https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news
Browser extension for submitting to Hacker News with smart title optimization, duplicate detection, and built-in guidelines. Supports Brave, Chrome, Edge & Firefox.
https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news
brave-browser browser-extension chrome-extension chromium edge-extension firefox-addon hacker-news hackernews hn manifest-v3 productivity webextension
Last synced: 14 days ago
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Browser extension for submitting to Hacker News with smart title optimization, duplicate detection, and built-in guidelines. Supports Brave, Chrome, Edge & Firefox.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news
- Owner: wbnns
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-09-06T00:38:36.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-09-06T12:20:11.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-09-06T12:24:56.443Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: brave-browser, browser-extension, chrome-extension, chromium, edge-extension, firefox-addon, hacker-news, hackernews, hn, manifest-v3, productivity, webextension
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage:
- Size: 210 KB
- Stars: 2
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Submit to Hacker News
A powerful browser extension that enhances your Hacker News submission experience with smart title optimization, duplicate detection, and built-in guidelines.
  
## ✨ Features
- **🚀 One-click submission** with keyboard shortcut (`Ctrl+Shift+H` / `Cmd+Shift+H`)
- **🧠 Smart title optimization** following HN guidelines automatically
- **🔍 Efficient duplicate detection** using HN's domain search (finds highest-scored version)
- **📖 Built-in HN guidelines** with helpful tooltip
- **✏️ Editable titles** with intelligent placeholder behavior
- **🎨 Clean, professional UI** inspired by modern design systems
- **⚡ Ultra-fast performance** with background processing
## 🎯 Perfect For
- **HN Regular Contributors** - Submit with confidence following community guidelines
- **Content Creators** - Avoid duplicate submissions and optimize titles
- **Developers & Researchers** - Quick submission workflow with keyboard shortcuts
- **HN Newcomers** - Learn submission best practices with built-in guidance
## 📸 Screenshots
### Main Interface
The extension shows your page title (optimized for HN guidelines) with an editable field:
```
🟠 Submit to Hacker News
Page: "10 Amazing Python Tips - TechBlog"
URL: https://techblog.com/python-tips
Title (editable): Python Tips [optimized ✨]
[Submit]
```
### Duplicate Detection
When duplicates are found, see the most popular existing submission:
```
Already submitted!
Show HN: My Python Learning Tool
47 points, 23 comments, 3 days ago
[View Discussion]
```
## 🚀 Installation
### Chrome Web Store ⭐ **Recommended**
Install directly from the official Chrome Web Store:
**[🔗 Install for Chrome, Edge & Brave](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/submit-to-hacker-news/alleeofhkkjaiaelnpobphljpfelfiin)**
### Firefox Add-ons ⭐ **Recommended**
Install directly from the official Mozilla Add-ons store:
**[🔗 Install for Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/submit-to-hacker-news/)**
### Manual Installation (Developer Mode)
For developers or if you want to modify the extension:
#### Chrome, Edge, Brave
1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open your browser's extensions page:
- Chrome: `chrome://extensions/`
- Edge: `edge://extensions/`
- Brave: `brave://extensions/`
3. Enable "Developer mode"
4. Click "Load unpacked" and select the **`chromium/`** folder
5. The extension will appear in your toolbar
#### Firefox
1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open Firefox and go to `about:debugging`
3. Click "This Firefox" in the left sidebar
4. Click "Load Temporary Add-on..."
5. Select the **`firefox/manifest.json`** file
6. The extension will appear in your toolbar
## ⌨️ Usage
### Quick Start
1. **Navigate** to any webpage you want to submit
2. **Press** `Ctrl+Shift+H` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+Shift+H` (Mac)
3. **Review/edit** the optimized title
4. **Click "Submit"** or press `Ctrl+Enter`
### Features in Detail
**Title Optimization:**
- Removes site names (shown automatically by HN)
- Converts "10 Ways to..." → "How to..."
