How fast does FishOut see a new HN comment?

Within about 15 minutes on a Fast keyword (from Plus), or within the hour otherwise. It is not real time.

How many Fast keywords do I get?

Plus includes 5, Pro 50 and Business 150. They apply to Reddit, Hacker News and Bluesky.

Should the assistant reply on HN for me?

No, and it cannot: FishOut has no posting tool. On HN especially, the reply has to come from you.

Playbook · Every 15 minutes on launch day, then off

Watch your Show HN launch with an assistant

A Show HN thread is decided in its first few hours. This playbook makes your product a Fast keyword the day before, then has your assistant check new comments, separate questions from criticism, and draft technical answers you post yourself.

Start free Connect your assistant

[01] THE PROMPT/ COPY IT

Paste this

Fill in the {{braces}}. Run below: Codex.

prompt

We are launching {{product}} on Show HN at {{time}}. First, update our {{product}} keyword so fast is on for Hacker News. Then, each time I ask, list new Hacker News mentions since the last check, newest first. Sort them into questions, bugs and criticism. For questions and bugs, request a technical reply draft. Never post. Flag any comment that is getting replies faster than the rest.

[02] WHAT IT CALLS/ 4 TOOLS

Tools and arguments

1 of 4 read only.

ToolWhat it does hereArguments

update_keywordasks first
Fast checks Hacker News every 15 minutes instead of hourly. From Plus; asks first.
fast: true, platforms: ["hackernews"]
list_mentionsread-only
New HN comments since the last check, newest first.
filter: {"platforms":["hackernews"],"from":"<last check>","sort":"newest"}
request_reply_draftwrite
Technical register, no marketing, disclosed.
tone: "technical"
refresh_keywordwrite
Asks for an immediate collection when you know a big thread just started.
—

[03] A RUN/ FIXTURE

What comes back

Fixture data.

Codex · terminalfishout · mcp

Launch check — anything new on the Show HN thread?

list_mentionsread-onlyarguments

{
  "filter": {
    "platforms": [
      "hackernews"
    ],
    "from": "2026-10-20T15:00:00Z",
    "sort": "newest"
  },
  "limit": 20
}

request_reply_draftwritearguments

{
  "mentionId": "mnt_…",
  "tone": "technical"
}

Show HN: Lanternlogmossgrove12m

How does this differ from just tailing logs into SQLite?

Reply nowQuestionComparison

Show HN: Lanternlogtarnfield25m

Install script fails on Alpine

Reply nowHas a problem

Seven new comments: 3 questions, 1 bug, 3 general. The SQLite comparison is the most-replied and needs an answer now — draft attached, technical, no link. The Alpine failure is real: musl, not glibc. Draft acknowledges and gives the workaround.

[04] GUARDRAILS/ LIMITS

You answer, as yourself

HN expects the maker in the thread. Drafts are a starting point; post them from your own account and edit freely.

No links, no superlatives

The thread already links your product. A reply that sells reads as astroturf and gets flagged.

Turn Fast off after

Fast keywords are a limited allowance. Ask the assistant to switch it back off when the thread goes quiet.

[05] SCHEDULE IT/ CRON

A prompt runs once

Every 15 minutes on launch day, then off: Codex, OpenClaw or Hermes Agent.

Hermes Agent · cron expression

hermes cron create "*/15 * * * *" \
  "We are launching {{product}} on Show HN at {{time}}"

Or let FishOut do the scheduled part

With Fast on, FishOut checks Hacker News every 15 minutes and can alert a channel on each new comment. The assistant adds the sorting and the drafts.

[06] NO ASSISTANT/ RULES

“Launch thread to #launch” as a rule

No prompt at all: a FishOut agent rule (from Plus) does the routine half.

Launch thread to #launch23 runs / 24h

When

Every triaged mention

Platform is Hacker News

Keyword is Lanternlog

Then

Post to Slack #launch

Draft a reply

Questions

Where these mentions come from

Hacker News MCP Hacker News: Buyer intent Hacker News: Product feedback

Next playbooks

All 8

Public bug reports to issues Weekly share-of-voice report