diff --git a/docs/interfaces/SubscriptionServer.md b/docs/interfaces/SubscriptionServer.md
index f8fb4cc0..7f2e95a4 100644
--- a/docs/interfaces/SubscriptionServer.md
+++ b/docs/interfaces/SubscriptionServer.md
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@
 
 ### complete
 
-• **complete**: (`event`: { `payload?`: `Record`<`string`, `any`\> ; `topic`: `string`  }) => `Promise`<`void`\>
+• **complete**: (`event`: { `payload?`: `Record`<`string`, `any`\> ; `topic`: `string` }, `excludeKeys?`: `string`[]) => `Promise`<`void`\>
 
 #### Type declaration
 
-▸ (`event`): `Promise`<`void`\>
+▸ (`event`, `excludeKeys`): `Promise`<`void`\>
 
 Send a complete message and end all relevant subscriptions. This might take some time depending on how many subscriptions there are.
 
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ The payload if present will be used to match against any filters the subscriptio
 | `event` | `Object` |
 | `event.payload?` | `Record`<`string`, `any`\> |
 | `event.topic` | `string` |
+| `excludeKeys?` | `string`[] |
 
 ##### Returns
 
@@ -41,11 +42,11 @@ ___
 
 ### publish
 
-• **publish**: (`event`: { `payload`: `Record`<`string`, `any`\> ; `topic`: `string`  }) => `Promise`<`void`\>
+• **publish**: (`event`: { `payload`: `Record`<`string`, `any`\> ; `topic`: `string` }, `excludeKeys?`: `string`[]) => `Promise`<`void`\>
 
 #### Type declaration
 
-▸ (`event`): `Promise`<`void`\>
+▸ (`event`, `excludeKeys`): `Promise`<`void`\>
 
 Publish an event to all relevant subscriptions. This might take some time depending on how many subscriptions there are.
 
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ The payload if present will be used to match against any filters the subscriptio
 | `event` | `Object` |
 | `event.payload` | `Record`<`string`, `any`\> |
 | `event.topic` | `string` |
+| `excludeKeys?` | `string`[] |
 
 ##### Returns
 
diff --git a/lib/pubsub/complete.ts b/lib/pubsub/complete.ts
index 827f055a..d67a1af4 100644
--- a/lib/pubsub/complete.ts
+++ b/lib/pubsub/complete.ts
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ import { getResolverAndArgs } from '../utils/getResolverAndArgs'
 import { isArray } from '../utils/isArray'
 import { getFilteredSubs } from './getFilteredSubs'
 
-export const complete = (serverPromise: Promise<ServerClosure> | ServerClosure): SubscriptionServer['complete'] => async event => {
+export const complete = (serverPromise: Promise<ServerClosure> | ServerClosure): SubscriptionServer['complete'] => async (event, excludeKeys) => {
   const server = await serverPromise
-  const subscriptions = await getFilteredSubs({ server, event })
+  const subscriptions = await getFilteredSubs({ server, event, excludeKeys })
   server.log('pubsub:complete', { event, subscriptions })
 
   const iters = subscriptions.map(async (sub) => {
diff --git a/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs-test.ts b/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs-test.ts
index 82077247..ae9fe5db 100644
--- a/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs-test.ts
+++ b/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs-test.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,21 @@ describe('collapseKeys', () => {
       'a.3.b': 4,
     })
   })
+
+  it('excludes excluded keys', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(collapseKeys({ a: 4, b: { c: 5, d: 'hi', e: { f: false } } }, ['a', 'b.d']), {
+      'b.c': 5,
+      'b.e.f': false,
+    })
+    assert.deepEqual(collapseKeys({ a: [1, 2, 3, { b: 4, c: [], d: null, e: undefined }], f: { g: [{ h: 5 }, { i: 6 }], j: [7, 8, 9] } }, ['f.g', 'f.j.1']), {
+      'a.0': 1,
+      'a.1': 2,
+      'a.2': 3,
+      'a.3.b': 4,
+      'f.j.0': 7,
+      'f.j.2': 9,
+    })
+  })
 })
 
 
diff --git a/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs.ts b/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs.ts
index ccf7c0aa..2a1a3cc6 100644
--- a/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs.ts
+++ b/lib/pubsub/getFilteredSubs.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 import { collect } from 'streaming-iterables'
 import { ServerClosure, Subscription } from '../types'
 
