diff --git a/src/CHANGELOG b/src/CHANGELOG
index b3ebade46..e8ceff41c 100755
--- a/src/CHANGELOG
+++ b/src/CHANGELOG
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ ECL 12.2.2:
  - EXT:MKDIR no longer accepts pathnames as inputs to avoid problems with
    pathnames that contain name or type components.
 
+ - ENSURE-DIRECTORIES-EXIST accepts the keyword argument :MODE which is
+   passed to MKDIR.
+
 ;;; Local Variables: ***
 ;;; mode:text ***
 ;;; fill-column:79 ***
diff --git a/src/lsp/mislib.lsp b/src/lsp/mislib.lsp
index d5a64f75f..74915d837 100644
--- a/src/lsp/mislib.lsp
+++ b/src/lsp/mislib.lsp
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ Returns the current day-and-time as nine values:
 Sunday is the *last* day of the week!!"
   (decode-universal-time (get-universal-time)))
 
-(defun ensure-directories-exist (pathname &key verbose)
+(defun ensure-directories-exist (pathname &key verbose (mode #o777))
 "Args: (ensure-directories pathname &key :verbose)
 Creates tree of directories specified by the given pathname. Outputs
 	(VALUES pathname created)
@@ -273,17 +273,22 @@ where CREATED is true only if we succeeded on creating all directories."
 	      (wild-pathname-p full-pathname :host)
 	      (wild-pathname-p full-pathname :device))
       (error 'file-error :pathname pathname))
-    (dolist (item (pathname-directory full-pathname))
-      (setf d (nconc d (list item)))
-      (let* ((p (make-pathname :name nil :type nil :directory d
-			       :defaults full-pathname)))
-	(unless (or (symbolp item) (si::file-kind p nil))
-	  (setf created t)
-	  (let ((ps (namestring p)))
-	    (when verbose
-	      (format t "~%;;; Making directory ~A" ps))
-	    (si::mkdir ps #o777)))))
-    (values pathname created)))
+    ;; Here we have already a full pathname. We set our own
+    ;; *default-pathname-defaults* to avoid that the user's value,
+    ;; which may contain names or types, clobbers our computations.
+    (let ((*default-pathname-defaults*
+	   (make-pathname :name nil :type nil :directory nil
+			  :defaults full-pathname)))
+      (dolist (item (pathname-directory full-pathname))
+	(setf d (nconc d (list item)))
+	(let* ((p (make-pathname :directory d)))
+	  (unless (or (symbolp item) (si::file-kind p nil))
+	    (setf created t)
+	    (let ((ps (namestring p)))
+	      (when verbose
+		(format t "~%;;; Making directory ~A" ps))
+	      (si::mkdir ps mode)))))
+      (values pathname created))))
 
 (defmacro with-hash-table-iterator ((iterator package) &body body)
 "Syntax: (with-hash-table-iterator (iterator package) &body body)