: Connect to external services through Model Context Protocol adapters
- Memory Management: Maintain conversation history across interactions
- Multi-Provider Support: Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, and other LLM providers

## What is the Hackernews MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Hackernews MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to the Hacker News platform. It provides structured and secure access to top tech stories, user profiles, and community discussions, so your agent can fetch trending posts, search for news, analyze user activity, and surface the latest updates on your behalf.
- Frontpage highlights and trending tech stories: Instantly get the current frontpage posts so your agent can summarize or monitor what's hot in tech right now.
- Smart post search and discovery: Search Hacker News posts by keyword, filter results, and explore relevant discussions tailored to your interests.
- Real-time updates on new posts: Let your agent fetch the latest or today's posts, keeping you in the loop on breaking news and emerging trends.
- In-depth post and comment analysis: Retrieve detailed information about any specific Hacker News item, including stories and comment threads, for deeper insights.
- User profile lookup and insights: Access details about any Hacker News user, helping you analyze activity, contributions, or community reputation.

## Supported Tools

| Tool slug | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_ASK_STORIES` | Get Ask HN Story IDs | Get up to 200 latest Ask HN story IDs from Hacker News. Returns an array of item IDs for Ask HN posts in ranked order. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_BEST_STORIES` | Get Best HackerNews Stories | Get up to 500 best story IDs from HackerNews ranked by score. Returns story IDs only. Use the returned IDs with get_item_with_id action to fetch full story details. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_ITEM_WITH_ID` | Get Hacker News Item | Tool to get a Hacker News item by its unique ID from the Firebase API. Use when you need to retrieve details about a specific story, comment, job, poll, or pollopt. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_ITEM_WITH_ID` | Get Hackernews Item | Get a specific item from Hacker News using its ID. Limits response size to prevent context overflow. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_JOB_STORIES` | Get Job Story IDs | Get up to 200 latest job story IDs from Hacker News. Returns an array of item IDs for job postings that can be used to fetch full job details. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_LATEST_POSTS` | Get Latest Hackernews Posts | Get the latest posts from Hacker News based on optional filters. Results can be limited using the size parameter. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_MAX_ITEM_ID` | Get Max Item ID | Tool to get the current largest item ID from Hacker News. Use when you need to discover the most recent items or iterate through all items in the system by walking backward from this ID. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_NEW_STORIES` | Get New Hacker News Stories | Get up to 500 newest story IDs from Hacker News. Returns an array of item IDs sorted by recency (most recent first). Use these IDs with the Get Item action to retrieve full story details. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_SHOW_STORIES` | Get Show HN Stories | Tool to retrieve up to 200 latest Show HN story IDs from Hacker News. Use when you need to find recent Show HN posts where people share their projects, products, or creations. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_TOP_STORIES` | Get Top HackerNews Stories | Get up to 500 top story IDs from HackerNews including jobs. Returns story IDs sorted by front page position. Use the returned IDs with get_item_with_id action to fetch full story details. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_UPDATES` | Get Hacker News Updates | Get recently changed items and user profiles from Hacker News. Use this to monitor recent activity or updates on the platform. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_USER` | Get Hacker News User | Retrieve a Hacker News user's public profile by their username. Returns the user's username, karma score, and optional bio/about text. Use this to look up information about HN community members. |
| `HACKERNEWS_GET_USER_BY_USERNAME` | Get HackerNews User by Username | Tool to get a user profile by their case-sensitive username from the HackerNews Firebase API. Use when you need detailed user information including creation date, karma, bio, and submission history. Only users with public activity are available. |
| `HACKERNEWS_SEARCH_POSTS` | Search Hackernews Posts | Search Hacker News posts using full-text search powered by Algolia. Use this action to find stories, comments, and discussions on Hacker News matching specific keywords. Supports filtering by post type (story, comment, show_hn, ask_hn) and by author. |

## Supported Triggers

None listed.

## Creating MCP Server - Stand-alone vs Composio SDK

The Hackernews MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent to Hackernews. It provides structured and secure access so your agent can perform Hackernews operations on your behalf through a secure, permission-based interface.
With Composio's managed implementation, you don't have to create your own developer app. For production, if you're building an end product, we recommend using your own credentials. The managed server helps you prototype fast and go from 0-1 faster.

## Step-by-step Guide

### 1. Prerequisites

No description provided.

### 1. Getting API Keys for OpenAI and Composio

OpenAI API Key
- Go to the [OpenAI dashboard](https://platform.openai.com/settings/organization/api-keys) and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models, or you can connect to another model provider.
- Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
- Log in to the [Composio dashboard](https://dashboard.composio.dev?utm_source=toolkits&utm_medium=framework_docs).
- Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
- Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.

