diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtils.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtils.java
index e42abdf..adeb9c8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtils.java
@@ -616,46 +616,15 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Attempts to create a directory with the name of the given path, creating
-   * ancestors as necessary.
+   * Attempts to create a directory with the name of the given path, creating ancestors as
+   * necessary.
    *
-   * <p>Postcondition: completes normally iff {@code dir} denotes an existing
-   * directory (not necessarily canonical); completes abruptly otherwise.
-   *
-   * @return true if the directory was successfully created anew, false if it
-   *   already existed (including the case where {@code dir} denotes a symlink
-   *   to an existing directory)
-   * @throws IOException if the directory could not be created
+   * <p>Deprecated. Prefer to call {@link Path#createDirectoryAndParents()} directly.
    */
+  @Deprecated
   @ThreadSafe
-  public static boolean createDirectoryAndParents(Path dir) throws IOException {
-    // Optimised for minimal number of I/O calls.
-
-    // Don't attempt to create the root directory.
-    if (dir.getParentDirectory() == null) {
-      return false;
-    }
-
-    FileSystem filesystem = dir.getFileSystem();
-    if (filesystem instanceof UnionFileSystem) {
-      // If using UnionFS, make sure that we do not traverse filesystem boundaries when creating
-      // parent directories by rehoming the path on the most specific filesystem.
-      FileSystem delegate = ((UnionFileSystem) filesystem).getDelegate(dir);
-      dir = delegate.getPath(dir.asFragment());
-    }
-
-    try {
-      return dir.createDirectory();
-    } catch (IOException e) {
-      if (e.getMessage().endsWith(" (No such file or directory)")) { // ENOENT
-        createDirectoryAndParents(dir.getParentDirectory());
-        return dir.createDirectory();
-      } else if (e.getMessage().endsWith(" (File exists)") && dir.isDirectory()) { // EEXIST
-        return false;
-      } else {
-        throw e; // some other error (e.g. ENOTDIR, EACCES, etc.)
-      }
-    }
+  public static void createDirectoryAndParents(Path dir) throws IOException {
+    dir.createDirectoryAndParents();
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/JavaIoFileSystem.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/JavaIoFileSystem.java
index 4477275..0dac1c4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/JavaIoFileSystem.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/JavaIoFileSystem.java
@@ -261,7 +261,15 @@
   @Override
   public void createDirectoryAndParents(Path path) throws IOException {
     java.nio.file.Path nioPath = getNioPath(path);
-    Files.createDirectories(nioPath);
+    try {
+      Files.createDirectories(nioPath);
+    } catch (java.nio.file.FileAlreadyExistsException e) {
+      // Files.createDirectories will handle this case normally, but if the existing
+      // file is a symlink to a directory then it still throws. Swallow this.
+      if (!path.isDirectory()) {
+        throw e;
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   private boolean linkExists(File file) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/UnionFileSystem.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/UnionFileSystem.java
index 569357b..d924e19 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/UnionFileSystem.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/UnionFileSystem.java
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@
   public void createDirectoryAndParents(Path path) throws IOException {
     checkModifiable(path);
     FileSystem delegate = getDelegate(path);
-    delegate.createDirectoryAndParents(path);
+    delegate.createDirectoryAndParents(adjustPath(path, delegate));
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemTest.java b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemTest.java
index ba4b4e8..e8896bb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemTest.java
@@ -476,35 +476,21 @@
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectories() throws Exception {
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParents() throws Exception {
     Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir/sub/directory");
     newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
     assertThat(newPath.isDirectory()).isTrue();
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesIsNotFile() throws Exception {
-    Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir/sub/directory");
-    newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
-    assertThat(newPath.isFile()).isFalse();
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesIsNotSymbolicLink() throws Exception {
-    Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir/sub/directory");
-    newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
-    assertThat(newPath.isSymbolicLink()).isFalse();
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesIsEmpty() throws Exception {
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsCreatesEmptyDirectory() throws Exception {
     Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir/sub/directory");
     newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
     assertThat(newPath.getDirectoryEntries()).isEmpty();
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesIsOnlyChildInParent() throws Exception {
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsIsOnlyChildInParent() throws Exception {
     Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir/sub/directory");
     newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
     assertThat(newPath.getParentDirectory().getDirectoryEntries()).hasSize(1);
@@ -512,7 +498,7 @@
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testCreateAlreadyExistingDirectorySucceeds() throws Exception {
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsWhenAlreadyExistsSucceeds() throws Exception {
     Path newPath = absolutize("new-dir");
     newPath.createDirectory();
     newPath.createDirectoryAndParents();
@@ -520,6 +506,40 @@
   }
 
   @Test
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsWhenAncestorIsFile() throws IOException {
+    Path path = absolutize("somewhere/deep/in");
+    path.getParentDirectory().createDirectoryAndParents();
+    FileSystemUtils.createEmptyFile(path);
+    Path theHierarchy = path.getChild("the-hierarchy");
+    MoreAsserts.assertThrows(IOException.class, theHierarchy::createDirectoryAndParents);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsWhenSymlinkToDir() throws IOException {
+    Path somewhereDeepIn = absolutize("somewhere/deep/in");
+    somewhereDeepIn.createDirectoryAndParents();
+    Path realDir = absolutize("real/dir");
+    realDir.createDirectoryAndParents();
+    assertThat(realDir.isDirectory()).isTrue();
+    Path theHierarchy = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("the-hierarchy");
+    theHierarchy.createSymbolicLink(realDir);
+    assertThat(theHierarchy.isDirectory()).isTrue();
+    theHierarchy.createDirectoryAndParents();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCreateDirectoryAndParentsWhenSymlinkEmbedded() throws IOException {
+    Path somewhereDeepIn = absolutize("somewhere/deep/in");
+    somewhereDeepIn.createDirectoryAndParents();
+    Path realDir = absolutize("real/dir");
+    realDir.createDirectoryAndParents();
+    Path the = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("the");
+    the.createSymbolicLink(realDir);
+    Path theHierarchy = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("hierarchy");
+    theHierarchy.createDirectoryAndParents();
+  }
+
+  @Test
   public void testCreateDirectoryAtFileFails() throws Exception {
     Path newPath = absolutize("file");
     FileSystemUtils.createEmptyFile(newPath);
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtilsTest.java b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtilsTest.java
index 0e9b74e..6563633 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtilsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/vfs/FileSystemUtilsTest.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.commonAncestor;
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.copyFile;
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.copyTool;
-import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.createDirectoryAndParents;
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.deleteTree;
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.moveFile;
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.FileSystemUtils.relativePath;
@@ -645,56 +644,6 @@
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectories() throws IOException {
-    Path mainPath = fileSystem.getPath("/some/where/deep/in/the/hierarchy");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(mainPath)).isTrue();
-    assertThat(mainPath.exists()).isTrue();
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(mainPath)).isFalse();
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesWhenAncestorIsFile() throws IOException {
-    Path somewhereDeepIn = fileSystem.getPath("/somewhere/deep/in");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(somewhereDeepIn.getParentDirectory())).isTrue();
-    FileSystemUtils.createEmptyFile(somewhereDeepIn);
-    Path theHierarchy = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("the-hierarchy");
-    try {
-      createDirectoryAndParents(theHierarchy);
-      fail();
-    } catch (IOException e) {
-      assertThat(e).hasMessage("/somewhere/deep/in (Not a directory)");
-    }
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesWhenSymlinkToDir() throws IOException {
-    Path somewhereDeepIn = fileSystem.getPath("/somewhere/deep/in");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(somewhereDeepIn)).isTrue();
-    Path realDir = fileSystem.getPath("/real/dir");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(realDir)).isTrue();
-
-    Path theHierarchy = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("the-hierarchy");
-    theHierarchy.createSymbolicLink(realDir);
-
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(theHierarchy)).isFalse();
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void testCreateDirectoriesWhenSymlinkEmbedded() throws IOException {
-    Path somewhereDeepIn = fileSystem.getPath("/somewhere/deep/in");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(somewhereDeepIn)).isTrue();
-    Path realDir = fileSystem.getPath("/real/dir");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(realDir)).isTrue();
-
-    Path the = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("the");
-    the.createSymbolicLink(realDir);
-
-    Path theHierarchy = somewhereDeepIn.getChild("hierarchy");
-    assertThat(createDirectoryAndParents(theHierarchy)).isTrue();
-  }
-
-
-  @Test
   public void testWriteIsoLatin1() throws Exception {
     Path file = fileSystem.getPath("/does/not/exist/yet.txt");
     FileSystemUtils.writeIsoLatin1(file, "Line 1", "Line 2", "Line 3");