-export const getFilteredSubs = async ({ server, event }: { server: Omit<ServerClosure, 'gateway'>, event: { topic: string, payload?: Record<string, any> } }): Promise<Subscription[]> => {
+export const getFilteredSubs = async ({ server, event, excludeKeys = [] }: { server: Omit<ServerClosure, 'gateway'>, event: { topic: string, payload?: Record<string, any> }, excludeKeys?: string[] }): Promise<Subscription[]> => {
   if (!event.payload || Object.keys(event.payload).length === 0) {
-    server.log('getFilteredSubs', { event })
+    server.log('getFilteredSubs', { event, excludeKeys })
 
     const iterator = server.models.subscription.query({
       IndexName: 'TopicIndex',
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export const getFilteredSubs = async ({ server, event }: { server: Omit<ServerCl
 
     return await collect(iterator)
   }
-  const flattenPayload = collapseKeys(event.payload)
+  const flattenPayload = collapseKeys(event.payload, excludeKeys)
 
   const filterExpressions: string[] = []
   const expressionAttributeValues: { [key: string]: string | number | boolean } = {}
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export const getFilteredSubs = async ({ server, event }: { server: Omit<ServerCl
     filterExpressions.push(`(#filter.#${aliasNumber} = :${aliasNumber} OR attribute_not_exists(#filter.#${aliasNumber}))`)
   }
 
-  server.log('getFilteredSubs', { event, expressionAttributeNames, expressionAttributeValues, filterExpressions })
+  server.log('getFilteredSubs', { event, excludeKeys, expressionAttributeNames, expressionAttributeValues, filterExpressions })
 
   const iterator = server.models.subscription.query({
     IndexName: 'TopicIndex',
@@ -51,24 +51,25 @@ export const getFilteredSubs = async ({ server, event }: { server: Omit<ServerCl
 
 export const collapseKeys = (
   obj: Record<string, any>,
+  excludeKeys: string[] = [],
+  parent: string[] = [],
 ): Record<string, number | string | boolean> => {
   const record = {}
   for (const [k1, v1] of Object.entries(obj)) {
+    const path = [...parent, k1]
+    const key = path.join('.')
+    if (excludeKeys.includes(key)) {
+      continue
+    }
     if (typeof v1 === 'string' || typeof v1 === 'number' || typeof v1 === 'boolean') {
-      record[k1] = v1
+      record[key] = v1
       continue
     }
-
     if (v1 && typeof v1 === 'object') {
-      const next = {}
-
-      for (const [k2, v2] of Object.entries(v1)) {
-        next[`${k1}.${k2}`] = v2
-      }
-
-      for (const [k1, v1] of Object.entries(collapseKeys(next))) {
-        record[k1] = v1
+      for (const [k2, v2] of Object.entries(collapseKeys(v1, excludeKeys, path))) {
+        record[k2] = v2
       }
+      continue
     }
   }
   return record
diff --git a/lib/pubsub/publish.ts b/lib/pubsub/publish.ts
index c21fc439..7fb5b980 100644
--- a/lib/pubsub/publish.ts
+++ b/lib/pubsub/publish.ts
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ import { postToConnection } from '../utils/postToConnection'
 import { buildContext } from '../utils/buildContext'
 import { getFilteredSubs } from './getFilteredSubs'
 
-export const publish = (serverPromise: Promise<ServerClosure> | ServerClosure): SubscriptionServer['publish'] => async event => {
+export const publish = (serverPromise: Promise<ServerClosure> | ServerClosure): SubscriptionServer['publish'] => async (event, excludeKeys) => {
   const server = await serverPromise
-  server.log('pubsub:publish', { event })
-  const subscriptions = await getFilteredSubs({ server, event })
+  server.log('pubsub:publish', { event, excludeKeys })
+  const subscriptions = await getFilteredSubs({ server, event, excludeKeys })
   server.log('pubsub:publish', { subscriptions: subscriptions.map(({ connectionId, filter, subscription }) => ({ connectionId, filter, subscription }) ) })
 
   const iters = subscriptions.map(async (sub) => {
diff --git a/lib/types.ts b/lib/types.ts
index e26c6123..7b289a8d 100644
--- a/lib/types.ts
+++ b/lib/types.ts
@@ -106,13 +106,13 @@ export interface SubscriptionServer {
    *
    * The payload if present will be used to match against any filters the subscriptions might have.
    */
-  publish: (event: { topic: string, payload: Record<string, any>}) => Promise<void>
+  publish: (event: { topic: string, payload: Record<string, any>}, excludeKeys?: string[]) => Promise<void>
   /**
    * Send a complete message and end all relevant subscriptions. This might take some time depending on how many subscriptions there are.
    *
    * The payload if present will be used to match against any filters the subscriptions might have.
    */
-  complete: (event: { topic: string, payload?: Record<string, any> }) => Promise<void>
+  complete: (event: { topic: string, payload?: Record<string, any> }, excludeKeys?: string[]) => Promise<void>
 }
 
 /**