diff --git a/src/coverlet.core/Coverage.cs b/src/coverlet.core/Coverage.cs
index bbdd95535..b058eead8 100644
--- a/src/coverlet.core/Coverage.cs
+++ b/src/coverlet.core/Coverage.cs
@@ -14,22 +14,22 @@ public class Coverage
         private string _module;
         private string _identifier;
         private string[] _filters;
-        private string[] _excludes;
+        private string[] _rules;
         private List<InstrumenterResult> _results;
 
-        public Coverage(string module, string identifier, string[] filters, string[] excludes)
+        public Coverage(string module, string identifier, string[] filters, string[] rules)
         {
             _module = module;
             _identifier = identifier;
             _filters = filters;
-            _excludes = excludes;
+            _rules = rules;
             _results = new List<InstrumenterResult>();
         }
 
         public void PrepareModules()
         {
             string[] modules = InstrumentationHelper.GetCoverableModules(_module);
-            string[] excludedFiles =  InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(_excludes);
+            string[] excludedFiles =  InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(_rules);
 
             foreach (var module in modules)
             {
@@ -211,4 +211,4 @@ private void CalculateCoverage()
             }
         }
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/coverlet.core/Helpers/InstrumentationHelper.cs b/src/coverlet.core/Helpers/InstrumentationHelper.cs
index 2989fb0f7..a6c9d7c5e 100644
--- a/src/coverlet.core/Helpers/InstrumentationHelper.cs
+++ b/src/coverlet.core/Helpers/InstrumentationHelper.cs
@@ -131,15 +131,15 @@ public static bool IsTypeExcluded(string module, string type, string[] filters)
             return isMatch;
         }
 
-        public static string[] GetExcludedFiles(string[] excludes)
+        public static string[] GetExcludedFiles(string[] rules)
         {
             const string RELATIVE_KEY = nameof(RELATIVE_KEY);
             string parentDir = Directory.GetCurrentDirectory();
 
-            if (excludes == null || !excludes.Any()) return Array.Empty<string>();
+            if (rules == null || !rules.Any()) return Array.Empty<string>();
 
             var matcherDict = new Dictionary<string, Matcher>() { { RELATIVE_KEY, new Matcher() } };
-            foreach (var excludeRule in excludes)
+            foreach (var excludeRule in rules)
             {
                 if (Path.IsPathRooted(excludeRule))
                 {
diff --git a/src/coverlet.msbuild.tasks/InstrumentationTask.cs b/src/coverlet.msbuild.tasks/InstrumentationTask.cs
index 87df68731..12c641ce0 100644
--- a/src/coverlet.msbuild.tasks/InstrumentationTask.cs
+++ b/src/coverlet.msbuild.tasks/InstrumentationTask.cs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ public class InstrumentationTask : Task
     {
         private static Coverage _coverage;
         private string _path;
-        private string _filter;
+        private string _exclude;
         private string _excludeByFile;
 
         internal static Coverage Coverage
@@ -24,10 +24,10 @@ public string Path
             set { _path = value; }
         }
         
-        public string Filter
+        public string Exclude
         {
-            get { return _filter; }
-            set { _filter = value; }
+            get { return _exclude; }
+            set { _exclude = value; }
         }
 
         public string ExcludeByFile
@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ public override bool Execute()
         {
             try
             {
-                var excludes = _excludeByFile?.Split(',');
-                var filters = _filter?.Split(',');
+                var rules = _excludeByFile?.Split(',');
+                var filters = _exclude?.Split(',');
 
-                _coverage = new Coverage(_path, Guid.NewGuid().ToString(), filters, excludes);
+                _coverage = new Coverage(_path, Guid.NewGuid().ToString(), filters, rules);
                 _coverage.PrepareModules();
             }
             catch (Exception ex)
diff --git a/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.props b/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.props
index 53fea8e8c..dafc8382a 100644
--- a/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.props
+++ b/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.props
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
     <CoverletOutputDirectory Condition="$(CoverletOutputDirectory) == ''">$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)</CoverletOutputDirectory>
     <CoverletOutputName Condition=" '$(CoverletOutputName)' == '' ">coverage</CoverletOutputName>
     <CoverletOutput>$([MSBuild]::EnsureTrailingSlash('$(CoverletOutputDirectory)'))$(CoverletOutputName)</CoverletOutput>
-    <Filter Condition="$(Filter) == ''"></Filter>
+    <Exclude Condition="$(Exclude) == ''"></Exclude>
     <ExcludeByFile Condition="$(ExcludeByFile) == ''"></ExcludeByFile>
     <Threshold Condition="$(Threshold) == ''">0</Threshold>
     <ThresholdType Condition="$(ThresholdType) == ''">line,branch,method</ThresholdType>
diff --git a/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.targets b/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.targets
index 8324ee7b1..e77b7a0c8 100644
--- a/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.targets
+++ b/src/coverlet.msbuild/coverlet.msbuild.targets
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   <Target Name="InstrumentModulesNoBuild" BeforeTargets="VSTest">
     <Coverlet.MSbuild.Tasks.InstrumentationTask
       Condition="'$(VSTestNoBuild)' == 'true' and $(CollectCoverage) == 'true'"
+      Exclude="$(Exclude)"
       ExcludeByFile="$(ExcludeByFile)"
       Path="$(TargetPath)" />
   </Target>
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@
   <Target Name="InstrumentModulesAfterBuild" AfterTargets="BuildProject">
     <Coverlet.MSbuild.Tasks.InstrumentationTask
       Condition="'$(VSTestNoBuild)' != 'true' and $(CollectCoverage) == 'true'"
-      Filter="$(Filter)"
+      Exclude="$(Exclude)"
       ExcludeByFile="$(ExcludeByFile)"
       Path="$(TargetPath)" />
   </Target>
diff --git a/test/coverlet.core.tests/Helpers/InstrumentationHelperTests.cs b/test/coverlet.core.tests/Helpers/InstrumentationHelperTests.cs
index 558ce2bbd..0bbaf3245 100644
--- a/test/coverlet.core.tests/Helpers/InstrumentationHelperTests.cs
+++ b/test/coverlet.core.tests/Helpers/InstrumentationHelperTests.cs
@@ -95,11 +95,11 @@ public void TestGetExcludedFilesUsingAbsFile()
         {
             var file = Path.GetRandomFileName();
             File.Create(file).Dispose();
-            var excludeFiles = InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(
+            var excludedFiles = InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(
                 new string[] { Path.Combine(Directory.GetCurrentDirectory(), file) }
             );
             File.Delete(file);
-            Assert.Single(excludeFiles);
+            Assert.Single(excludedFiles);
         }
 
         [Fact]
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ public void TestGetExcludedFilesUsingGlobbing()
                 File.Create(path).Dispose();
             }
 
-            var excludeFiles = InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(
+            var excludedFiles = InstrumentationHelper.GetExcludedFiles(
                 new string[] { $"*.{fileExtension}" });
 
             foreach (var path in paths)
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ public void TestGetExcludedFilesUsingGlobbing()
                 File.Delete(path);
             }
 
-            Assert.Equal(paths.Length, excludeFiles.Count());
+            Assert.Equal(paths.Length, excludedFiles.Count());
         }
     }
 }