diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 449b587fe..0fd565efb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -27,12 +27,16 @@ __SETUP_DIR?=.
 # embedded in ${VERSION}
 TAG_VERSION=$(subst ~,-,${VERSION})
 
+# Add exclusion entries arguments for tar here, of the form:
+#   --exclude dir_to_exclude --exclude other_dir
+TAR_EXCLUSIONS=
+
 .PHONY: tarball
 tarball: clean
 	REPO_VERSION=`$(value REPO_VERSION_CMD)` ; \
 	make export_dir __EXPORT_DIR=${RELEASE_DIR} __REPO_VERSION=$${REPO_VERSION} ; \
 	make setup __SETUP_DIR=${RELEASE_DIR} ; \
-	tar --exclude deprecated -cvzf ${RELEASE_DIR}.tar.gz ${RELEASE_DIR}
+	tar ${TAR_EXCLUSIONS} -cvzf ${RELEASE_DIR}.tar.gz ${RELEASE_DIR}
 
 .PHONY: snapshot
 snapshot: clean
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ snapshot: clean
 	SNAPSHOT_DIR=apparmor-${VERSION}~$${REPO_VERSION} ;\
 	make export_dir __EXPORT_DIR=$${SNAPSHOT_DIR} __REPO_VERSION=$${REPO_VERSION} ; \
 	make setup __SETUP_DIR=$${SNAPSHOT_DIR} ; \
-	tar --exclude deprecated -cvzf $${SNAPSHOT_DIR}.tar.gz $${SNAPSHOT_DIR} ;
+	tar ${TAR_EXCLUSIONS} -cvzf $${SNAPSHOT_DIR}.tar.gz $${SNAPSHOT_DIR} ;
 
 
 .PHONY: export_dir