- Removes excessive punctuation and promotional language
- Shows before/after comparison when changes are made
**Duplicate Detection:**
- Uses HN's efficient `/from?site=domain` endpoint (single request)
- Finds all submissions from the same domain, matches exact URL
- Shows highest-scoring version if multiple submissions exist
- Displays existing discussion stats and direct link
- Fast and respectful to HN's servers
**Built-in Guidelines:**
- Click "Guidelines" for comprehensive HN submission rules
- Covers what to submit, title formatting, and community standards
- Helps newcomers learn HN culture and best practices
## 🛠️ Development
### Project Structure
```
submit-to-hacker-news/
├── chromium/ # Chrome, Edge, Brave extension
│ ├── manifest.json # Manifest V3
│ ├── popup.html # Extension popup interface
│ ├── popup.js # Main functionality and logic
│ └── icons/ # Extension icons (16px to 128px)
├── firefox/ # Firefox extension
│ ├── manifest.json # Manifest V2 (named for Mozilla validation)
│ ├── popup.html # Extension popup interface
│ ├── popup.js # Main functionality and logic
│ └── icons/ # Extension icons (16px to 128px)
├── docs/ # GitHub Pages website
└── README.md # This file
```
### Key Technologies
- **Manifest V3** (Chrome) / **Manifest V2** (Firefox)
- **Vanilla JavaScript** (no dependencies)
- **HN Firebase API** for duplicate detection
- **CSS Grid/Flexbox** for responsive layout
### Local Development
1. Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news.git
cd submit-to-hacker-news
```
2. Load in browser:
- **Chromium browsers**: Load the `chromium/` folder
- **Firefox**: Load `firefox/manifest.json`
3. Make changes to the appropriate folder and reload the extension to test
### Building Packages
```bash
# Chrome Web Store package
cd chromium && zip -r ../submit-to-hacker-news-chromium.zip . -x "*.DS_Store"
# Mozilla Add-ons package
cd firefox && zip -r ../submit-to-hacker-news-firefox.zip . -x "*.DS_Store"
```
### Testing
- Test on various websites (blogs, GitHub repos, documentation)
- Verify duplicate detection with known HN submissions
- Check title optimization with different formatting patterns
- Test keyboard shortcuts and accessibility
## 🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Please see our [Contributing Guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.
### Quick Contribution Guide
1. **Fork** the repository
2. **Create** a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
3. **Commit** your changes (`git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'`)
4. **Push** to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
5. **Open** a Pull Request
### Development Philosophy
- **User-first design** - prioritize submission experience
- **Performance matters** - keep the extension fast and responsive
- **Follow HN culture** - respect community guidelines and norms
- **Clean code** - maintain readable, well-documented code
## 📋 Roadmap
- [x] **Chrome Web Store** and **Firefox Add-ons** publication ✅
- [ ] **Custom submission templates** for different content types
- [ ] **Submission history** and analytics
- [ ] **Dark mode** support
- [ ] **Multi-language** title optimization
- [ ] **Advanced duplicate detection** with URL variants
## 🐛 Known Issues
- Duplicate detection is limited to recent stories (last ~1000 submissions)
- Some dynamic websites may not provide accurate titles initially
- Keyboard shortcuts may conflict with browser/OS shortcuts in rare cases
## 📄 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
## 🙏 Acknowledgments
- **Hacker News** for providing the public API
- **HN moderators** for maintaining the community and guidelines
- **Firebase** for hosting the HN data
- The **HN community** for inspiration and feedback
- **Contributors** who help improve this extension
## 📧 Support
- **Issues**: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news/issues)
- **Features**: [Feature Requests](https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news/issues/new?assignees=&labels=enhancement&template=feature_request.md)
- **Bugs**: [Bug Reports](https://github.com/wbnns/submit-to-hacker-news/issues/new?assignees=&labels=bug&template=bug_report.md)
- **Privacy**: [Terms of Use and Privacy Policy](PRIVACY.md)
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**Made with ❤️ by [wbnns](https://x.com/wbnns) for the Hacker News community**