diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index bd2fefb..271c12c 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ var ( // flags
 	FlagSourceDir               = envvars.String("SOURCE_PATH", "/video")
 	FlagTargetDir               = envvars.String("TARGET_PATH", "/audio")
 	FlagCacheFile               = envvars.String("CACHE_FILE", "/hashes.bin")
+	FlagExcludeFiles            = envvars.StringSlice("EXCLUDE_FILES", ":", []string{".songs"})
 	FlagUpdateCacheFileInterval = envvars.Duration("UPDATE_CACHE_FILE_INTERVAL", 10*time.Second)
 )
 
@@ -33,6 +34,10 @@ func main() {
 	FlagTargetDir = AbsPath(FlagTargetDir)
 	FlagCacheFile = AbsPath(FlagCacheFile)
 
+	for i := 0; i < len(FlagExcludeFiles); i++ {
+		FlagExcludeFiles[i] = filepath.Join(FlagSourceDir, FlagExcludeFiles[i])
+	}
+
 	InitCache()
 
 	ops := []fsnotify.Op{
diff --git a/utils.go b/utils.go
index 9507949..500a8a6 100644
--- a/utils.go
+++ b/utils.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"crypto/sha512"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 func HashFile(path string) ([sha512.Size]byte, error) {
@@ -23,3 +24,15 @@ func HashFile(path string) ([sha512.Size]byte, error) {
 	copy(res[:], hash)
 	return res, nil
 }
+
+func PathIsExcluded(path string) bool {
+	path = AbsPath(path)
+
+	for _, excludedPath := range FlagExcludeFiles {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(path, AbsPath(excludedPath)) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/watch_dir.go b/watch_dir.go
index 833a8c2..5b57e49 100644
--- a/watch_dir.go
+++ b/watch_dir.go
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ func WatchDirectory(ctx context.Context, path string, op ...fsnotify.Op) (<-chan
 
 		for _, file := range files {
 			path := filepath.Join(path, file.Name())
+
+			if PathIsExcluded(path) {
+				continue
+			}
+
 			if file.IsDir() {
 				//fmt.Println("watching directory", path)
 				watcher.Add(path)
@@ -66,6 +71,10 @@ func WatchDirectory(ctx context.Context, path string, op ...fsnotify.Op) (<-chan
 					return
 				}
 
+				if PathIsExcluded(event.Name) {
+					continue
+				}
+
 				if fi, err := os.Stat(event.Name); err == nil && fi.IsDir() {
 					if event.Op&fsnotify.Create == fsnotify.Create {
 						//fmt.Println("watching directory", event.Name)