hn-digest
Fetch and send Hacker News front-page posts on demand. Use when the user asks for HN, says 'hn', 'pull HN', 'hn 10', or specifies a topic like 'hn health', 'hn hacking', or 'hn tech'. Sends N (default 5) posts as individual messages with Title + Link. Exclude crypto.
Best use case
hn-digest is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Fetch and send Hacker News front-page posts on demand. Use when the user asks for HN, says 'hn', 'pull HN', 'hn 10', or specifies a topic like 'hn health', 'hn hacking', or 'hn tech'. Sends N (default 5) posts as individual messages with Title + Link. Exclude crypto.
Teams using hn-digest should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/hn-digest/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How hn-digest Compares
| Feature / Agent | hn-digest | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Fetch and send Hacker News front-page posts on demand. Use when the user asks for HN, says 'hn', 'pull HN', 'hn 10', or specifies a topic like 'hn health', 'hn hacking', or 'hn tech'. Sends N (default 5) posts as individual messages with Title + Link. Exclude crypto.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# HN Digest
## Command format
Interpret a user message that starts with `hn` as a request for a Hacker News front-page digest.
Supported forms:
- `hn` → default 5 posts
- `hn <n>` → n posts
- `hn <topic>` → filter/boost by topic
- `hn <n> <topic>` → both
- If the user asks for “more” after already seeing some (e.g. “show me top 10–15 since we already did top 10”), treat it as an offset request and use `--offset` (e.g. offset 10, count 10).
Topics:
- `tech` (default)
- `health`
- `hacking`
- `life` / `lifehacks`
## Output requirements
- Do **not** send any extra commentary/preamble/epilogue.
- Send results as **individual messages**.
- Each post message must be exactly:
- first line: the post title
- second line: `<age> · <commentCount> comments` (age like `45m ago`, `6h ago`, `3d ago`)
- third line: the Hacker News comments link (`https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=...`)
- After the post messages, send **one final message** that is the generated image.
- If the chat provider requires non-empty text for media, use a minimal caption `.`.
- Hard exclude crypto.
## Procedure
1. Parse `n` and `topic` from the user message.
2. Fetch + rank items:
- Run `node skills/hn-digest/scripts/hn.mjs --count <n> --offset <offset> --topic <topic> --format json`.
- Default `offset` is 0 unless the user explicitly asks for “more/next” after a previous batch.
3. Send results as **N individual messages** in the required 3-line format.
4. Then generate a **delightful mood image** via Nano Banana, inspired by the posts you just sent:
- Use `skills/hn-digest/scripts/mood_prompt.mjs` to build a prompt from the JSON items.
- Add 3–4 subtle Easter eggs derived from the post themes (no text/logos; keep it fun).
- Generate and attach the image by running:
- `skills/hn-digest/scripts/generate_mood_nano_banana.sh ./tmp/hn-mood/hn-mood.png <topic> <n> <offset>`
- Send the generated image as one additional message.
If fetching/ranking fails or returns 0 items:
- Use `https://news.ycombinator.com/` in the browser tool, pick N non-crypto items by judgment, and send them in the same 3-line format.
- Still generate a mood image (general “HN tech deep dives” vibe) with a banana Easter egg.Related Skills
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