Draft — content compiler wedge. This page is generated by BIU's content compiler and is excluded from search indexing while it is reviewed against our quality tests. Claims are grounded in known patterns; the example company below is clearly illustrative.
Launching an open-source project on Hacker News requires a clear Show HN post with a working demo, a compelling story, and active engagement in the comments. The community rewards projects that solve real problems and are transparent about their status, but penalizes aggressive self-promotion or incomplete work.
Self-contained, quotable blocks — the decision rules a reader (or an AI answer) can lift as-is.
Avoid posting if your project is not fully functional, lacks documentation, or has no live demo. Also postpone if you cannot commit to active engagement for the first few hours. A premature post can harm your reputation and reduce chances of future success.
A Show HN is a post on Hacker News where you share something you've built that others can try out. It is not for advertising a paid product, a landing page, or a project without a working demo. The community expects to be able to interact with your creation.
1. Ensure your project is open-source and has a public repository. 2. Create a live demo or interactive sandbox that anyone can use without sign-up. 3. Write a clear title following the format: 'Show HN: [Project Name] – [One-liner describing the problem and solution]'. 4. Prepare a first comment that provides context, acknowledges limitations, and invites feedback. 5. Choose a time to post when you are available to respond for at least the next three hours.
Every claim carries its truth type, confidence, and — where you can — how to verify it yourself.
Hacker News moderators remove posts that explicitly request upvotes or coordinate voting, and repeated violations can result in a shadowban.
Verify it: Read the HN guidelines before posting.
A Show HN post without a working demo or interactive experience is substantially more likely to be flagged or ignored by the community, even if the code is complete.
Verify it: Always include a live demo or sandbox.
A Show HN title that clearly describes the problem solved and includes the 'Show HN:' prefix directly in the title yields substantially higher click-through rates than vague or product-centric titles.
Verify it: Follow the format: 'Show HN: [Project Name] – [One-liner problem/solution]'.
Responding to every comment within the first two hours of a Show HN post is the most impactful action for maintaining front-page visibility, as the ranking algorithm heavily weights recent comment activity.
Verify it: Set aside time to engage immediately after posting.
An illustrative company used to make the playbook concrete. It is not a real customer and not the evidence behind any claim — just a clear example to picture the moves.
Open-source event streaming infrastructure for developer teams.
Having a polished draft ready increases launch success by ensuring all key elements (demo, title, context comment) are prepared before posting.
BIU matches Hacker News stories, weighs community fit and risk, and drafts a substantive comment or Show HN angle for you to post. Substance over automation.
Match the right HN moment and prepare a Show HN or comment that fits the community. BIU scores fit and risk and drafts substance-first angles for you to post.
Grow a dev tool with an engineer-friendly voice: substance-first HN and Reddit, technical SEO and GEO, and fixes that ship as PRs. No silent code changes.
BIU reads public Hacker News stories to find relevant moments and draft substance-first comments or a Show HN angle. No account access, no auto-posting.
Common reasons include: no working demo, overly promotional language, or posting during a time when moderators are less active. Review the guidelines again and consider asking a friend to review your post before resubmitting.
No. The Show HN guidelines require that your submission be something people can try out. A README alone does not meet that standard. Wait until you have a deployable demo or at least a video walkthrough.
Never ask for upvotes. It violates HN's rules and will likely get your post removed. You can ask for feedback, but do so in a genuine way—e.g., 'I'd love to hear your thoughts on the architecture.'
Engage politely and address valid criticism. HN values thoughtful discussion. If the feedback is harsh but constructive, thank the commenter and explain your reasoning. Do not argue or get defensive.
Enter your URL and BIU builds your company memory, then finds, drafts, and ranks the work — you approve what ships.