### 2. Install dependencies

No description provided.
```python
pip install composio-langchain langchain-mcp-adapters langchain python-dotenv
```

```typescript
npm install @composio/langchain @langchain/core @langchain/openai @langchain/mcp-adapters dotenv
```

### 3. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in your project root.
What's happening:
- COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates your requests to Composio's API
- COMPOSIO_USER_ID identifies the user for session management
- OPENAI_API_KEY enables access to OpenAI's language models
```bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
COMPOSIO_USER_ID=your_composio_user_id_here
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
```

### 4. Import dependencies

No description provided.
```python
from langchain_mcp_adapters.client import MultiServerMCPClient
from langchain.agents import create_agent
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
import asyncio
import os

load_dotenv()
```

```typescript
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { LangchainProvider } from '@composio/langchain';
import { MultiServerMCPClient } from "@langchain/mcp-adapters";
import { createAgent } from "langchain";
import * as readline from 'readline';
import 'dotenv/config';

dotenv.config();
```

### 5. Initialize Composio client

What's happening:
- We're loading the COMPOSIO_API_KEY from environment variables and validating it exists
- Creating a Composio instance that will manage our connection to Hackernews tools
- Validating that COMPOSIO_USER_ID is also set before proceeding
```python
async def main():
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))

    if not os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"):
        raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")
    if not os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID"):
        raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set")
```

```typescript
const composioApiKey = process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY;
const userId = process.env.COMPOSIO_USER_ID;

if (!composioApiKey) throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set');
if (!userId) throw new Error('COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set');

async function main() {
    const composio = new Composio({
        apiKey: composioApiKey as string,
        provider: new LangchainProvider()
    });
```

### 6. Create a Tool Router session

What's happening:
- We're creating a Tool Router session that gives your agent access to Hackernews tools
- The create method takes the user ID and specifies which toolkits should be available
- The returned session.mcp.url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use
- This approach allows the agent to dynamically load and use Hackernews tools as needed
```python
# Create Tool Router session for Hackernews
session = composio.create(
    user_id=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID"),
    toolkits=['hackernews']
)

url = session.mcp.url
```

```typescript
const session = await composio.create(
    userId as string,
    {
        toolkits: ['hackernews']
    }
);

const url = session.mcp.url;
```

### 7. Configure the agent with the MCP URL

No description provided.
```python
client = MultiServerMCPClient({
    "hackernews-agent": {
        "transport": "streamable_http",
        "url": session.mcp.url,
        "headers": {
            "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
        }
    }
})

tools = await client.get_tools()

agent = create_agent("gpt-5", tools)
```

```typescript
const client = new MultiServerMCPClient({
    "hackernews-agent": {
        transport: "http",
        url: url,
        headers: {
            "x-api-key": process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY
        }
    }
});

const tools = await client.getTools();

const agent = createAgent({ model: "gpt-5", tools });
```

### 8. Set up interactive chat interface

No description provided.
```python
conversation_history = []

print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n")
print("Ask any Hackernews related question or task to the agent.\n")

while True:
    user_input = input("You: ").strip()

    if user_input.lower() in ['exit', 'quit', 'bye']:
        print("\nGoodbye!")
        break

    if not user_input:
        continue

    conversation_history.append({"role": "user", "content": user_input})
    print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")

    response = await agent.ainvoke({"messages": conversation_history})
    conversation_history = response['messages']
    final_response = response['messages'][-1].content
    print(f"Agent: {final_response}\n")
```

```typescript
let conversationHistory: any[] = [];

console.log("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n");
console.log("Ask any Hackernews related question or task to the agent.\n");

const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
    prompt: 'You: '
});

rl.prompt();

rl.on('line', async (userInput: string) => {
    const trimmedInput = userInput.trim();

    if (['exit', 'quit', 'bye'].includes(trimmedInput.toLowerCase())) {
        console.log("\nGoodbye!");
        rl.close();
        process.exit(0);
    }

    if (!trimmedInput) {
        rl.prompt();
        return;
    }

    conversationHistory.push({ role: "user", content: trimmedInput });
    console.log("\nAgent is thinking...\n");

    const response = await agent.invoke({ messages: conversationHistory });
    conversationHistory = response.messages;

    const finalResponse = response.messages[response.messages.length - 1]?.content;
    console.log(`Agent: ${finalResponse}\n`);
        
        rl.prompt();
    });

    rl.on('close', () => {
        console.log('\n👋 Session ended.');
        process.exit(0);
    });
```

### 9. Run the application

No description provided.
```python
if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
```

```typescript
main().catch((err) => {
    console.error('Fatal error:', err);
    process.exit(1);
});
```

