diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index d4343c2..3dcca8f 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ GITHUB_DISCUSSION_COUNT=10
 
 # Leaderboard source data
 LEADERBOARD_SOURCE_URL_TEMPLATE=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ashkulz/committers.top/gh-pages/_data/locations/{country}.yml
+DISABLE_CALCULATE_LEADERBOARD_ENDPOINT=false
 
 # Redis caching (optional — strongly recommended for leaderboard performance)
 # Use either redis://localhost:6379 or include password if enabled: redis://:password@localhost:6379
@@ -24,4 +25,4 @@ REDIS_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS=1500
 
 # ── PostgreSQL (local development) ─────────────────
 DATABASE_URL=postgresql://devimpact:devimpact@localhost:5432/devimpact?sslmode=disable
-POSTGRES_PASSWORD=CHANGE_THIS_TO_A_LONG_RANDOM_PASSWORD
\ No newline at end of file
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=CHANGE_THIS_TO_A_LONG_RANDOM_PASSWORD
diff --git a/app/api/calculate-leaderboard/route.ts b/app/api/calculate-leaderboard/route.ts
index 02ae782..5a9c83b 100644
--- a/app/api/calculate-leaderboard/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/calculate-leaderboard/route.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,20 @@ import { calculateLeaderboard } from "@/lib/calculate-leaderboard";
 
 export const runtime = "nodejs";
 
+function isCalculateLeaderboardDisabled(): boolean {
+  const raw =
+    process.env.DISABLE_CALCULATE_LEADERBOARD_ENDPOINT?.trim().toLowerCase();
+  return raw === "true" || raw === "1" || raw === "yes";
+}
+
 export async function POST(request: Request) {
+  if (isCalculateLeaderboardDisabled()) {
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { success: false, error: "Not found" },
+      { status: 404 },
+    );
+  }
+
   const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url);
   const country = searchParams.get("country")?.trim();
 
@@ -26,4 +39,4 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
       { status: 502 },
     );
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}