Zen Hacker News

A calmer way to read Hacker News. Less noise, more focus.

Hacker News is one of the best places on the internet for thoughtful discussion—but let's be honest, it hasn't had a visual update in more than a decade. Zen HN changes that. This extension restyles Hacker News with clean typography, comfortable spacing, and a layout designed for reading. It's the same HN you know, just easier on the eyes and more enjoyable to use. FULL KEYBOARD NAVIGATION Keyboard navigation for Zen HN goes beyond simple shortcuts. Navigate through posts and comments entirely using your keyboard—no mouse required. Move through stories, expand threads, and browse discussions without ever leaving the home row. DISCOVER SOMETHING NEW Rediscover interesting threads from the past. Hit the Random button to surface an interesting post from HN's archives. It's a great way to find gems you missed or rediscover classic discussions. MAKE IT YOURS Color Modes Switch between light and dark themes, or let Zen HN sync automatically with your system preferences. Whether you're reading in bright daylight or late at night, there's a mode that fits. More than 20 themes Choose from a curated collection of over 20 themes to choose from. Find the reading experiences that works best for you. Typography Controls Adjust the typeface and size to your liking. Some prefer larger text for comfortable reading; others want more content density. Zen HN lets you decide. OPEN SOURCE Zen HN is open source and available on GitHub. Contributions, feedback, and feature requests are welcome. GitHub: github.com/samsolomon/zen-hn DISCLAIMER This is a personal project. It is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by Y Combinator. UPDATES 0.1.1 - Fix shortcuts around comment replies - Fix switch component overlapping container 0.2.0 - Added optional text sidebar - Added sidebar visibility controls 0.2.1 - Adds setting for auto-detect url title - Submission click area fix