This software demonstrates a problem with Gradle's distributions exclude.
NOTE: A solution has been found. There is no bug. A different API call is required. See below.
A discussion of this problem may be found on Gradle's Help/Discuss support page.
Gradle marks as UP-TO-DATE distTar, distZip, and assembleDist if an exclude closure is used in distributions. (See build.gradle.) The build/distrbutions directory is not even created.
This is a problem because (for various reasons) I do not want to use Gradle's generated scripts, but a script of my own devising. However I am unable to exclude them from the final zip file.
Spencer Allain identified the problem and a solution: Instead of the exclude closure (from CopySpec.exclude(Closure)), use exclude 'gradle-bug', 'gradle-bug.bat'. See his reasoning in the discussion linked to above.