diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 7a3969ce877..b42f47e66f7 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ RUN easy-add --var os=${TARGETOS} --var arch=${TARGETARCH}${TARGETVARIANT} \
   --var version=${MC_SERVER_RUNNER_VERSION} --var app=mc-server-runner --file {{.app}} \
   --from ${GITHUB_BASEURL}/itzg/{{.app}}/releases/download/{{.version}}/{{.app}}_{{.version}}_{{.os}}_{{.arch}}.tar.gz
 
-ARG MC_HELPER_VERSION=1.39.1
+ARG MC_HELPER_VERSION=1.39.2
 ARG MC_HELPER_BASE_URL=${GITHUB_BASEURL}/itzg/mc-image-helper/releases/download/${MC_HELPER_VERSION}
 # used for cache busting local copy of mc-image-helper
 ARG MC_HELPER_REV=1
diff --git a/docs/types-and-platforms/mod-platforms/modrinth-modpacks.md b/docs/types-and-platforms/mod-platforms/modrinth-modpacks.md
index 52edea751d4..f7dee833017 100644
--- a/docs/types-and-platforms/mod-platforms/modrinth-modpacks.md
+++ b/docs/types-and-platforms/mod-platforms/modrinth-modpacks.md
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ To force include client mods, set `MODRINTH_FORCE_INCLUDE_FILES` to a comma or n
         yet-another-config-lib
     ```
 
+## Default exclude/includes
+
+The image comes with a default set of exclude/includes, maintained [in the repo files area](https://github.com/itzg/docker-minecraft-server/blob/master/files/modrinth-exclude-include.json) and uses the same [JSON schema](https://github.com/itzg/mc-image-helper?tab=readme-ov-file#excludeinclude-file-schema) as Auto CurseForge. Those defaults can be disabled by setting the env var `MODRINTH_DEFAULT_EXCLUDE_INCLUDES` to an empty string.
+
 ## Excluding Overrides Files
 
 Modrinth mrpack/zip files may include an `overrides` subdirectory that contains config files, world data, and extra mod files. All of those files will be extracted into the `/data` path of the container. If any of those files, such as incompatible mods, need to be excluded from extraction, then the `MODRINTH_OVERRIDES_EXCLUSIONS` variable can be set with a comma or newline delimited list of ant-style paths ([see below](#ant-style-paths)) to exclude, relative to the overrides (or `/data`) directory.
diff --git a/examples/bmc4/docker-compose.yml b/examples/bmc4/docker-compose.yml
index e59b360ff2e..23aaafac8e4 100644
--- a/examples/bmc4/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/examples/bmc4/docker-compose.yml
@@ -2,22 +2,14 @@ services:
   mc:
     image: itzg/minecraft-server:java17
     environment:
+      DEBUG: true
+      SETUP_ONLY: true
       EULA: true
       TYPE: MODRINTH
+      VERSION: 1.20.1
       MEMORY: 4G
       MODRINTH_MODPACK: better-mc-forge-bmc4
-      MODRINTH_VERSION: v26
-      MODRINTH_EXCLUDE_FILES: |
-        citresewn
-        oculus
-        yungsmenutweaks
-        notenoughanimations
-        ryoamiclights
-        euphoriapatcher
-        entity_model_features
-        entity_texture_features
-        3dskinlayers
-        connector
+      MODRINTH_VERSION: v28
       MODRINTH_OVERRIDES_EXCLUSIONS: |
         mods/NekosEnchantedBooks-*.jar
         mods/citresewn-*.jar
diff --git a/examples/prominence2/docker-compose.yml b/examples/prominence2/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..de63129b468
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/prominence2/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+services:
+  mc:
+    image: itzg/minecraft-server
+    ports:
+      - "25565:25565"
+    environment:
+      EULA: "true"
+      MOD_PLATFORM: AUTO_CURSEFORGE
+      # allocate from https://console.curseforge.com/ and set in .env file
+      CF_API_KEY: ${CF_API_KEY}
+      CF_PAGE_URL: https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/modpacks/prominence-2-rpg
+      CF_FILENAME_MATCHER: "2.8.7"
+      MEMORY: 4G
+    volumes:
+      - mc-data:/data
+
+volumes:
+  mc-data: {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/files/modrinth-exclude-include.json b/files/modrinth-exclude-include.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1634e83e437
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/modrinth-exclude-include.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "globalExcludes": [
+    "3dskinlayers",
+    "citresewn",
+    "connector",
+    "entity_model_features",
+    "entity_texture_features",
+    "euphoriapatcher",
+    "notenoughanimations",
+    "oculus",
+    "ryoamiclights",
+    "yungsmenutweaks"
+  ],
+  "globalForceIncludes": [],
+  "modpacks": {}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/start-deployModrinth b/scripts/start-deployModrinth
index 6514c7a50ab..76b08804b99 100644
--- a/scripts/start-deployModrinth
+++ b/scripts/start-deployModrinth
@@ -9,10 +9,11 @@ resultsFile=/data/.install-modrinth.env
 : "${MODRINTH_MODPACK:=${MODRINTH_PROJECT:-}}"
 : "${MODRINTH_LOADER:=}"
 : "${MODRINTH_VERSION:=${MODRINTH_VERSION_ID:-}}"
-: "${MODRINTH_IGNORE_MISSING_FILES:=}"
-: "${MODRINTH_EXCLUDE_FILES:=}"
-: "${MODRINTH_FORCE_INCLUDE_FILES:=}"
-: "${MODRINTH_OVERRIDES_EXCLUSIONS:=}"
+: "${MODRINTH_IGNORE_MISSING_FILES=}"
+: "${MODRINTH_EXCLUDE_FILES=}"
+: "${MODRINTH_FORCE_INCLUDE_FILES=}"
+: "${MODRINTH_OVERRIDES_EXCLUSIONS=}"
+: "${MODRINTH_DEFAULT_EXCLUDE_INCLUDES=/image/modrinth-exclude-include.json}"
 
 if [[ ! $MODRINTH_MODPACK ]]; then
   log "ERROR: MODRINTH_MODPACK must be set when using TYPE/MOD_PLATFORM of MODRINTH"
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ setArg --default-version-type MODRINTH_DEFAULT_VERSION_TYPE
 setArg --exclude-files MODRINTH_EXCLUDE_FILES
 setArg --force-include-files MODRINTH_FORCE_INCLUDE_FILES
 setArg --overrides-exclusions MODRINTH_OVERRIDES_EXCLUSIONS
+setArg --default-exclude-includes MODRINTH_DEFAULT_EXCLUDE_INCLUDES
 
 if ! mc-image-helper install-modrinth-modpack "${args[@]}"; then
     log "ERROR failed to install Modrinth modpack"