diff --git a/demo/serialization.html b/demo/serialization.html
index 76db8c048..8ceb14d95 100644
--- a/demo/serialization.html
+++ b/demo/serialization.html
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ <h1>Serialization demo</h1>
   <script type="text/javascript">
     let grid = GridStack.init({
       minRow: 1, // don't let it collapse when empty
-      cellHeight: '7rem'
+      cellHeight: '7rem',
+      draggable: { cancel: '.no-drag'} // example of additional custom elements to skip drag on
     });
     
     grid.on('added removed change', function(e, items) {
@@ -39,8 +40,8 @@ <h1>Serialization demo</h1>
 
     let serializedData = [
       {x: 0, y: 0, w: 2, h: 2, id: '0'},
-      {x: 3, y: 1, h: 2, id: '1', 
-      content: "<button onclick=\"alert('clicked!')\">Press me</button><div>text area</div><div><textarea></textarea></div><div>Input Field</div><input type='text'><div contentEditable=\"true\">Editable Div</div>"},
+      {x: 3, y: 1, h: 3, id: '1', 
+      content: "<button onclick=\"alert('clicked!')\">Press me</button><div>text area</div><div><textarea></textarea></div><div>Input Field</div><input type='text'><div contentEditable=\"true\">Editable Div</div><div class=\"no-drag\">no drag</div>"},
       {x: 4, y: 1, id: '2'},
       {x: 2, y: 3, w: 3, id: '3'},
       {x: 1, y: 3, id: '4'}
diff --git a/doc/CHANGES.md b/doc/CHANGES.md
index ffda1db08..9bdded1fc 100644
--- a/doc/CHANGES.md
+++ b/doc/CHANGES.md
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ Change log
 * break: remove `GridStackOptions.minWidth` obsolete since 5.1, use `oneColumnSize` instead
 * optimize: CSS files now even 25% smaller (after being halfed in 8.0.0) by removing `.grid-stack` prefix for anything already gs based, and 3 digit rounding.
 * fix: [#2275](https://github.com/gridstack/gridstack.js/issues/2275) `setupDragIn()` signature tweaks (HTMLElement | Document)
+* feat: [#2205](https://github.com/gridstack/gridstack.js/issues/2205) added `GridStackOptions.draggable.cancel` for list of selectors that should prevent item dragging
 
 ## 8.0.1 (2023-04-29)
 * feat: [#2275](https://github.com/gridstack/gridstack.js/issues/2275) `setupDragIn()` now can take an array or elements (in addition to selector string) and optional parent root (for shadow DOM support)
diff --git a/doc/README.md b/doc/README.md
index 7d7f5fc92..67b90d1d6 100644
--- a/doc/README.md
+++ b/doc/README.md
@@ -131,9 +131,10 @@ GridStack will add it to the <style> elements it creates.
 - `appendTo`?: string - default to 'body' (TODO: is this even used anymore ?)
 - `pause`?: boolean | number - if set (true | msec), dragging placement (collision) will only happen after a pause by the user. Note: this is Global
 - `scroll`?: boolean - default to 'true', enable or disable the scroll when an element is dragged on bottom or top of the grid.
+- `cancel`?: string - prevents dragging from starting on specified elements, listed as comma separated selectors (eg: '.no-drag'). default built in is 'input,textarea,button,select,option'
 
 ### DDDragInOpt extends DDDragOpt
-- `helper`?: string | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement) - helper function when dropping (ex: 'clone' or your own method) 
+- `helper`?: 'clone' | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement) - helper function when dropping (ex: 'clone' or your own method) 
 
 ## Grid attributes
 
diff --git a/src/dd-draggable.ts b/src/dd-draggable.ts
index 13e6ec4e4..6aeb0d429 100644
--- a/src/dd-draggable.ts
+++ b/src/dd-draggable.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ import { isTouch, touchend, touchmove, touchstart, pointerdown } from './dd-touc
 export interface DDDraggableOpt {
   appendTo?: string | HTMLElement;
   handle?: string;
-  helper?: string | HTMLElement | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement);
+  helper?: 'clone' | HTMLElement | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement);
+  cancel?: string;
   // containment?: string | HTMLElement; // TODO: not implemented yet
   // revert?: string | boolean | unknown; // TODO: not implemented yet
-  // scroll?: boolean; // native support by HTML5 drag drop, can't be switch to off actually
+  // scroll?: boolean;
   start?: (event: Event, ui: DDUIData) => void;
   stop?: (event: Event) => void;
   drag?: (event: Event, ui: DDUIData) => void;
@@ -34,6 +35,9 @@ interface DragOffset {
 
 type DDDragEvent = 'drag' | 'dragstart' | 'dragstop';
 
+// make sure we are not clicking on known object that handles mouseDown
+const skipMouseDown = 'input,textarea,button,select,option,[contenteditable="true"],.ui-resizable-handle';
+
 // let count = 0; // TEST
 
 export class DDDraggable extends DDBaseImplement implements HTMLElementExtendOpt<DDDraggableOpt> {
@@ -64,6 +68,7 @@ export class DDDraggable extends DDBaseImplement implements HTMLElementExtendOpt
     super();
     this.el = el;
     this.option = option;
+
     // get the element that is actually supposed to be dragged by
     let handleName = option.handle.substring(1);
     this.dragEl = el.classList.contains(handleName) ? el : el.querySelector(option.handle) || el;
@@ -127,12 +132,11 @@ export class DDDraggable extends DDBaseImplement implements HTMLElementExtendOpt
     if (DDManager.mouseHandled) return;
     if (e.button !== 0) return true; // only left click
 
-    // make sure we are not clicking on known object that handles mouseDown (TODO: make this extensible ?) #2054
-    const skipMouseDown = ['input', 'textarea', 'button', 'select', 'option'];
-    const name = (e.target as HTMLElement).nodeName.toLowerCase();
-    if (skipMouseDown.find(skip => skip === name)) return true;
-    // also check for content editable
-    if ((e.target as HTMLElement).closest('[contenteditable="true"]')) return true;
+    // make sure we are not clicking on known object that handles mouseDown, or ones supplied by the user
+    if ((e.target as HTMLElement).closest(skipMouseDown)) return true;
+    if (this.option.cancel) {
+      if ((e.target as HTMLElement).closest(this.option.cancel)) return true;
+    }
 
     // REMOVE: why would we get the event if it wasn't for us or child ?
     // make sure we are clicking on a drag handle or child of it...
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 96b10fe75..3109e167c 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -343,12 +343,12 @@ export interface DDDragOpt {
   pause?: boolean | number;
   /** default to `true` */
   scroll?: boolean;
-  /** parent constraining where item can be dragged out from (default: null = no constrain) */
-  // containment?: string;
+  /** prevents dragging from starting on specified elements, listed as comma separated selectors (eg: '.no-drag'). default built in is 'input,textarea,button,select,option' */
+  cancel?: string;
 }
 export interface DDDragInOpt extends DDDragOpt {
-  /** helper function when dropping (ex: 'clone' or your own method) */
-  helper?: string | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement);
+  /** helper function when dropping: 'clone' or your own method */
+  helper?: 'clone' | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement);
   /** used when dragging item from the outside, and canceling (ex: 'invalid' or your own method)*/
   // revert?: string | ((event: Event) => HTMLElement);
 }