src/jdk.jlink/share/classes/jdk/tools/jlink/internal/plugins/ExcludePlugin.java

@@ -25,10 +25,11 @@
 package jdk.tools.jlink.internal.plugins;
 
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import jdk.tools.jlink.plugin.Plugin;
+import jdk.tools.jlink.plugin.PluginException;
 import jdk.tools.jlink.plugin.ResourcePool;
 import jdk.tools.jlink.plugin.ResourcePoolBuilder;
 import jdk.tools.jlink.plugin.ResourcePoolEntry;
 
 /**

@@ -47,11 +48,17 @@
 
     @Override
     public ResourcePool transform(ResourcePool in, ResourcePoolBuilder out) {
         in.transformAndCopy((resource) -> {
             if (resource.type().equals(ResourcePoolEntry.Type.CLASS_OR_RESOURCE)) {
-                resource = predicate.test(resource.path()) ? resource : null;
+                boolean shouldExclude = !predicate.test(resource.path());
+                // do not allow filtering module-info.class to avoid mutating module graph.
+                if (shouldExclude &&
+                    resource.path().equals("/" + resource.moduleName() + "/module-info.class")) {
+                    throw new PluginException("Cannot exclude " + resource.path());
+                }
+                return shouldExclude? null : resource;
             }
             return resource;
         }, out);
         return out.build();
     }