diff --git a/src/findNodes.spec.ts b/src/findNodes.spec.ts
index 85e1344..7c6a6b1 100644
--- a/src/findNodes.spec.ts
+++ b/src/findNodes.spec.ts
@@ -229,10 +229,12 @@ describe('findnode', () => {
         `);
     });
 
-
     it('it works when provide an excludeFiles config', async () => {
         program.options.autoFindNode = {
-            'excludeFiles': ['components/noreplace/**/*']
+            'excludeFiles': [
+                'components/noreplace/**/*',
+                "!components/noreplace/sub/**/*"
+            ]
         };
 
         program.setFile('components/replace/BaseKeyboard.bs', `
@@ -280,5 +282,29 @@ describe('findnode', () => {
                 m.helloText.text = "HELLO ZOMBIE"
             end sub
         `);
+
+        // Now we test the same code in the folder that should be excluded
+        program.setFile('components/noreplace/sub/BaseKeyboard.bs', `
+            sub init()
+                m.helloText.text = "HELLO ZOMBIE"
+            end sub
+        `);
+
+        program.setFile('components/noreplace/sub/BaseKeyboard.xml', `
+            <component name="BaseKeyboard">
+                <script uri="BaseKeyboard.bs" />
+                <children>
+                    <label id="helloText" />
+                </children>
+            </component>
+        `);
+
+        result = await program.getTranspiledFileContents('components/noreplace/sub/BaseKeyboard.bs');
+        expect(result.code).to.equal(undent`
+            sub init()
+                m.helloText = m.top.findNode("helloText")
+                m.helloText.text = "HELLO ZOMBIE"
+            end sub
+        `);
     });
 });
diff --git a/src/findNodes.ts b/src/findNodes.ts
index 180f831..080ed5b 100644
--- a/src/findNodes.ts
+++ b/src/findNodes.ts
@@ -22,13 +22,25 @@ function getFilteredScopes(program: Program) {
     const excludeScopes = program.options?.autoFindNode?.excludeFiles || [];
     let scopes: XmlScope[] = [];
 
-    const hasExclusions = excludeScopes.length > 0;
+    const includePatterns = excludeScopes.filter(pattern => pattern.startsWith('!')).map(pattern => pattern.slice(1));
+    const excludePatterns = excludeScopes.filter(pattern => !pattern.startsWith('!'));
+
+    const hasExclusions = excludePatterns.length > 0;
 
     for (const filteredScope of program.getScopes().filter((scope) => isXmlScope(scope))) {
+        let isIncluded = includePatterns.some((pattern: string) =>
+            minimatch.match([filteredScope.name], pattern).length > 0
+        );
+
+        if (isIncluded) {
+            scopes.push(filteredScope);
+            continue; // Skip further checks since it's explicitly included
+        }
+
         if (!hasExclusions) {
             scopes.push(filteredScope);
         } else {
-            let isExcluded = excludeScopes.some((pattern: string) => 
+            let isExcluded = excludePatterns.some((pattern: string) => 
                 minimatch.match([filteredScope.name], pattern).length > 0
             );
             if (!isExcluded) {