Daily Show HN competitor tracker in Notion

PromptCreate

Every morning at 9am ET (cron), build me a competitive intel tracker that watches new Show HN launches and logs the ones in my product space to a Notion database.

During setup, ask me to describe my product space and a few keywords so you know what counts as a competitor (for example: "AI agents for sales", "open-source CRMs", "developer tools for Postgres"). Also ask for the Notion database I want rows written to. The database should have columns for: Date, Product Name, URL, Points, Comment Count, HN Discussion Link, Brief, and Threat Level (low / watch / high). If any columns are missing, tell me which ones to add.

On each run:

1. Use Hacker News "Get Show HN Stories" to pull the latest Show HN story ids.

2. For each story id, use Hacker News "Get Item" to hydrate it with title, URL, author, points, comment count, and self-text. Only consider stories posted in the last 24 hours.

3. Drop anything off-topic. A launch counts as on-topic if its title, link, or self-text clearly overlaps with the product space and keywords I described during setup. When in doubt, lean toward skipping it. Off-topic launches are not logged.

4. For each matching launch, fetch the top few comment threads via "Get Item" so you can read unfiltered community reactions (head-to-head comparisons with existing tools, pricing feedback, criticism, distribution notes).

5. Write a short brief (4 to 8 sentences) covering: what the product does, who it's for, notable feedback or criticism from the comments, and how it overlaps with or differs from my product.

6. Assign a threat level tag: "low" (adjacent or early, not a direct overlap), "watch" (overlapping space, worth tracking), or "high" (direct competitor with real traction or strong reception).

7. Before writing the row, query the Notion database for entries already logged in the last 7 days and skip the launch if it's a duplicate (match on the launch URL or HN discussion link) so the tracker stays clean.

8. Use Notion "Create a Page" in the designated database with one row per matching launch. Fill in Date (today), Product Name, URL (the linked product), Points, Comment Count, HN Discussion Link (the news.ycombinator.com/item?id=… URL), Brief, and Threat Level.

If no launches match on a given day, do nothing (no empty rows, no notification). If anything fails (Notion column mismatch, missing access, etc.), surface a clear error in the run output so I can fix it.

What does this prompt do?

Watches the latest Show HN launches each morning and skips anything outside the product space you describe.
Reads the top community comment threads so the brief captures real reactions, not just the founder's pitch.
Writes a short brief covering what the product does, who it's for, notable feedback, and how it overlaps with yours.
Logs a clean row in your Notion database with date, product, link, points, comment count, the brief, and a threat level tag.

What do I need to use this?

A Notion workspace with a database set up for competitive tracking, ideally with columns for date, product name, URL, points, comment count, the brief, and a threat level tag.
A short description of your product space and a few keywords (e.g. "AI sales agents", "open-source CRM", "developer tools") so the agent knows what counts as a competitor.
No Hacker News account needed. The data is public.

How can I customize it?

Change the time of day, or run it more than once a day if launches in your space move fast.
Update the product space and keywords as you expand into new categories or shift positioning.
Add columns to the Notion database (founder name, tech stack, pricing, geography) and the agent will fill them in too.
Swap the destination for a different Notion database, a Slack channel, or both.

FAQs

How does the agent decide a launch is actually a competitor?

You describe your product space and a few keywords during setup. The agent reads each Show HN post's title, link, and self-text and only logs launches that overlap with that description. Off-topic launches are skipped silently.

Why pull the comments instead of just the launch post?

Show HN comment threads are often more useful than the post itself. They include head-to-head comparisons with existing tools, unfiltered criticism, and pricing or distribution feedback the founder would never highlight. The agent reads the top threads so the brief reflects real community reaction.

What is the threat level tag?

Each logged launch gets a simple "low", "watch", or "high" tag based on how closely it overlaps with your positioning, how much traction it picked up, and what the community is saying. It lets you skim the Notion database and triage at a glance.

Will the same launch get logged twice?

No. Before writing a new row, the agent checks the Notion database for launches already logged that week and skips duplicates so the tracker stays clean.

Can I send the briefs somewhere other than Notion?

Yes. Notion is the default because competitive intel teams already live there, but you can swap the destination for Slack, Linear, Airtable, or a Google Doc. Just describe where you want the briefs to go when you set it up.

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