diff --git a/gradle-plugins/biz.aQute.bnd.gradle/src/main/java/aQute/bnd/gradle/BundleTaskExtension.java b/gradle-plugins/biz.aQute.bnd.gradle/src/main/java/aQute/bnd/gradle/BundleTaskExtension.java
index a07b78b17f..9520a06943 100644
--- a/gradle-plugins/biz.aQute.bnd.gradle/src/main/java/aQute/bnd/gradle/BundleTaskExtension.java
+++ b/gradle-plugins/biz.aQute.bnd.gradle/src/main/java/aQute/bnd/gradle/BundleTaskExtension.java
@@ -37,9 +37,6 @@
 import org.gradle.api.file.FileCollection;
 import org.gradle.api.file.ProjectLayout;
 import org.gradle.api.file.RegularFileProperty;
-import org.gradle.api.java.archives.Attributes;
-import org.gradle.api.java.archives.ManifestException;
-import org.gradle.api.java.archives.ManifestMergeSpec;
 import org.gradle.api.java.archives.internal.DefaultManifest;
 import org.gradle.api.model.ObjectFactory;
 import org.gradle.api.provider.ListProperty;
@@ -66,7 +63,6 @@
 import aQute.lib.io.IO;
 import aQute.lib.strings.Strings;
 import aQute.lib.utf8properties.UTF8Properties;
-import groovy.lang.Closure;
 
 /**
  * BundleTaskExtension for Gradle.
@@ -100,7 +96,6 @@ public class BundleTaskExtension {
 	private final ConfigurableFileCollection	classpath;
 	private final Provider<String>				bnd;
 	private final MapProperty<String, Object>	properties;
-	private final EffectiveManifest				effectiveManifest;
 
 	/**
 	 * The bndfile property.
@@ -216,12 +211,6 @@ public BundleTaskExtension(org.gradle.api.tasks.bundling.Jar task) {
 		classpath(mainSourceSet.getCompileClasspath());
 		properties = objects.mapProperty(String.class, Object.class)
 			.convention(Maps.of("project", "__convention__"));
-		// Wrap manifest
-		org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest manifest = task.getManifest();
-		effectiveManifest = new EffectiveManifest(manifest);
-		if (manifest != null) {
-			task.setManifest(effectiveManifest);
-		}
 		// need to programmatically add to inputs since @InputFiles in a
 		// extension is not processed
 		task.getInputs()
@@ -367,6 +356,8 @@ public void execute(Task t) {
 				File buildDir = unwrapFile(getLayout().getBuildDirectory());
 				File buildFile = getBuildFile();
 				FileCollection sourcepath = getAllSource().filter(file -> file.exists());
+				Optional<org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest> taskManifest = Optional
+					.ofNullable(getTask().getManifest());
 				// create Builder
 				Properties gradleProperties = new BeanProperties();
 				gradleProperties.putAll(unwrap(getProperties()));
@@ -379,14 +370,14 @@ public void execute(Task t) {
 					try (Writer writer = IO.writer(temporaryBndFile)) {
 						// write any task manifest entries into the tmp bnd
 						// file
-						Optional<UTF8Properties> properties = Optional.ofNullable(getTask().getManifest())
-							.map(manifest -> MapStream.ofNullable(manifest.getEffectiveManifest()
+						Optional<UTF8Properties> properties = taskManifest.map(manifest -> MapStream
+							.ofNullable(manifest.getEffectiveManifest()
 								.getAttributes())
-								.filterKey(key -> !Objects.equals(key, "Manifest-Version"))
-								.mapValue(Object::toString)
-								.collect(MapStream.toMap((k1, k2) -> {
-									throw new IllegalStateException("Duplicate key " + k1);
-								}, UTF8Properties::new)));
+							.filterKey(key -> !Objects.equals(key, "Manifest-Version"))
+							.mapValue(Object::toString)
+							.collect(MapStream.toMap((k1, k2) -> {
+								throw new IllegalStateException("Duplicate key " + k1);
+							}, UTF8Properties::new)));
 						if (properties.isPresent()) {
 							properties.get()
 								.replaceHere(projectDir)
@@ -514,8 +505,15 @@ public void execute(Task t) {
 					builtJar.write(archiveFile);
 					long now = System.currentTimeMillis();
 					archiveFile.setLastModified(now);
-					// Set effective manifest to generated manifest
-					effectiveManifest.setEffectiveManifest(builtJar.getManifest());
+					// Set effective manifest from generated manifest
+					Manifest builtManifest = builtJar.getManifest();
+					taskManifest.ifPresent(
+						manifest -> manifest.from(mergeManifest(builtManifest), merge -> merge.eachEntry(details -> {
+							if (details.getMergeValue() == null) {
+								// exclude if entry not in merge manifest
+								details.exclude();
+							}
+						})));
 					logReport(builder, getTask().getLogger());
 					if (!builder.isOk()) {
 						failTask("Bundle " + archiveFileName + " has errors", archiveFile);
@@ -526,6 +524,14 @@ public void execute(Task t) {
 			}
 		}
 
+		private org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest mergeManifest(Manifest builtManifest) {
+			org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest mergeManifest = new DefaultManifest(null);
+			mergeManifest.attributes(new AttributesMap(builtManifest.getMainAttributes()));
+			builtManifest.getEntries()
+				.forEach((section, attrs) -> mergeManifest.attributes(new AttributesMap(attrs), section));
+			return mergeManifest;
+		}
+
 		private void failTask(String msg, File archiveFile) {
 			IO.delete(archiveFile);
 			throw new GradleException(msg);
@@ -537,80 +543,6 @@ private boolean isEmpty(String header) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	static final class EffectiveManifest implements org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest {
-		final org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest	delegate;
-		Manifest									effectiveManifest;
-
-		EffectiveManifest(org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest delegate) {
-			this.delegate = delegate;
-			this.effectiveManifest = null;
-		}
-
-		void setEffectiveManifest(Manifest effectiveManifest) {
-			this.effectiveManifest = effectiveManifest;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest attributes(Map<String, ?> attributes) throws ManifestException {
-			delegate.attributes(attributes);
-			return this;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest attributes(Map<String, ?> attributes, String sectionName)
-			throws ManifestException {
-			delegate.attributes(attributes, sectionName);
-			return this;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest from(Object... mergePath) {
-			delegate.from(mergePath);
-			return this;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest from(Object mergePath, Closure<?> closure) {
-			delegate.from(mergePath, closure);
-			return this;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest from(Object mergePath, Action<ManifestMergeSpec> action) {
-			delegate.from(mergePath, action);
-			return this;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public Attributes getAttributes() {
-			return delegate.getAttributes();
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest getEffectiveManifest() {
-			Manifest effectiveManifest = this.effectiveManifest;
-			if (effectiveManifest == null) {
-				return delegate.getEffectiveManifest();
-			}
-			org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest result = new DefaultManifest(null);
-			result.attributes(new AttributesMap(effectiveManifest.getMainAttributes()));
-			effectiveManifest.getEntries()
-				.forEach((section, attrs) -> result.attributes(new AttributesMap(attrs), section));
-			return result;
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public Map<String, Attributes> getSections() {
-			return delegate.getSections();
-		}
-
-		@Override
-		public org.gradle.api.java.archives.Manifest writeTo(Object path) {
-			getEffectiveManifest().writeTo(path);
-			return this;
-		}
-	}
-
 	static final class AttributesMap extends AbstractMap<String, Object> {
 		final java.util.jar.Attributes source;