# hacker-news-strategy

Guides coding assistants on preparing Hacker News launches, Show HN submissions, and technical discussions without triggering spam flags.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 87
- Author: jonathimer
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-03-03
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/hacker-news-strategy

## What it does

This skill instructs the agent on presenting software to the Hacker News community. It provides specific rules for Show HN, Launch HN, and standard technical submissions, replacing PR hype with factual metrics and architectural details.

The workflow accounts for community mechanics, including peak posting windows (6-9 AM PT or 10 AM-12 PM PT) and author comment templates. If `.agents/developer-audience-context.md` is present in the repository, the skill consults it first.

Coordinated upvoting rings trigger algorithmic penalties and account flags. The community values technical depth, so trying to sneak in ads will bury the submission quickly.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --skill hacker-news-strategy -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/hacker-news-strategy/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --skill hacker-news-strategy -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --skill hacker-news-strategy -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install jonathimer/devmarketing-skills hacker-news-strategy
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --skill hacker-news-strategy -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --path skills/hacker-news-strategy
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add jonathimer/devmarketing-skills --skill hacker-news-strategy -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- format Show HN titles with factual details instead of marketing buzzwords
- draft the initial author comment detailing technical context
- schedule posts during peak Pacific Time activity windows
- respond constructively to critical comments without being defensive

## Example prompts
- Help me write a Show HN title and intro comment for my project
- Why did my Hacker News submission fail to gain traction?
- Review this post draft against Hacker News guidelines

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: b66160b34deeb400.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE b66160b34deeb400
```text
---
name: hacker-news-strategy
description: When the user wants to promote on Hacker News, launch on HN, or understand what works on HN. Trigger phrases include "Hacker News," "HN post," "Show HN," "HN strategy," "getting upvotes on HN," "HN launch," or "why did my HN post die."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
---

# Hacker News Strategy

Hacker News is the most influential developer community — and the easiest to get wrong. This skill covers what actually works, what gets you flagged, and how to build authentic presence.

---

## Before You Start

1. Read `.agents/developer-audience-context.md` if it exists
2. Check if the product/content is genuinely interesting to HN's audience (hackers, founders, deep tech enthusiasts)
3. Be honest: HN users can smell marketing from miles away

---

## Understanding HN's Culture

### Who's Actually on Hacker News

| Segment | What they care about |
|---------|---------------------|
| Founders | Fundraising, growth tactics, startup war stories |
| Senior engineers | Deep technical content, architecture, systems |
| Tech leads | Engineering management, team scaling, processes |
| Indie hackers | Solo projects, bootstrapping, revenue |
| Researchers | AI/ML, distributed systems, PLT, security |

### What HN Values

- **Technical depth** over marketing polish
- **Genuine novelty** over incremental updates
- **Transparency** over corporate speak
- **Building in public** over stealth launches
- **Contrarian insights** over conventional wisdom

### What HN Hates

- Self-promotion disguised as content
- Clickbait headlines
- Corporate PR speak
- Engagement bait ("What do you think?")
- Anything that feels like an ad

---

## Post Types and When to Use Them

### Show HN

**Use when**: You built something and want feedback from the community.

| Requirement | Details |
|-------------|---------|
| Must be something people can try | Live demo, downloadable, or detailed walkthrough |
| Must be new | Not a repost or minor update |
| Creator must be available | Answer questions in comments for 2-3 hours |
| Title format | "Show HN: [Name] – [One-line description]" |

**Good Show HN examples**:
- "Show HN: I built a SQLite extension for vector search"
- "Show HN: Open source Heroku alternative written in Rust"
- "Show HN: Real-time collaborative code editor in the browser"

**Bad Show HN examples**:
- "Show HN: My startup just raised $5M" (not something to try)
- "Show HN: We updated our pricing page" (not interesting)
- "Show HN: Check out our new feature" (too vague)

### Launch HN

**Use when**: Major company launch or significant funding announcement.

| Guideline | Details |
|-----------|---------|
| Include technical details | What's under the hood, architectural decisions |
| Share the journey | How you got here, lessons learned |
| Be available | Founders should answer questions personally |
| Avoid PR speak | Write like a human, not a press release |

### Regular Submissions
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE b66160b34deeb400

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the b66160b34deeb400 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2958 of 10862 bytes. © jonathimer · MIT · https://github.com/jonathimer/devmarketing-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/hacker-news-strategy/SKILL.md

_Part of the page did not fit — see the HTML version._

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md