diff --git a/core/api/core.api b/core/api/core.api
index bb76090655..59644d8a84 100644
--- a/core/api/core.api
+++ b/core/api/core.api
@@ -1672,14 +1672,18 @@ public final class org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/CountKt {
 	public static synthetic fun count$default (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/Grouped;Ljava/lang/String;Lkotlin/jvm/functions/Function2;ILjava/lang/Object;)Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/DataFrame;
 }
 
-public abstract class org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/CreateDataFrameDsl : org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/TraversePropertiesDsl {
+public abstract class org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/CreateDataFrameDsl {
 	public fun <init> ()V
 	public abstract fun add (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/BaseColumn;Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/ColumnPath;)V
 	public static synthetic fun add$default (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/CreateDataFrameDsl;Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/BaseColumn;Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/ColumnPath;ILjava/lang/Object;)V
+	public final fun exclude ([Lkotlin/reflect/KCallable;)V
+	public final fun exclude ([Lkotlin/reflect/KClass;)V
 	public abstract fun getSource ()Ljava/lang/Iterable;
 	public final fun into (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/BaseColumn;Ljava/lang/String;)V
 	public final fun into (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/BaseColumn;Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/columns/ColumnPath;)V
 	public abstract fun invoke (Ljava/lang/String;Lkotlin/jvm/functions/Function1;)V
+	public final fun preserve ([Lkotlin/reflect/KCallable;)V
+	public final fun preserve ([Lkotlin/reflect/KClass;)V
 	public abstract fun properties ([Lkotlin/reflect/KCallable;ILkotlin/jvm/functions/Function1;)V
 	public static synthetic fun properties$default (Lorg/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/CreateDataFrameDsl;[Lkotlin/reflect/KCallable;ILkotlin/jvm/functions/Function1;ILjava/lang/Object;)V
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
index f1d35d3b8f..8d49808c40 100644
--- a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
+++ b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import org.jetbrains.kotlinx.dataframe.impl.columnName
 import org.jetbrains.kotlinx.dataframe.impl.columns.createColumnGuessingType
 import org.jetbrains.kotlinx.dataframe.index
 import org.jetbrains.kotlinx.dataframe.util.DEPRECATED_ACCESS_API
+import org.jetbrains.kotlinx.dataframe.util.TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL
 import kotlin.reflect.KCallable
 import kotlin.reflect.KClass
 import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
@@ -153,6 +154,24 @@ public fun Iterable<Pair<String, Iterable<Any?>>>.toDataFrameFromPairs(): DataFr
         ColumnPath(it.first) to createColumnGuessingType(it.first, it.second.asList())
     }.toDataFrameFromPairs<Unit>()
 
+/**
+ * [DslMarker] to prevent fucntions from [CreateDataFrameDsl] being used inside [TraversePropertiesDsl].
+ * This prevents notations like:
+ * ```kt
+ * list.toDataFrame {
+ *     "colA" from { ... }
+ *     properties {
+ *         preserve<T>()
+ *         "colB" from { ... } // ERROR, cannot be called in this context an implicit receiver.
+ *     }
+ * }
+ * ```
+ */
+@DslMarker
+@Target(AnnotationTarget.CLASS, AnnotationTarget.TYPEALIAS, AnnotationTarget.TYPE, AnnotationTarget.FUNCTION)
+public annotation class CreateDataFrameDslMarker
+
+@CreateDataFrameDslMarker
 public interface TraversePropertiesDsl {
 
     /**
@@ -188,7 +207,11 @@ public interface TraversePropertiesDsl {
 @Interpretable("PreserveT")
 public inline fun <reified T> TraversePropertiesDsl.preserve(): Unit = preserve(T::class)
 
-public abstract class CreateDataFrameDsl<T> : TraversePropertiesDsl {
+@Deprecated(TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL, level = DeprecationLevel.ERROR)
+public inline fun <reified T> CreateDataFrameDsl<*>.preserve(): Unit = Unit
+
+@CreateDataFrameDslMarker
+public abstract class CreateDataFrameDsl<T> {
 
     public abstract val source: Iterable<T>
 
@@ -207,6 +230,18 @@ public abstract class CreateDataFrameDsl<T> : TraversePropertiesDsl {
         body: (TraversePropertiesDsl.() -> Unit)? = null,
     )
 
+    @Deprecated(TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL, level = DeprecationLevel.ERROR)
+    public fun exclude(vararg classes: KClass<*>): Unit = Unit
+
+    @Deprecated(TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL, level = DeprecationLevel.ERROR)
+    public fun exclude(vararg properties: KCallable<*>): Unit = Unit
+
+    @Deprecated(TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL, level = DeprecationLevel.ERROR)
+    public fun preserve(vararg classes: KClass<*>): Unit = Unit
+
+    @Deprecated(TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL, level = DeprecationLevel.ERROR)
+    public fun preserve(vararg properties: KCallable<*>): Unit = Unit
+
     public inline fun <reified R> expr(infer: Infer = Infer.Nulls, noinline expression: (T) -> R): DataColumn<R> =
         source.map { expression(it) }.toColumn(infer = infer)
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/impl/api/toDataFrame.kt b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/impl/api/toDataFrame.kt
index ce77bfa619..1312af86a9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/impl/api/toDataFrame.kt
+++ b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/impl/api/toDataFrame.kt
@@ -111,8 +111,7 @@ internal class CreateDataFrameDslImpl<T>(
     private val type: KType,
     private val prefix: ColumnPath = emptyPath(),
     private val configuration: TraverseConfiguration = TraverseConfiguration(),
-) : CreateDataFrameDsl<T>(),
-    TraversePropertiesDsl by configuration {
+) : CreateDataFrameDsl<T>() {
 
     internal val columns = mutableListOf<Pair<ColumnPath, AnyBaseCol>>()
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/util/deprecationMessages.kt b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/util/deprecationMessages.kt
index fed730edcb..a45e22034f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/util/deprecationMessages.kt
+++ b/core/src/main/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/util/deprecationMessages.kt
@@ -176,6 +176,10 @@ internal const val DATAROW_READ =
 internal const val SUPPORTED_DATAFRAME_FORMAT: String =
     "SupportedDataFrameFormat is deprecated. $MESSAGE_1_0"
 
+internal const val TRAVERSE_PROPERTIES_DSL =
+    "Top-level `exclude`/`preserve` calls in `toDataFrame {}` are deprecated. " +
+        "Move them into each `properties { }` block to configure traversal instead. $MESSAGE_1_0"
+
 // endregion
 
 // region WARNING in 1.0, ERROR in 1.1
diff --git a/core/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt b/core/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
index 78e11eef64..31db34ef15 100644
--- a/core/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
+++ b/core/src/test/kotlin/org/jetbrains/kotlinx/dataframe/api/toDataFrame.kt
@@ -190,8 +190,9 @@ class CreateDataFrameTests {
         )
 
         val res = data.toDataFrame {
-            preserve<NestedData>()
-            properties(maxDepth = 2)
+            properties(maxDepth = 2) {
+                preserve<NestedData>()
+            }
         }
 
         res.schema() shouldBe data.toDataFrame(maxDepth = 0).schema()