Headline Vibes Analysis MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that analyzes sentiment in news headlines from major US publications. The server provides both a standard date-based interface and natural language date parsing for easier use.

Features

• Analyzes up to 100 headlines per request
• Even distribution of headlines across major US news sources
• Sentiment scoring on a 0-10 scale (0 = most negative, 10 = most positive)
• Natural language date parsing (e.g., “yesterday”, “last Friday”)
• Detailed source distribution information
• Sample headlines included in results

Prerequisites

• Node.js v16 or higher
• NewsAPI key (get one at https://newsapi.org)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/fred-em/headline-vibes.git
cd headline-vibes

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the server:

npm run build

4. Configure your NewsAPI key in your MCP settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "headline-vibes": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/headline-vibes/build/index.mjs"],
      "env": {
        "NEWS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

analyze_headlines

Analyze sentiment using natural language date input or specific dates.

Example usage:

// Using natural language
{
  "name": "analyze_headlines",
  "arguments": {
    "input": "yesterday"
  }
}

// Or using specific dates
{
  "name": "analyze_headlines",
  "arguments": {
    "input": "2025-02-11"
  }
}

Input examples:

• “last Friday”
• “3 days ago”
• “March 10th”
• “two weeks ago”
• “2025-02-11” (YYYY-MM-DD format also supported)

Response Format

The tool returns results in the following format:

{
  "score": "6.50",              // Normalized sentiment score (0-10)
  "synopsis": "Overall positive sentiment in today's headlines",
  "headlines_analyzed": 100,    // Number of headlines analyzed
  "sources_analyzed": 12,       // Number of unique sources
  "source_distribution": {      // Distribution of headlines by source
    "Reuters": 10,
    "Associated Press": 8,
    "CNN": 9,
    // ... etc
  },
  "sample_headlines": [         // Up to 5 sample headlines
    "Example headline 1",
    "Example headline 2",
    // ... etc
  ]
}

News Sources

The server pulls headlines from major US news sources including:

• Associated Press
• Reuters
• CNN
• Fox News
• NBC News
• ABC News
• Wall Street Journal
• Washington Post
• USA Today
• Bloomberg
• Business Insider
• Time

Error Handling

The server provides clear error messages for common issues:

• Invalid date formats
• Unparseable natural language queries
• No headlines found for the specified date
• API errors from NewsAPI

Development

To run the server in watch mode during development:

npm run watch

License

MIT