No-as-a-Service

Because saying "no" apparently requires an API now.

An API service providing 1,000+ creative ways to decline requests. For those who find saying "no" requires more architectural complexity than it deserves, or who simply appreciate the precision of professionally crafted rejection.

What Is This?

NoaaS is a REST API service with an MCP server wrapper that provides creative rejection responses across four categories:

Two Components:

• REST API (primary) - Public HTTP API anyone can call directly
• MCP Server (wrapper) - Bridges Claude Desktop to the REST API via stdio transport

Architecture

graph TB
    subgraph "REST API (Primary Service)"
        API[REST API<br/>JSON-RPC 2.0]
        EXPRESS[Node.js/Express<br/>src/index.js]
        WORKER[Cloudflare Workers<br/>src/worker.js]
        DOCKER[Docker<br/>Container]

        API --> EXPRESS
        API --> WORKER
        API --> DOCKER
    end

    subgraph "API Clients"
        WEB[Web Apps<br/>Mobile Apps]
        DIRECT[Direct API Calls<br/>curl, fetch, Python]
    end

    subgraph "MCP Integration"
        MCP[MCP Server<br/>src/mcp-server.ts<br/>stdio transport]
        CLAUDE[Claude Desktop]
    end

    DATA[(Data<br/>reasons.json<br/>1000+ responses)]

    WEB -->|HTTP| API
    DIRECT -->|HTTP| API
    MCP -->|HTTP| API
    CLAUDE -->|stdio| MCP
    API --> DATA

    style API fill:#3b82f6,stroke:#2563eb,color:#fff
    style MCP fill:#06b6d4,stroke:#0891b2,color:#fff
    style CLAUDE fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,color:#fff
    style DATA fill:#10b981,stroke:#059669,color:#fff

Key Points:

• REST API is the primary service with all business logic
• MCP Server is a thin stdio wrapper that bridges Claude Desktop to the REST API
• This architecture serves both traditional API clients and Claude Desktop simultaneously

Response Categories:

• Polite - For when you want them to think you actually considered their request
• Humorous - Because adding a joke makes rejection feel less like rejection (it doesn't)
• Professional - Corporate-approved ways to say no while sounding like you care (you don't)
• Creative - For people who think being clever makes them more interesting (debatable)

Note: Original responses were generated by AI. The 252 professional corporate jargon responses and complete categorization system were authored and organized by Claude (Anthropic). So if they're occasionally weird, nonsensical, or sound like a robot trying too hard to be human, that's why. We've kept them anyway. Quality control is overrated.

Quick Start

Use the Public Service

Just call the API. No installation, no signup, no nonsense.

curl -X POST https://api.mcp-for-no.com/v1/tools/call \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"getRandomNo","params":{"category":"humorous"}}'

Response:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": {
    "response": "I'd love to say yes, but my calendar is allergic to that date."
  }
}

Deploy Your Own

Want to run your own instance? We respect your trust issues.

Recommended: Cloudflare Workers (Free)

Zero maintenance, global edge network, automatic scaling. The sensible choice.

npm install
# Copy wrangler config template
cp deployment/wrangler.toml.example deployment/wrangler.toml
npx wrangler login --config deployment/wrangler.toml
npx wrangler kv:namespace create "REASONS_KV" --config deployment/wrangler.toml
npx wrangler kv:namespace create "RATE_LIMIT_KV" --config deployment/wrangler.toml
# Update deployment/wrangler.toml with the KV namespace IDs from the output above
npm run worker:kv:upload
npm run worker:deploy

See: docs/deployment/QUICKSTART_WORKERS.md for detailed instructions.

Alternative: Docker (Enterprise/Self-Hosted)

For when you have trust issues with cloud providers or compliance requirements.

# Docker Compose (recommended)
npm run docker:up

# Or plain Docker
npm run docker:build
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \
  -e NODE_ENV=production \
  -e CORS_ORIGIN=https://your-domain.com \
  noaas

Advanced: Node.js/Express

Direct deployment on VPS, PM2, or systemd. You know what you're doing.

npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration
npm start

See: docs/guides/SECURITY.md for security configuration and best practices.

Use with Claude Desktop (MCP)

NoaaS includes a native MCP server with stdio transport. Unfortunately, Claude Desktop requires local installation because it cannot connect directly to web services.

Why Local Installation?

