diff --git a/lib/sdk_private.go b/lib/sdk_private.go
index 4893da0de..3281ebdbe 100644
--- a/lib/sdk_private.go
+++ b/lib/sdk_private.go
@@ -75,9 +75,12 @@ func (e *NucleiEngine) applyRequiredDefaults() {
 	if e.rateLimiter == nil {
 		e.rateLimiter = ratelimit.New(context.Background(), 150, time.Second)
 	}
+	if e.opts.ExcludeTags == nil {
+		e.opts.ExcludeTags = []string{}
+	}
 	// these templates are known to have weak matchers
 	// and idea is to disable them to avoid false positives
-	e.opts.ExcludeTags = config.ReadIgnoreFile().Tags
+	e.opts.ExcludeTags = append(e.opts.ExcludeTags, config.ReadIgnoreFile().Tags...)
 
 	e.inputProvider = &inputs.SimpleInputProvider{
 		Inputs: []*contextargs.MetaInput{},