diff --git a/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautExtension.java b/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautExtension.java
index 7e4a3c30..fd0bc552 100644
--- a/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautExtension.java
+++ b/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautExtension.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import org.gradle.api.model.ObjectFactory;
 import org.gradle.api.plugins.ExtensionAware;
 import org.gradle.api.provider.Property;
+import org.gradle.api.provider.SetProperty;
 
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
@@ -34,6 +35,16 @@ public abstract class MicronautExtension implements ExtensionAware {
      */
     public abstract Property<Boolean> getImportMicronautPlatform();
 
+    /**
+     * The Micronaut plugins can automatically add dependencies to your project.
+     * If, for some reason, a dependency shouldn't be automatically added, you can
+     * add its coordinates to this set. The format is "group:name". It must not include
+     * the version.
+     *
+     * @return the set of ignored automatic dependencies, as group:name strings.
+     */
+    public abstract SetProperty<String> getIgnoredAutomaticDependencies();
+
     @Inject
     public MicronautExtension(ObjectFactory objectFactory, SourceSetConfigurer sourceSetConfigurer) {
         this.processing = objectFactory.newInstance(AnnotationProcessing.class, sourceSetConfigurer);
diff --git a/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/internal/AutomaticDependency.java b/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/internal/AutomaticDependency.java
index 1675677b..adce2588 100644
--- a/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/internal/AutomaticDependency.java
+++ b/minimal-plugin/src/main/java/io/micronaut/gradle/internal/AutomaticDependency.java
@@ -21,11 +21,12 @@
 import org.gradle.api.artifacts.MinimalExternalModuleDependency;
 import org.gradle.api.artifacts.VersionCatalog;
 import org.gradle.api.artifacts.VersionCatalogsExtension;
-import org.gradle.api.artifacts.dsl.DependencyHandler;
 import org.gradle.api.provider.Property;
 import org.gradle.api.provider.Provider;
 
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
  * Represents a dependency which is automatically
@@ -43,36 +44,42 @@ public record AutomaticDependency(
 ) {
     public void applyTo(Project p) {
         p.getPlugins().withType(MicronautComponentPlugin.class, unused -> {
-            DependencyHandler dependencyHandler = p.getDependencies();
-            MicronautExtension micronautExtension = p.getExtensions().getByType(MicronautExtension.class);
-            dependencyHandler.addProvider(configuration, p.getProviders().provider(() -> {
-                if (versionProperty.isPresent()) {
-                    Property<String> provider = (Property<String>) micronautExtension.getExtensions().findByName(versionProperty.get().dslName());
-                    if (provider != null && provider.isPresent()) {
-                        return dependencyHandler.create(coordinates + ":" + provider.get());
+            var dependencyHandler = p.getDependencies();
+            var micronautExtension = p.getExtensions().getByType(MicronautExtension.class);
+            var ignoredDependencies = micronautExtension.getIgnoredAutomaticDependencies();
+            p.getConfigurations().getByName(configuration).getDependencies().addAllLater(
+                p.getProviders().provider(() -> {
+                    var ignored = ignoredDependencies.getOrElse(Set.of());
+                    if (ignored.contains(coordinates)) {
+                        return List.of();
                     }
-                }
-                // If the Micronaut version catalog is applied via the settings plugin, we won't use an "empty" version
-                // but fetch it from the catalog if possible
-                VersionCatalogsExtension versionCatalogs = p.getExtensions().findByType(VersionCatalogsExtension.class);
-                if (versionCatalogs != null) {
-                    Optional<VersionCatalog> mn = versionCatalogs.find("mn");
-                    if (mn.isPresent()) {
-                        VersionCatalog micronautCatalog = mn.get();
-                        Optional<Provider<MinimalExternalModuleDependency>> dependencyProvider = micronautCatalog.getLibraryAliases()
+                    if (versionProperty.isPresent()) {
+                        Property<String> provider = (Property<String>) micronautExtension.getExtensions().findByName(versionProperty.get().dslName());
+                        if (provider != null && provider.isPresent()) {
+                            return List.of(dependencyHandler.create(coordinates + ":" + provider.get()));
+                        }
+                    }
+                    // If the Micronaut version catalog is applied via the settings plugin, we won't use an "empty" version
+                    // but fetch it from the catalog if possible
+                    VersionCatalogsExtension versionCatalogs = p.getExtensions().findByType(VersionCatalogsExtension.class);
+                    if (versionCatalogs != null) {
+                        Optional<VersionCatalog> mn = versionCatalogs.find("mn");
+                        if (mn.isPresent()) {
+                            VersionCatalog micronautCatalog = mn.get();
+                            Optional<Provider<MinimalExternalModuleDependency>> dependencyProvider = micronautCatalog.getLibraryAliases()
                                 .stream()
                                 .map(micronautCatalog::findLibrary)
                                 .map(Optional::get)
                                 .filter(d -> coordinates.equals(d.get().getModule().toString()))
                                 .findFirst();
-                        if (dependencyProvider.isPresent()) {
-                            return dependencyProvider.get().get();
+                            if (dependencyProvider.isPresent()) {
+                                return List.of(dependencyProvider.get().get());
+                            }
                         }
                     }
-                }
-                return dependencyHandler.create(coordinates);
-            }));
-
+                    return List.of(dependencyHandler.create(coordinates));
+                })
+            );
         });
     }
 
diff --git a/minimal-plugin/src/test/groovy/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautMinimalApplicationPluginSpec.groovy b/minimal-plugin/src/test/groovy/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautMinimalApplicationPluginSpec.groovy
index bc75b702..27435867 100644
--- a/minimal-plugin/src/test/groovy/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautMinimalApplicationPluginSpec.groovy
+++ b/minimal-plugin/src/test/groovy/io/micronaut/gradle/MicronautMinimalApplicationPluginSpec.groovy
@@ -331,4 +331,36 @@ public class ExampleTest {
         result.output.contains('Could not find io.micronaut:micronaut-http-server-netty:2048')
 
     }
+
+    def "can ignore an automatic dependency"() {
+        given:
+        settingsFile << "rootProject.name = 'hello-world'"
+        buildFile << """
+            plugins {
+                id "io.micronaut.minimal.application"
+            }
+            
+            micronaut {
+                version "$micronautVersion"
+                runtime "netty"
+                testRuntime "junit5"
+                ignoredAutomaticDependencies.add("io.micronaut:micronaut-inject-java")
+            }
+            
+            $repositoriesBlock
+            mainClassName="example.Application"
+        """
+        testProjectDir.newFolder("src", "test", "java", "example")
+        def javaFile = writeExampleClass()
+        when:
+        def result = build('test')
+
+        def task = result.task(":test")
+        println result.output
+
+        then:
+        !result.output.contains('Creating bean classes for 1 type elements')
+        task.outcome == TaskOutcome.FAILED
+
+    }
 }