Claude Desktop spawns local processes via stdio (stdin/stdout) for MCP servers. It cannot connect to HTTP endpoints directly, even though the actual data comes from our REST API. The local MCP server acts as a thin wrapper that bridges Claude Desktop to the REST API.

Prerequisites

You need Node.js (v18+) and Git installed:

• macOS: brew install node git
• Windows: Download from nodejs.org
• Linux: Use your package manager (e.g., apt install nodejs git)

Installation

1. Clone and build the MCP server:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/Koneisto/no-as-a-service.git
cd no-as-a-service
npm install
npm run mcp:build

This creates build/mcp-server.js in the cloned directory.

2. Get the absolute path:

While still in the no-as-a-service directory, run:

pwd

This shows your full path, something like: /Users/yourname/no-as-a-service

📝 Write this down - you'll need it in the next step.

Claude Desktop Configuration

1. Find your config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Edit the file and add this configuration:

Replace /YOUR/PATH/HERE with the path from the pwd command above:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "noaas": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/YOUR/PATH/HERE/no-as-a-service/build/mcp-server.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_BASE_URL": "https://api.mcp-for-no.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important:

• Use forward slashes (/) even on Windows
• Replace /YOUR/PATH/HERE with your actual path from step 2
• One typo and it won't work - paths are case-sensitive

3. Restart Claude Desktop:

Close Claude Desktop completely (quit the application, not just close the window), then reopen it.

4. Test it:

Ask Claude:

• "Give me a polite way to decline this meeting"
• "How many different ways to say no do you have?"

If it doesn't work, check your config file for typos.

Available Tools

• getRandomNo - Get a creative rejection (optional category: polite, humorous, professional, creative)
• getNoCount - Get the total count (1,021)

Troubleshooting

Config file errors?

• Validate your JSON at jsonlint.com

Path wrong?

• Run ls build/mcp-server.js in the repo directory to verify the file exists

Still not working?

• Check logs at ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log (macOS)
• Ensure Node.js is installed: node --version
• Ensure you restarted Claude Desktop completely

Use with Cursor IDE (MCP)

Cursor also supports MCP servers. Same local installation requirement, different config file.

Prerequisites

Same as Claude Desktop - Node.js (v18+) and Git. If you already cloned the repo for Claude Desktop, skip to Configuration.

Installation

If you haven't already:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/Koneisto/no-as-a-service.git
cd no-as-a-service
npm install
npm run mcp:build
pwd

Note the path from pwd - you'll need it.

Cursor Configuration

1. Find or create your config file:

• Global (all projects): ~/.cursor/mcp.json
• Project-specific: <project-root>/.cursor/mcp.json

2. Add the MCP server configuration:

Replace /YOUR/PATH/HERE with your actual path:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "noaas": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/YOUR/PATH/HERE/no-as-a-service/build/mcp-server.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_BASE_URL": "https://api.mcp-for-no.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Cursor

Close and reopen Cursor. The MCP server should now be available.

Available Tools

Same as Claude Desktop:

• getRandomNo - Get a creative rejection (optional category: polite, humorous, professional, creative)
• getNoCount - Get the total count (1,021)

API Usage (Direct HTTP)

You can also use the REST API directly:

# Get a random rejection
curl -X POST https://api.mcp-for-no.com/v1/tools/call \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"getRandomNo","params":{"category":"humorous"}}'

# Get count
curl -X POST https://api.mcp-for-no.com/v1/tools/call \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"getNoCount"}'

See examples/usage-examples.md for code examples in various languages.

Features

• No Authentication - No credit card, no signup, no value proposition
• Fast Response Times - Because waiting to say no is apparently unacceptable
• Global Distribution - Say no from anywhere in the world, instantly
• No Tracking - We don't care enough to track you
• Rate Limited - 30 requests per minute. One every 2 seconds. Still generous.
• MCP Compatible* - *Via a local stdio wrapper because SSE transport would make too much sense
• 1,000+ Responses - Because apparently 100 ways to say no wasn't excessive enough
• No Authentication - Just send requests. We're too lazy to implement OAuth.

