hackernews-intel

Name: hackernews-intel
Author: Varnan-Tech

21installs59forks

How to install hackernews-intel?

varnan-tech/opendirectory/hackernews-intel

$npx -y skills add Varnan-Tech/opendirectory --skill hackernews-intel

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Monitors Hacker News for user-configured keywords, deduplicates against a local SQLite cache, and sends Slack alerts for new matching posts. Use when asked to monitor Hacker News for mentions, track keywords on HN, get alerts when something is posted about a topic on Hacker News,

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Hacker News Intel
2
3	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.
4
5	---
6
7	## Step 1: Check Setup
8
9	1a. Verify required environment variables
10
11	Check that these are set:
12	- `HN_KEYWORDS` (required): comma-separated list of keywords to monitor
13	- `SLACK_WEBHOOK` (required): Slack Incoming Webhook URL for alerts
14
15	If either is missing, stop and tell the user:
16	- `HN_KEYWORDS`: list the topics you want to monitor, comma-separated. Example: `claude code,LLM agents,deno runtime`
17	- `SLACK_WEBHOOK`: create an Incoming Webhook at https://api.slack.com/apps. Select your workspace, enable Incoming Webhooks, and copy the URL.
18
19	1b. Verify script dependencies
20
21	```bash
22	ls /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel/node_modules/better-sqlite3 2>/dev/null
23	```
24
25	If missing:
26
27	```bash
28	cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && npm install
29	```
30
31	---
32
33	## Step 2: Run the Monitor
34
35	```bash
36	cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js
37	```
38
39	Flags:
40	- `--dry-run`: print matches to stdout without sending any Slack alerts. Use this to preview what would be alerted before committing.
41	- `--days=N`: on the first run, look back N days (default: 1). Only applies when the SQLite cache is empty.
42	- `--reset`: clear the cache and start fresh. Use when you change your keyword list significantly.
43
44	What the script does:
45	1. Reads `HN_KEYWORDS` from environment, splits by comma, trims whitespace
46	2. Opens (or creates) a SQLite database at the path in `HN_DB_PATH` (default: `./hn-intel.db`)
47	3. For each keyword, calls `https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date` with `numericFilters=created_at_i>lastSeen`
48	4. For each result, checks if the `objectID` is already in `seen_posts` — skips if yes
49	5. If `HN_MIN_POINTS` is set, skips posts below that threshold
50	6. For new matching posts, sends a Slack alert and inserts the `objectID` into the cache
51	7. Updates `poll_log` with the run summary
52	8. Prints a summary to stdout
53
54	---
55
56	## Step 3: Review Results
57
58	After the script runs, read its stdout output. It will report:
59
60	```
61	Run complete.
62	Keywords checked: N
63	Posts found: N
64	Posts alerted: N
65	Posts skipped (already seen): N
66	Errors: N
67	```
68
69	If `Posts found: 0` and you expect results, check:
70	- 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
71	- Is the `--days` window large enough for the first run? Try `--days=7`
72	- Is the DB cache too aggressive? Try `--reset` to clear it and rerun
73
74	If `Posts alerted: 0` but `Posts found: N`, the deduplication is working — those posts were seen in a previous run.
75
76	---
77
78	## Step 4: Schedule the Monitor
79
80	Option A: cron (macOS/Linux)
81
82	Add to crontab to run every 4 hours:
83
84	```bash
85	crontab -e
86	```
87
88	Add this line (adjust the path to match your install):
89
90	```
91	0 /4 * * cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js >> /tmp/hn-intel.log 2>&1
92	```
93
94	Option B: GitHub Actions (recommended for teams)
95
96	Create `.github/workflows/hn-intel.yml` in any repo:
97
98	```yaml
99	name: HN Intel Monitor
100	on:
101	schedule:
102	- cron: '0 /4 * *'
103	workflow_dispatch:
104
105	jobs:
106	monitor:
107	runs-on: ubuntu-latest
108	steps:
109	- uses: actions/checkout@v4
110	- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
111	with:
112	node-version: '20'
113	- name: Install dependencies
114	run: npm install
115	working-directory: hackernews-intel
116	- name: Run monitor
117	run: node scripts/monitor-hn.js
118	working-directory: hackernews-intel
119	env:
120	HN_KEYWORDS: ${{ secrets.HN_KEYWORDS }}
121	SLACK_WEBHOOK: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}
122	HN_MIN_POINTS: ${{ secrets.HN_MIN_POINTS }}
123	```
124
125	Add `HN_KEYWORDS`, `SLACK_WEBHOOK`, and optionally `HN_MIN_POINTS` as repository secrets.
126
127	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).
128
129	---
130
131	## Step 5: Tune Keywords and Thresholds
132
133	Adding or changing keywords:
134	Update `HN_KEYWORDS` i

