Hacker News MCP by Nova (CIVAI)

Is Hacker News MCP by Nova (CIVAI) server safe?

• None of the hidden-instruction wordings we know were found in its tool descriptions.
• 0 of its 12 tools are labeled read-only; the others may change or send things.
• Overall it scored 82/100 on 2 Nov 2026.

A test can only see what the server shows from outside, not what it does with your data behind the scenes. Connect servers from makers you trust.

What it can do

12 tools, in the server's own words.

Test results

Safe mode: only tools labeled read-only were run. How the test works

• !
  Ready for the newest MCP version

  1 warning

  • !Uses an older MCP version (2025-11-25). It works today, but it isn't on the July 2026 version (2026-07-28) yet.
  note
• !
  Tools are labeled safe or dangerous

  1 warning

  • !12 of 12 tools have no safety label (read-only or dangerous): top_stories, new_stories, best_stories, get_item, get_user, browse_feed, search_stories, login, session_status, upvote, post_comment, submit_story
  note
• !
  Follows MCP best practices (not scored yet)

  2 tips (not scored)

  • !12 tools not labeled read-only don't say whether running them twice is safe (idempotentHint): top_stories, new_stories, best_stories, get_item, get_user, browse_feed and 6 more
  • !12 tools don't say whether they reach outside services like the web (openWorldHint): top_stories, new_stories, best_stories, get_item, get_user, browse_feed and 6 more
  note
• !
  Resources and prompts work

  1 warning (3 resources)

  • !civai-secops://hacker_news/@public/CAPTCHA_AGENT.md: The content contains "don't tell the user". If an AI reads this, it may follow it. Check where this text comes from.
  • and 2 more
  note
• ✓
  ConnectsConnected in 194 ms
  pass
• ✓
  Lists its toolsFound 12 tools
  pass
• ✓
  Every tool is describedAll 12 tools and their inputs are described
  pass
• ✓
  No known hidden instructionsNone of the hidden-instruction wordings we know were found in tool descriptions. New wordings can get past this check.
  pass
• ✓
  Fast enough

  All good

  • ✓Connecting took 194 ms
  • ✓Listing tools took 134 ms
  pass
• –
  Tools work with good inputs

  Not tested

  • –top_stories: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –new_stories: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –best_stories: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –get_item: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –get_user: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –browse_feed: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –search_stories: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • –login: Not run: no safety label (if you own this server, test again in owner mode)
  • and 4 more
  not tested
• –
  Bad inputs give a clean errorNot tested
  not tested
• –
  Tools work togetherNo safe tool returned data to start a chain from, so chains were not tested (not counted either way)
  not tested
• –
  No secrets leakedNo error messages to check
  not tested

Test it yourself

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Show this score on GitHub

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Score over time

• 2 Nov 202682

One test so far. New tests will show here.

Reviews

Coming soon: reviews from people who use Hacker News MCP by Nova (CIVAI), signed in with GitHub, one per person. Reviews never change the score.