hn-launch-kit

Data-driven Show HN/Launch HN post optimization powered by 50k+ historical submissions and LLM analysis.

What is this?

hn-launch-kit analyzes your GitHub repository and generates optimized Hacker News launch posts before you submit. It uses patterns from 50k+ historical Show HN/Launch HN posts combined with LLM analysis to suggest compelling titles, identify narrative hooks, recommend optimal timing, and predict engagement scores—turning your launch into a data-informed decision instead of a guessing game.

Features

• Repository Analysis — Automatically extracts problem statement, key differentiators, and technical depth from your GitHub project
• Title Optimization — Generates 3+ title variants with predicted engagement scores based on historical HN patterns
• Post Templates — Auto-generates Show HN submission text with proven narrative structure
• Engagement Prediction — Scores your launch potential based on project maturity, GitHub metrics, and timing
• Launch Checklist — Provides a pre-submission validation checklist tailored to your project type
• A/B Testing Module — Compare title variants before posting with engagement projections
• Web Dashboard — Paste a GitHub URL and get a complete launch report with recommendations

Quick Start

Installation

pip install hn-launch-kit

CLI Usage

# Analyze a local repository
hn-launch-kit analyze ./my-project

# Output scored title variants and launch recommendations
hn-launch-kit suggest --url https://github.com/user/project

# Start the web dashboard
hn-launch-kit serve

Configuration

Create a .env file:

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
HN_DB_PATH=./hn_posts.db

See .env.example for all configuration options.

Usage Examples

CLI Analysis

$ hn-launch-kit analyze ./my-repo
📊 Repository Analysis
├─ Problem: Real-time data pipeline visualization
├─ Maturity: Production-ready
├─ GitHub Stars: 342
└─ Last commit: 2 days ago

🎯 Title Variants (ranked by predicted HN engagement)
1. "Show HN: Streams – Real-time data pipeline UI that scales to 100k+ events/sec" (Expected score: 287)
2. "Show HN: Streams – Visualize data pipelines in real-time without the complexity" (Expected score: 254)
3. "Show HN: We built a real-time pipeline dashboard after our startup's tool failed us" (Expected score: 216)

⏰ Timing Recommendation: Tuesday 10am ET (optimal for your project category)

Web Dashboard

$ hn-launch-kit serve
# Open http://localhost:8000
# Paste GitHub URL → Get full launch report with checklist

Tech Stack

• Backend: Python, FastAPI
• LLM Analysis: OpenAI/Claude API
• Database: SQLite (HN historical data)
• Frontend: HTML/Vanilla JS
• CLI: Click/Typer
• Testing: pytest

License

MIT

See MONETIZATION.md for pricing and distribution strategy.