diff --git a/hawkeye-core/src/main/java/io/korandoru/hawkeye/core/Selection.java b/hawkeye-core/src/main/java/io/korandoru/hawkeye/core/Selection.java
index 992f671d..a994a768 100644
--- a/hawkeye-core/src/main/java/io/korandoru/hawkeye/core/Selection.java
+++ b/hawkeye-core/src/main/java/io/korandoru/hawkeye/core/Selection.java
@@ -50,9 +50,8 @@ public final class Selection {
     public Selection(File basedir, String[] included, String[] excluded, boolean useDefaultExcludes) {
         this.basedir = basedir;
         this.fs = basedir.toPath().getFileSystem();
-        final String[] overrides = buildOverrideInclusions(useDefaultExcludes, included);
-        this.included = buildInclusions(included, overrides);
-        this.excluded = buildExclusions(useDefaultExcludes, excluded, overrides);
+        this.included = included.length > 0 ? included : Default.INCLUDE;
+        this.excluded = buildExclusions(useDefaultExcludes, excluded, included);
         this.selectedFiles = new CompletableFuture<>();
     }
 
@@ -103,41 +102,17 @@ public FileVisitResult postVisitDirectory(Path dir, IOException exc) {
         return selectedFiles.get(0, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
     }
 
-    private static String[] buildExclusions(boolean useDefaultExcludes, String[] excludes, String[] overrides) {
+    private static String[] buildExclusions(boolean useDefaultExcludes, String[] excludes, String[] includes) {
         final List<String> exclusions = new ArrayList<>();
         if (useDefaultExcludes) {
             exclusions.addAll(asList(Default.EXCLUDES));
         }
         // remove from the default exclusion list the patterns that have been explicitly included
-        for (String override : overrides) {
-            exclusions.remove(override);
-        }
-        if (excludes != null && excludes.length > 0) {
-            exclusions.addAll(asList(excludes));
-        }
+        exclusions.removeAll(asList(includes));
+        exclusions.addAll(asList(excludes));
         return exclusions.toArray(new String[0]);
     }
 
-    private static String[] buildInclusions(String[] includes, String[] overrides) {
-        // if we use the default exclusion list, we just remove
-        final List<String> inclusions = new ArrayList<>(asList(includes != null && includes.length > 0 ? includes : Default.INCLUDE));
-        inclusions.removeAll(asList(overrides));
-        if (inclusions.isEmpty()) {
-            inclusions.addAll(asList(Default.INCLUDE));
-        }
-        return inclusions.toArray(new String[0]);
-    }
-
-    private static String[] buildOverrideInclusions(boolean useDefaultExcludes, String[] includes) {
-        // return the list of patterns that we have explicitly included when using default exclude list
-        if (!useDefaultExcludes || includes == null || includes.length == 0) {
-            return new String[0];
-        }
-        List<String> overrides = new ArrayList<>(asList(Default.EXCLUDES));
-        overrides.retainAll(asList(includes));
-        return overrides.toArray(new String[0]);
-    }
-
     private List<PathMatcher> findFolderExcludes() {
         final List<String> excludes = new ArrayList<>();
         for (final String exclude : excluded) {
diff --git a/licenserc.toml b/licenserc.toml
index a0985df9..6b82b81f 100644
--- a/licenserc.toml
+++ b/licenserc.toml
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 limitations under the License.
 """
 
+includes = [
+    "**/target/**",
+    "pom.xml"
+]
+
 excludes = [
     "**/src/test/**/*.txt",
     "**/src/test/**/*.xml",