diff --git a/src/client/dfs/dfs_sys.c b/src/client/dfs/dfs_sys.c
index 679d9411480..cbd1a4406fe 100644
--- a/src/client/dfs/dfs_sys.c
+++ b/src/client/dfs/dfs_sys.c
@@ -1318,6 +1318,12 @@ dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_t *dfs_sys, const char *path, bool force,
 		return EINVAL;
 	if (path == NULL)
 		return EINVAL;
+	/*
+	 * since we are not evicting child entries from the dfs sys cache in case of force removal
+	 * of a dir, just disallow force removal if cache is enabled on the dfs sys mount.
+	 */
+	if (dfs_sys->hash && force)
+		return ENOTSUP;
 
 	rc = sys_path_parse(dfs_sys, &sys_path, path);
 	if (rc != 0)
diff --git a/src/tests/suite/dfs_sys_unit_test.c b/src/tests/suite/dfs_sys_unit_test.c
index 47ba8ee20ed..42e3d3f8303 100644
--- a/src/tests/suite/dfs_sys_unit_test.c
+++ b/src/tests/suite/dfs_sys_unit_test.c
@@ -170,6 +170,12 @@ dfs_sys_test_create_remove(void **state)
 	rc = dfs_sys_symlink(dfs_sys_mt, sym1_target, sym1);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 
+	/** remove should return ENOTSUP with force since caching is enabled */
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, true, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, ENOTSUP);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, true, S_IFDIR, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, ENOTSUP);
+
 	/** Remove dirs, links with remove */
 	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, sym1, 0, 0);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
@@ -212,20 +218,18 @@ dfs_sys_test_create_remove(void **state)
 	rc = dfs_sys_close(obj);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 
-	/** Remove files with remove */
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file2, 0, 0);
-	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-
 	/** Remove dirs, files, links with remove_type */
 	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, file1, false, S_IFREG, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, file2, false, S_IFREG, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, sym1, false, S_IFLNK, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, dir3, false, S_IFDIR, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-
-	/** Remove dirs with remove_type(force) */
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, true, S_IFDIR, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, dir2, false, S_IFDIR, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove_type(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, false, S_IFDIR, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 
 	/** Create dirs, files with mknod */
@@ -242,8 +246,14 @@ dfs_sys_test_create_remove(void **state)
 			   0, 0);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 
-	/** Remove tree (dir) with remove(force) */
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, true, NULL);
+	/** Remove tree with remove */
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file1, false, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir3, false, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir2, false, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 }
 
@@ -640,7 +650,14 @@ dfs_sys_test_open_readdir(void **state)
 	rc = dfs_sys_closedir(dirp);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, true, NULL);
+	for (i = 0; i < num_dirs; i++) {
+		rc = snprintf(buf, buf_size, "%s/sub%u", dir1, i);
+		assert_true(rc > 0);
+		rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, buf, false, 0);
+		assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
+	}
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, dir1, false, NULL);
+	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -848,11 +865,11 @@ dfs_sys_test_mkdir(void **state)
 	rc = dfs_sys_mkdir(dfs_sys_mt, file, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR, 0);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, EEXIST);
 
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, child, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, child, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, parent, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, parent, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 }
 
@@ -885,11 +902,11 @@ dfs_sys_test_mkdir_p(void **state)
 	rc = dfs_sys_mkdir_p(dfs_sys_mt, file, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR, 0);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, EEXIST);
 
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, file, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, child, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, child, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
-	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, parent, true, NULL);
+	rc = dfs_sys_remove(dfs_sys_mt, parent, false, NULL);
 	assert_int_equal(rc, 0);
 }