diff --git a/cli.js b/cli.js
index 7544d0d..02d38d4 100755
--- a/cli.js
+++ b/cli.js
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 
-const { spawnSync } = require('child_process')
 const fs = require('fs')
+const { spawnSync } = require('child_process')
 const { dirname, join } = require('path')
 
+const { minimatch } = require('minimatch')
+
 const randomChars = () => {
   return Math.random().toString(36).slice(2)
 }
@@ -26,24 +28,35 @@ const argsProjectIndex = args.findIndex(arg =>
 const argsProjectValue =
   argsProjectIndex !== -1 ? args[argsProjectIndex + 1] : undefined
 
-const files = args.filter(file => /\.(ts|tsx)$/.test(file))
+const argsLeaveIncludesUntouched =
+  args.findIndex(arg => ['-i'].includes(arg)) !== -1
+
+// Load existing config
+const tsconfigPath = argsProjectValue || resolveFromRoot('tsconfig.json')
+const tsconfigContent = fs.readFileSync(tsconfigPath).toString()
+// Use 'eval' to read the JSON as regular JavaScript syntax so that comments are allowed
+let tsconfig = {}
+eval(`tsconfig = ${tsconfigContent}`)
+
+const isExcluded = file =>
+  (tsconfig?.exclude ?? []).some(pattern => minimatch(file, pattern))
+
+const filesInArgs = args.filter(file => /\.(ts|tsx)$/.test(file))
+
+const files = filesInArgs.filter(file => !isExcluded(file))
+
 if (files.length === 0) {
   process.exit(0)
 }
 
-const remainingArgsToForward = args.slice().filter(arg => !files.includes(arg))
+const remainingArgsToForward = args
+  .slice()
+  .filter(arg => !filesInArgs.includes(arg))
 
 if (argsProjectIndex !== -1) {
   remainingArgsToForward.splice(argsProjectIndex, 2)
 }
 
-// Load existing config
-const tsconfigPath = argsProjectValue || resolveFromRoot('tsconfig.json')
-const tsconfigContent = fs.readFileSync(tsconfigPath).toString()
-// Use 'eval' to read the JSON as regular JavaScript syntax so that comments are allowed
-let tsconfig = {}
-eval(`tsconfig = ${tsconfigContent}`)
-
 // Write a temp config file
 const tmpTsconfigPath = resolveFromRoot(`tsconfig.${randomChars()}.json`)
 const tmpTsconfig = {
@@ -53,7 +66,7 @@ const tmpTsconfig = {
     skipLibCheck: true,
   },
   files,
-  include: [],
+  ...(argsLeaveIncludesUntouched ? {} : { includes: [] }),
 }
 fs.writeFileSync(tmpTsconfigPath, JSON.stringify(tmpTsconfig, null, 2))
 
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72bf338
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+{
+  "name": "tsc-files",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "lockfileVersion": 3,
+  "requires": true,
+  "packages": {
+    "": {
+      "name": "tsc-files",
+      "version": "0.0.0",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "minimatch": "^9.0.3"
+      },
+      "bin": {
+        "tsc-files": "cli.js"
+      },
+      "devDependencies": {
+        "typescript": "4.1.3"
+      },
+      "peerDependencies": {
+        "typescript": ">=3"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/balanced-match": {
+      "version": "1.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/balanced-match/-/balanced-match-1.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-3oSeUO0TMV67hN1AmbXsK4yaqU7tjiHlbxRDZOpH0KW9+CeX4bRAaX0Anxt0tx2MrpRpWwQaPwIlISEJhYU5Pw=="
+    },
+    "node_modules/brace-expansion": {
+      "version": "2.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-2.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-XnAIvQ8eM+kC6aULx6wuQiwVsnzsi9d3WxzV3FpWTGA19F621kwdbsAcFKXgKUHZWsy+mY6iL1sHTxWEFCytDA==",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "balanced-match": "^1.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/minimatch": {
+      "version": "9.0.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-9.0.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-RHiac9mvaRw0x3AYRgDC1CxAP7HTcNrrECeA8YYJeWnpo+2Q5CegtZjaotWTWxDG3UeGA1coE05iH1mPjT/2mg==",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "brace-expansion": "^2.0.1"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=16 || 14 >=14.17"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/isaacs"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/typescript": {
+      "version": "4.1.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/typescript/-/typescript-4.1.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-B3ZIOf1IKeH2ixgHhj6la6xdwR9QrLC5d1VKeCSY4tvkqhF2eqd9O7txNlS0PO3GrBAFIdr3L1ndNwteUbZLYg==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "bin": {
+        "tsc": "bin/tsc",
+        "tsserver": "bin/tsserver"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=4.2.0"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bff1420..1172c23 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -22,5 +22,8 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "typescript": "4.1.3"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "minimatch": "^9.0.3"
   }
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 0db10e7..65aa609 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -2,7 +2,26 @@
 # yarn lockfile v1
 
 
+balanced-match@^1.0.0:
+  version "1.0.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/balanced-match/-/balanced-match-1.0.2.tgz"
+  integrity sha512-3oSeUO0TMV67hN1AmbXsK4yaqU7tjiHlbxRDZOpH0KW9+CeX4bRAaX0Anxt0tx2MrpRpWwQaPwIlISEJhYU5Pw==
+
+brace-expansion@^2.0.1:
+  version "2.0.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-2.0.1.tgz"
+  integrity sha512-XnAIvQ8eM+kC6aULx6wuQiwVsnzsi9d3WxzV3FpWTGA19F621kwdbsAcFKXgKUHZWsy+mY6iL1sHTxWEFCytDA==
+  dependencies:
+    balanced-match "^1.0.0"
+
+minimatch@^9.0.3:
+  version "9.0.3"
+  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-9.0.3.tgz"
+  integrity sha512-RHiac9mvaRw0x3AYRgDC1CxAP7HTcNrrECeA8YYJeWnpo+2Q5CegtZjaotWTWxDG3UeGA1coE05iH1mPjT/2mg==
+  dependencies:
+    brace-expansion "^2.0.1"
+
 typescript@4.1.3:
   version "4.1.3"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/typescript/-/typescript-4.1.3.tgz#519d582bd94cba0cf8934c7d8e8467e473f53bb7"
+  resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/typescript/-/typescript-4.1.3.tgz"
   integrity sha512-B3ZIOf1IKeH2ixgHhj6la6xdwR9QrLC5d1VKeCSY4tvkqhF2eqd9O7txNlS0PO3GrBAFIdr3L1ndNwteUbZLYg==