diff --git a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/compaction/coordinator/CompactionCoordinator.java b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/compaction/coordinator/CompactionCoordinator.java
index 6135942ee9d..fe6755bc564 100644
--- a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/compaction/coordinator/CompactionCoordinator.java
+++ b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/compaction/coordinator/CompactionCoordinator.java
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@
 import static org.apache.accumulo.core.metadata.schema.TabletMetadata.ColumnType.SCANS;
 import static org.apache.accumulo.core.metadata.schema.TabletMetadata.ColumnType.SELECTED;
 
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -112,6 +114,8 @@
 import org.apache.accumulo.server.manager.LiveTServerSet;
 import org.apache.accumulo.server.security.SecurityOperation;
 import org.apache.accumulo.server.tablets.TabletNameGenerator;
+import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileStatus;
+import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
 import org.apache.thrift.TException;
 import org.apache.thrift.transport.TTransport;
 import org.apache.thrift.transport.TTransportException;
@@ -123,6 +127,7 @@
 import com.github.benmanes.caffeine.cache.CacheLoader;
 import com.github.benmanes.caffeine.cache.Caffeine;
 import com.github.benmanes.caffeine.cache.LoadingCache;
+import com.github.benmanes.caffeine.cache.Weigher;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.collect.Iterators;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
@@ -154,6 +159,13 @@ public class CompactionCoordinator implements CompactionCoordinatorService.Iface
   private static final Cache<ExternalCompactionId,RunningCompaction> COMPLETED =
       Caffeine.newBuilder().maximumSize(200).expireAfterWrite(10, TimeUnit.MINUTES).build();
 
+  private final Weigher<Path,Integer> weigher = (path, count) -> {
+    return path.toUri().toString().length();
+  };
+
+  private final Cache<Path,Integer> checked_tablet_dir_cache =
+      Caffeine.newBuilder().maximumWeight(10485760L).weigher(weigher).build();
+
   /* Map of group name to last time compactor called to get a compaction job */
   // ELASTICITY_TODO need to clean out groups that are no longer configured..
   private static final Map<String,Long> TIME_COMPACTOR_LAST_CHECKED = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
@@ -478,6 +490,28 @@ private boolean canReserveCompaction(TabletMetadata tablet, CompactionJob job,
     return true;
   }
 
+  private void checkTabletDir(KeyExtent extent, Path path) {
+    try {
+      if (checked_tablet_dir_cache.getIfPresent(path) == null) {
+        FileStatus[] files = null;
+        try {
+          files = ctx.getVolumeManager().listStatus(path);
+        } catch (FileNotFoundException ex) {
+          // ignored
+        }
+
+        if (files == null) {
+          LOG.debug("Tablet {} had no dir, creating {}", extent, path);
+
+          ctx.getVolumeManager().mkdirs(path);
+        }
+        checked_tablet_dir_cache.put(path, 1);
+      }
+    } catch (IOException e) {
+      throw new UncheckedIOException(e);
+    }
+  }
+
   private ExternalCompactionMetadata createExternalCompactionMetadata(CompactionJob job,
       Set<StoredTabletFile> jobFiles, TabletMetadata tablet, String compactorAddress) {
     boolean propDels;
@@ -502,12 +536,9 @@ private ExternalCompactionMetadata createExternalCompactionMetadata(CompactionJo
         throw new IllegalArgumentException();
     }
 
-    // ELASTICITY_TODO need to create dir if it does not exists.. look at tablet code, it has cache,
-    // but its unbounded in size which is ok for a single tablet... in the manager we need a cache
-    // of dirs that were created that is bounded in size
-    Consumer<String> directorCreator = dirName -> {};
+    Consumer<String> directoryCreator = dir -> checkTabletDir(tablet.getExtent(), new Path(dir));
     ReferencedTabletFile newFile =
-        TabletNameGenerator.getNextDataFilenameForMajc(propDels, ctx, tablet, directorCreator);
+        TabletNameGenerator.getNextDataFilenameForMajc(propDels, ctx, tablet, directoryCreator);
 
     return new ExternalCompactionMetadata(jobFiles, newFile, compactorAddress, job.getKind(),
         job.getPriority(), job.getExecutor(), propDels, fateTxId);