diff --git a/src/uu/mkdir/src/mkdir.rs b/src/uu/mkdir/src/mkdir.rs
index 2f8dfa98802..c65fa116741 100644
--- a/src/uu/mkdir/src/mkdir.rs
+++ b/src/uu/mkdir/src/mkdir.rs
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
             Arg::new(options::DIRS)
                 .action(ArgAction::Append)
                 .num_args(1..)
+                .required(true)
                 .value_parser(ValueParser::os_string())
                 .value_hint(clap::ValueHint::DirPath),
         )
diff --git a/src/uu/rmdir/src/rmdir.rs b/src/uu/rmdir/src/rmdir.rs
index ef152f01a7b..02e11436061 100644
--- a/src/uu/rmdir/src/rmdir.rs
+++ b/src/uu/rmdir/src/rmdir.rs
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ pub fn uu_app() -> Command {
             Arg::new(ARG_DIRS)
                 .action(ArgAction::Append)
                 .num_args(1..)
+                .required(true)
                 .value_parser(ValueParser::os_string())
                 .value_hint(clap::ValueHint::DirPath),
         )
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_mkdir.rs b/tests/by-util/test_mkdir.rs
index 3b00ac1da4d..9978cbca952 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_mkdir.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_mkdir.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ fn test_invalid_arg() {
     new_ucmd!().arg("--definitely-invalid").fails().code_is(1);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_no_arg() {
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .fails()
+        .code_is(1)
+        .stderr_contains("error: the following required arguments were not provided:");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_mkdir_mkdir() {
     new_ucmd!().arg("test_dir").succeeds();
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_rmdir.rs b/tests/by-util/test_rmdir.rs
index 086d43748ab..0708a8bd5d8 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_rmdir.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_rmdir.rs
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@ fn test_invalid_arg() {
     new_ucmd!().arg("--definitely-invalid").fails().code_is(1);
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn test_no_arg() {
+    new_ucmd!()
+        .fails()
+        .code_is(1)
+        .stderr_contains("error: the following required arguments were not provided:");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_rmdir_empty_directory_no_parents() {
     let (at, mut ucmd) = at_and_ucmd!();