diff --git a/auditwheel/main_repair.py b/auditwheel/main_repair.py
index 0f357cf6..d7f50a64 100644
--- a/auditwheel/main_repair.py
+++ b/auditwheel/main_repair.py
@@ -65,6 +65,12 @@ def configure_parser(sub_parsers):
                    action='store_true',
                    help='Strip symbols in the resulting wheel',
                    default=False)
+    p.add_argument('--include',
+                   dest='INCLUDE',
+                   help='Only include these libraries')
+    p.add_argument('--exclude',
+                   dest='EXCLUDE',
+                   help='Exclude these libraries')
     p.add_argument('--only-plat',
                    dest='ONLY_PLAT',
                    action='store_true',
@@ -126,7 +132,10 @@ def execute(args, p):
                              out_dir=args.WHEEL_DIR,
                              update_tags=args.UPDATE_TAGS,
                              patcher=patcher,
-                             strip=args.STRIP)
+                             strip=args.STRIP,
+                             include=(args.INCLUDE or '').split(','),
+                             exclude=(args.EXCLUDE or '').split(','),
+                             )
 
     if out_wheel is not None:
         logger.info('\nFixed-up wheel written to %s', out_wheel)
diff --git a/auditwheel/repair.py b/auditwheel/repair.py
index 17bcf1fb..69848b8f 100644
--- a/auditwheel/repair.py
+++ b/auditwheel/repair.py
@@ -28,9 +28,23 @@
     re.VERBOSE).match
 
 
+def _is_in_list(soname: str, items: Optional[List[str]]) -> Optional[str]:
+    for item in (items or []):
+        if item in soname:
+            return item
+    return None
+
+
+def _filter(items: Optional[List[str]]) -> List[str]:
+    return [_.strip() for _ in (items or []) if _.strip()]
+
+
 def repair_wheel(wheel_path: str, abis: List[str], lib_sdir: str, out_dir: str,
                  update_tags: bool, patcher: ElfPatcher,
-                 strip: bool = False) -> Optional[str]:
+                 strip: bool = False,
+                 include: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+                 exclude: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+                 ) -> Optional[str]:
 
     external_refs_by_fn = get_wheel_elfdata(wheel_path)[1]
 
@@ -44,6 +58,10 @@ def repair_wheel(wheel_path: str, abis: List[str], lib_sdir: str, out_dir: str,
 
     wheel_fname = basename(wheel_path)
 
+    # Remove empty strings in include/exclude list
+    include = _filter(include)
+    exclude = _filter(exclude)
+
     with InWheelCtx(wheel_path) as ctx:
         ctx.out_wheel = pjoin(out_dir, wheel_fname)
 
@@ -68,6 +86,20 @@ def repair_wheel(wheel_path: str, abis: List[str], lib_sdir: str, out_dir: str,
                                       'library "%s" could not be located') %
                                      soname)
 
+                # exhaustive include list
+                if include and not _is_in_list(soname, include):
+                    logger.debug(
+                        f'Excluding {soname} which is not in exhaustive '
+                        f'include list `{", ".join(include)}`)')
+                    continue
+
+                # exclude some libraries
+                exc = _is_in_list(soname, exclude)
+                if exc:
+                    logger.info(
+                        f'Excluding {soname} (match exclude string `{exc}`)')
+                    continue
+
                 new_soname, new_path = copylib(src_path, dest_dir, patcher)
                 soname_map[soname] = (new_soname, new_path)
                 patcher.replace_needed(fn, soname, new_soname)