diff --git a/deploy-system.py b/deploy-system.py
index 354c80fe..86e56e8a 100644
--- a/deploy-system.py
+++ b/deploy-system.py
@@ -5,6 +5,16 @@ import argparse
 from decouple import config
 from python_on_whales import DockerClient
 
+def include_exclude_check(s, args):
+    if args.include == None and args.exclude == None:
+        return True
+    if args.include != None:
+        include_list = args.include.split(",")
+        return s in include_list
+    if args.exclude != None:
+        exclude_list = args.exclude.split(",")
+        return s not in exclude_list
+
 parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
     description="deploy the complete stack"
     )
@@ -12,8 +22,9 @@ parser.add_argument("--verbose", action="store_true", help="increase output verb
 parser.add_argument("--quiet", action="store_true", help="don\'t print informational output")
 parser.add_argument("--check-only", action="store_true", help="looks at what\'s already there and checks if it looks good")
 parser.add_argument("--dry-run", action="store_true", help="don\'t do anything, just print the commands that would be executed")
-parser.add_argument("--exclude", type=str, help="don\'t start these components")
-parser.add_argument("--include", type=str, help="only start these components")
+group = parser.add_mutually_exclusive_group()
+group.add_argument("--exclude", type=str, help="don\'t start these components")
+group.add_argument("--include", type=str, help="only start these components")
 
 args = parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -32,10 +43,15 @@ if verbose:
 
 compose_files = []
 for cluster in clusters:
-    compose_file_name = os.path.join("compose", f"docker-compose-{cluster}.yml")
-    compose_files.append(compose_file_name)
+    if include_exclude_check(cluster, args):
+        compose_file_name = os.path.join("compose", f"docker-compose-{cluster}.yml")
+        compose_files.append(compose_file_name)
+    else:
+        if not quiet:
+            print(f"Excluding: {cluster}")
 
-print(f"files: {compose_files}")
+if verbose:
+    print(f"files: {compose_files}")
 
 # See: https://gabrieldemarmiesse.github.io/python-on-whales/sub-commands/compose/
 docker = DockerClient(compose_files=compose_files)