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type

hackernews-intel

21installs59forks

View on GitHub

How to install hackernews-intel?

varnan-tech/opendirectory/hackernews-intel

$npx -y skills add Varnan-Tech/opendirectory --skill hackernews-intel

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Hacker News Intel
2
3	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.
4
5	---
6
7	## Step 1: Check Setup
8
9	1a. Verify required environment variables
10
11	Check that these are set:
12	- `HN_KEYWORDS` (required): comma-separated list of keywords to monitor
13	- `SLACK_WEBHOOK` (required): Slack Incoming Webhook URL for alerts
14
15	If either is missing, stop and tell the user:
16	- `HN_KEYWORDS`: list the topics you want to monitor, comma-separated. Example: `claude code,LLM agents,deno runtime`
17	- `SLACK_WEBHOOK`: create an Incoming Webhook at https://api.slack.com/apps. Select your workspace, enable Incoming Webhooks, and copy the URL.
18
19	1b. Verify script dependencies
20
21	```bash
22	ls /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel/node_modules/better-sqlite3 2>/dev/null
23	```
24
25	If missing:
26
27	```bash
28	cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && npm install
29	```
30
31	---
32
33	## Step 2: Run the Monitor
34
35	```bash
36	cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js
37	```
38
39	Flags:
40	- `--dry-run`: print matches to stdout without sending any Slack alerts. Use this to preview what would be alerted before committing.
41	- `--days=N`: on the first run, look back N days (default: 1). Only applies when the SQLite cache is empty.
42	- `--reset`: clear the cache and start fresh. Use when you change your keyword list significantly.
43
44	What the script does:
45	1. Reads `HN_KEYWORDS` from environment, splits by comma, trims whitespace
46	2. Opens (or creates) a SQLite database at the path in `HN_DB_PATH` (default: `./hn-intel.db`)
47	3. For each keyword, calls `https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date` with `numericFilters=created_at_i>lastSeen`
48	4. For each result, checks if the `objectID` is already in `seen_posts` — skips if yes
49	5. If `HN_MIN_POINTS` is set, skips posts below that threshold
50	6. For new matching posts, sends a Slack alert and inserts the `objectID` into the cache
51	7. Updates `poll_log` with the run summary
52	8. Prints a summary to stdout
53
54	---
55
56	## Step 3: Review Results
57
58	After the script runs, read its stdout output. It will report:
59
60	```
61	Run complete.
62	Keywords checked: N
63	Posts found: N
64	Posts alerted: N
65	Posts skipped (already seen): N
66	Errors: N
67	```
68
69	If `Posts found: 0` and you expect results, check:
70	- 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
71	- Is the `--days` window large enough for the first run? Try `--days=7`
72	- Is the DB cache too aggressive? Try `--reset` to clear it and rerun
73
74	If `Posts alerted: 0` but `Posts found: N`, the deduplication is working — those posts were seen in a previous run.
75
76	---
77
78	## Step 4: Schedule the Monitor
79
80	Option A: cron (macOS/Linux)
81
82	Add to crontab to run every 4 hours:
83
84	```bash
85	crontab -e
86	```
87
88	Add this line (adjust the path to match your install):
89
90	```
91	0 /4 * * cd /Users/ksd/Desktop/Varnan_skills/hackernews-intel && node scripts/monitor-hn.js >> /tmp/hn-intel.log 2>&1
92	```
93
94	Option B: GitHub Actions (recommended for teams)
95
96	Create `.github/workflows/hn-intel.yml` in any repo:
97
98	```yaml
99	name: HN Intel Monitor
100	on:
101	schedule:
102	- cron: '0 /4 * *'
103	workflow_dispatch:
104
105	jobs:
106	monitor:
107	runs-on: ubuntu-latest
108	steps:
109	- uses: actions/checkout@v4
110	- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
111	with:
112	node-version: '20'
113	- name: Install dependencies
114	run: npm install
115	working-directory: hackernews-intel
116	- name: Run monitor
117	run: node scripts/monitor-hn.js
118	working-directory: hackernews-intel
119	env:
120	HN_KEYWORDS: ${{ secrets.HN_KEYWORDS }}
121	SLACK_WEBHOOK: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}
122	HN_MIN_POINTS: ${{ secrets.HN_MIN_POINTS }}
123	```
124
125	Add `HN_KEYWORDS`, `SLACK_WEBHOOK`, and optionally `HN_MIN_POINTS` as repository secrets.
126
127	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).
128
129	---
130
131	## Step 5: Tune Keywords and Thresholds
132
133	Adding or changing keywords:
134	Update `HN_KEYWORDS` i

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type