saying-no
Decline a request, push back on scope, or protect priorities without burning the relationship. Use when asked how to say no, turn down a request, push back on your boss/stakeholder, decline extra work, or protect the roadmap from a pet feature. Produces a graceful, firm response — the no, the honest why, an alternative or trade-off, and the exact wording, tuned to who's asking.
Profile →npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill saying-no --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Saying No Skill Most people say yes to things they should decline because they don't know how to say no without seeming difficult — and then over-commit, miss what matters, or resent it. A good no is clear, respectful, and offers a path: it declines the request while honouring the relationship and, often, reframes it as a trade-off rather than a flat refusal. This skill writes that no. ## Required Inputs Ask for these only if they aren't already provided: - **The request** — what's being asked, by whom (boss, peer, customer, exec), and the relationship/power dynamic. - **Why you want to decline** — capacity, priorities, fit, or it's the wrong call (the honest reason shapes the no). - **Constraints** — can you offer an alternative, a later yes, or a trade-off? Is a flat no required? - **Stakes** — how important the relationship and the request are. ## Output Format ### Saying No: [the request] from [who] **1. The frame** — is this a flat no, a "not now," a "yes if [trade-off]," or a "no, but here's another way"? Pick the honest one. Most good nos are trade-offs, not refusals. **2. The response** — the actual wording, structured: - **Acknowledge** — show you understand the request
- Required Inputs
- Output Format
- Saying No: [the request] from [who]
- Quality Checks
- Anti-Patterns
- Based On
What does the saying-no skill do?
Decline a request, push back on scope, or protect priorities without burning the relationship. Use when asked how to say no, turn down a request, push back on your boss/stakeholder, decline extra work, or protect the roadmap from a pet feature. Produces a graceful, firm response — the no, the honest why, an alternative or trade-off, and the exact wording, tuned to who's asking.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills --skill saying-no --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills, a repository with 1,255 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.