---
title: "path_remove_directory()"
description: "The path_remove_directory() function removes a directory specified by the given path. It requires the PATH_REMOVE_DIRECTORY right to be set on the directory."
url: "https://wasix.org/docs/api-reference/wasi/path_remove_directory/"
markdown: "https://wasix.org/docs/api-reference/wasi/path_remove_directory.md"
---

# `path_remove_directory()`

Remove a directory.

## Description

The `path_remove_directory()` function removes a directory specified by the given path. It requires the `PATH_REMOVE_DIRECTORY` right to be set on the directory.

On POSIX systems, a similar functionality is provided by the `rmdir()` function. It removes an empty directory with the specified path. The `rmdir()` function is part of the POSIX standard and is widely supported across different platforms.

## Syntax

```ebnf
  ;;; Note: This is similar to `unlinkat(fd, path, AT_REMOVEDIR)` in POSIX.
  ;;; Return `errno::notempty` if the directory is not empty.
  ;;; Remove a directory.
  (@interface func (export "path_remove_directory")
    (param $fd $fd)
    ;;; The path to a directory to remove.
    (param $path string)
    (result $error (expected (error $errno)))
  )
```

## Parameters

- `ctx`: A mutable reference to the function environment.
- `fd`: The file descriptor representing the base directory from which the path is resolved.
- `path`: A wasm pointer to a null-terminated string containing the path of the directory to remove.
- `path_len`: The length of the `path` string.

## Return Value

The function returns an `Errno` value indicating the success or failure of the operation. If the operation is successful, it returns `Errno::Success`. Otherwise, it returns an appropriate `Errno` value.

## Logging

This function has been instrumented with debug-level logging. It will log the following information:

- `%fd`: The file descriptor representing the base directory.
- `path`: The path string.

## Note

The `path_remove_directory()` function removes a directory specified by the given path. It checks if the directory is empty and has the necessary rights to be removed. On POSIX systems, a similar functionality is provided by the `rmdir()` function.

---

[Documentation index](https://wasix.org/llms.txt) · [HTML version](https://wasix.org/docs/api-reference/wasi/path_remove_directory/)