Turn Hacker News into a REST + MCP endpoint

Writ turns the Hacker News actions you already do in a browser into a callable REST endpoint your software (and your AI agents) can call.

curl -X POST https://api.usewrit.app/v1/hackernews/run \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer wt_8f2c...a91" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "input": { "query": "your search term" } }'

Record the Hacker News task once (open the front page, then read stories and points) and call it as a REST endpoint and an MCP tool. No backend project, no waiting on Hacker News to ship an API.

1. 1
   Record the Hacker News task once

   Open the recorder and open the front page on Hacker News in a real browser. Writ captures each step, including login and 2FA, into a reusable workflow.

2. 2
   Publish it as an endpoint

   One click turns the workflow into a callable REST endpoint at /v1/hackernews/run and a matching MCP tool. Inputs become a typed schema.

3. 3
   Call it from anything

   Call Hacker News from your code, a no-code tool, or an AI agent. Run it on your own machine for free, or on metered cloud.

Read the REST API docs, see what's possible on workflows, or search for another site. Free to start. See pricing.

Hacker News has an API, but Hacker News has a read-only Firebase API for items; the front-page ranking and live points are read in the browser for monitoring.

Writ closes that gap. Record the Hacker News task once (or describe it to an AI session) and publish it as a REST endpoint at /v1/hackernews/run and a matching MCP tool. Writ runs on your own accounts, with your own credentials and data, on sites you are authorized to use.

Each operation below is a real Hacker News action recorded into a workflow and exposed as a typed endpoint.

Returns structured fields such as story title, points, comment count, author: typed JSON, not raw page text.

POST your inputs, get structured output. Authenticate every call with a scoped wt_ key.

curl -X POST https://api.usewrit.app/v1/hackernews/run \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer wt_8f2c...a91" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "input": { "query": "your search term" } }'

import requests

r = requests.post(
    "https://api.usewrit.app/v1/hackernews/run",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer wt_8f2c...a91"},
    json={"input": {"query": "your search term"}},
)
print(r.json()["output"])

{
  "run_id": "run_hack_7b21",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "output": {
    "story_title": "...",
    "points": "...",
    "comment_count": "..."
  }
}

The reason Hacker News has no usable API is the same reason it's hard to automate. Writ handles it.

Hacker News pages are public; Writ renders them in real Chromium to capture front-page ranking and point counts as they change.

Pick whichever fits the task. All three produce the same callable workflow.

Built on the same engine as the recorder and workflows.

Monitor Hacker News for new story matching a query, points threshold, front-page entry and fire this endpoint the instant something changes.

Monitors check as fast as every 10s (10s on Enterprise). A detected change becomes an automation trigger that runs your workflow in seconds. Monitor Hacker News ▸

Build a Hacker News API

Record it once, then call it from your software and your AI agents. Get started free.