API Reference

Get Random Rejection

POST /v1/tools/call
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "method": "getRandomNo",
  "params": {
    "category": "polite"  // optional: polite, humorous, professional, creative
  }
}

Get Count

POST /v1/tools/call
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "method": "getNoCount"
}

Health Check

GET /health

Full API docs: TECHNICAL.md

Project Structure

no-as-a-service/
├── src/
│   ├── index.js            # Node.js/Express server
│   └── worker.js           # Cloudflare Workers server
├── data/
│   └── reasons.json        # 921 rejection messages
├── deployment/
│   ├── Dockerfile          # Docker deployment
│   ├── docker-compose.yml  # Docker Compose config
│   └── wrangler.toml       # Cloudflare Workers config
├── docs/
│   ├── deployment/
│   │   ├── QUICKSTART_WORKERS.md
│   │   ├── WORKERS_DEPLOYMENT.md
│   │   ├── CLOUDFLARE_DEPLOY.md
│   │   └── PAGES_DEPLOYMENT.md
│   ├── guides/
│   │   ├── SECURITY.md     # Security best practices
│   │   └── DAILY_LIMIT_GUIDE.md
│   └── TECHNICAL.md        # Full API reference
├── examples/
│   ├── usage-examples.md   # Code examples
│   └── mcp-client-config.json
├── .env.example            # Environment variables template
├── .gitignore              # Git ignore rules
├── package.json            # Dependencies
├── README.md               # You are here
└── LICENSE

Deployment Options

| Method | Cost | Setup Time | Best For | |--------|------|------------|----------| | Cloudflare Workers ⭐ | $0/month | 5 minutes | Everyone (seriously) | | Docker 🐳 | Variable | 10 minutes | Enterprise, self-hosted, K8s | | Node.js/Express | $5-12/month | 15 minutes | VPS, custom deployments | | Cloudflare Tunnel | $0/month | 15 minutes | Behind firewalls |

Recommended: Cloudflare Workers (free tier, 100k requests/day, global edge network, zero maintenance)

When to use Docker: Compliance requirements, airgapped environments, existing container infrastructure, or trust issues with cloud providers (understandable).

Documentation

Deployment Guides

• QUICKSTART_WORKERS.md - Deploy to Cloudflare Workers in 5 minutes
• WORKERS_DEPLOYMENT.md - Comprehensive Cloudflare Workers guide
• CLOUDFLARE_DEPLOY.md - All Cloudflare deployment methods
• PAGES_DEPLOYMENT.md - Deploy landing page

Configuration & Security

• SECURITY.md - Security best practices, environment variables, CORS, rate limiting
• DAILY_LIMIT_GUIDE.md - Daily rate limiting explained

Technical Reference

• TECHNICAL.md - Full API reference and technical details
• examples/usage-examples.md - Code examples

Examples

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://noaas.your-deployment.workers.dev/v1/tools/call', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    method: 'getRandomNo',
    params: { category: 'professional' }
  })
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.result.response);

Python

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://noaas.your-deployment.workers.dev/v1/tools/call',
    json={'method': 'getRandomNo', 'params': {'category': 'polite'}}
)

print(response.json()['result']['response'])

More examples: examples/usage-examples.md

Contributing

Add New Rejection Messages

1. Edit reasons.json
2. Add your rejection to the appropriate category section
3. Submit a PR

Categories are divided by array index:

• Polite: 0-25%
• Humorous: 25-50%
• Professional: 50-75%
• Creative: 75-100%

Report Issues

Found a bug? Open an issue.

Code Contributions

PRs welcome for:

• Bug fixes
• Documentation improvements
• New features (please open an issue first)

FAQ

Q: What's the cost? A: There isn't one. Which should probably concern you, but we're confident you'll use it anyway.

Q: What are the rate limits? A: 30 requests per minute per IP. One every 2 seconds. If you need more than that, you're doing something wrong.

Q: Can I use this commercially? A: Of course. Personal or commercial, we don't discriminate. Just don't blame us when your users hate your app.

Q: Is there an SLA? A: Your expectations should be calibrated to match what you're paying for this.

Q: Why did you build this? A: Someone had to. And apparently, it was us. You're welcome, we suppose.

License

📄 MIT — do whatever, just don't say yes when you should say no.

Credits

• Built by people with questionable priorities
• Inspired by everyone who can't say no
• Powered by Cloudflare Workers (probably)
• Response categorization and 252 professional corporate responses authored by Claude (Anthropic)
• Original 769 responses generated by AI

Links

• Landing Page: mcp-for-no.com
• API Endpoint: api.mcp-for-no.com
• Documentation: Technical Docs
• Deploy Guide: Cloudflare Workers Quickstart
• Issues: Report a Bug

NoaaS - Helping you waste everyone's time more efficiently since 2025.