## Complete Code

```python
from langchain_mcp_adapters.client import MultiServerMCPClient
from langchain.agents import create_agent
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from composio import Composio
import asyncio
import os

load_dotenv()

async def main():
    composio = Composio(api_key=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"))
    
    if not os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY"):
        raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")
    if not os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID"):
        raise ValueError("COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set")
    
    session = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("COMPOSIO_USER_ID"),
        toolkits=['hackernews']
    )

    url = session.mcp.url
    
    client = MultiServerMCPClient({
        "hackernews-agent": {
            "transport": "streamable_http",
            "url": url,
            "headers": {
                "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
            }
        }
    })
    
    tools = await client.get_tools()
  
    agent = create_agent("gpt-5", tools)
    
    conversation_history = []
    
    print("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n")
    print("Ask any Hackernews related question or task to the agent.\n")
    
    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        
        if user_input.lower() in ['exit', 'quit', 'bye']:
            print("\nGoodbye!")
            break
        
        if not user_input:
            continue
        
        conversation_history.append({"role": "user", "content": user_input})
        print("\nAgent is thinking...\n")
        
        response = await agent.ainvoke({"messages": conversation_history})
        conversation_history = response['messages']
        final_response = response['messages'][-1].content
        print(f"Agent: {final_response}\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
```

```typescript
import { Composio } from '@composio/core';
import { LangchainProvider } from '@composio/langchain';
import { MultiServerMCPClient } from "@langchain/mcp-adapters";  
import { createAgent } from "langchain";
import * as readline from 'readline';
import 'dotenv/config';

const composioApiKey = process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY;
const userId = process.env.COMPOSIO_USER_ID;

if (!composioApiKey) throw new Error('COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set');
if (!userId) throw new Error('COMPOSIO_USER_ID is not set');

async function main() {
    const composio = new Composio({
        apiKey: composioApiKey as string,
        provider: new LangchainProvider()
    });

    const session = await composio.create(
        userId as string,
        {
            toolkits: ['hackernews']
        }
    );

    const url = session.mcp.url;
    
    const client = new MultiServerMCPClient({
        "hackernews-agent": {
            transport: "http",
            url: url,
            headers: {
                "x-api-key": process.env.COMPOSIO_API_KEY
            }
        }
    });
    
    const tools = await client.getTools();
  
    const agent = createAgent({ model: "gpt-5", tools });
    
    let conversationHistory: any[] = [];
    
    console.log("Chat started! Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end the conversation.\n");
    console.log("Ask any Hackernews related question or task to the agent.\n");
    
    const rl = readline.createInterface({
        input: process.stdin,
        output: process.stdout,
        prompt: 'You: '
    });

    rl.prompt();

    rl.on('line', async (userInput: string) => {
        const trimmedInput = userInput.trim();
        
        if (['exit', 'quit', 'bye'].includes(trimmedInput.toLowerCase())) {
            console.log("\nGoodbye!");
            rl.close();
            process.exit(0);
        }
        
        if (!trimmedInput) {
            rl.prompt();
            return;
        }
        
        conversationHistory.push({ role: "user", content: trimmedInput });
        console.log("\nAgent is thinking...\n");
        
        const response = await agent.invoke({ messages: conversationHistory });
        conversationHistory = response.messages;
        
        const finalResponse = response.messages[response.messages.length - 1]?.content;
        console.log(`Agent: ${finalResponse}\n`);
        
        rl.prompt();
    });

    rl.on('close', () => {
        console.log('\nSession ended.');
        process.exit(0);
    });
}

main().catch((err) => {
    console.error('Fatal error:', err);
    process.exit(1);
});
```

## Conclusion

You've successfully built a LangChain agent that can interact with Hackernews through Composio's Tool Router.
Key features of this implementation:
- Dynamic tool loading through Composio's Tool Router
- Conversation history maintenance for context-aware responses
- Async Python provides clean, efficient execution of agent workflows
You can extend this further by adding error handling, implementing specific business logic, or integrating additional Composio toolkits to create multi-app workflows.

## How to build Hackernews MCP Agent with another framework

- [OpenAI Agents SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/open-ai-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Agent SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-agents-sdk)
- [Claude Code](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-code)
- [Claude Cowork](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/claude-cowork)
- [Codex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/codex)
- [OpenClaw](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/openclaw)
- [Hermes](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/hermes-agent)
- [CLI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/cli)
- [Google ADK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/google-adk)
- [Vercel AI SDK](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/ai-sdk)
- [Mastra AI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/mastra-ai)
- [LlamaIndex](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/llama-index)
- [CrewAI](https://composio.dev/toolkits/hackernews/framework/crew-ai)

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## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Hackernews MCP?

With a standalone Hackernews MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Hackernews tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Hackernews and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

### Can I use Tool Router MCP with LangChain?

Yes, you can. LangChain fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Hackernews tools.

### Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Hackernews while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Hackernews scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

### How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Hackernews data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

---
[See all toolkits](https://composio.dev/toolkits) · [Composio docs](https://docs.composio.dev/llms.txt)