diff --git a/fs/operations/rc.go b/fs/operations/rc.go
index 644a947e9..6ca07ee39 100644
--- a/fs/operations/rc.go
+++ b/fs/operations/rc.go
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ func init() {
 		{name: "rmdir", title: "Remove an empty directory or container"},
 		{name: "purge", title: "Remove a directory or container and all of its contents"},
 		{name: "rmdirs", title: "Remove all the empty directories in the path", help: "- leaveRoot - boolean, set to true not to delete the root\n"},
-		{name: "delete", title: "Remove files in the path", noRemote: true},
+		{name: "delete", title: "Remove files in the path", help: "- rmdirs - boolean, set to true to remove empty directories\n- leaveRoot - boolean if rmdirs is set, set to true not to delete the root\n", noRemote: true},
 		{name: "deletefile", title: "Remove the single file pointed to"},
 		{name: "copyurl", title: "Copy the URL to the object", help: "- url - string, URL to read from\n - autoFilename - boolean, set to true to retrieve destination file name from url\n"},
 		{name: "uploadfile", title: "Upload file using multiform/form-data", help: "- each part in body represents a file to be uploaded\n", needsRequest: true, noCommand: true},
@@ -267,7 +267,22 @@ func rcSingleCommand(ctx context.Context, in rc.Params, name string, noRemote bo
 		}
 		return nil, Rmdirs(ctx, f, remote, leaveRoot)
 	case "delete":
-		return nil, Delete(ctx, f)
+		rmdirs, err := in.GetBool("rmdirs")
+		if rc.NotErrParamNotFound(err) {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		leaveRoot, err := in.GetBool("leaveRoot")
+		if rc.NotErrParamNotFound(err) {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		err = Delete(ctx, f)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if !rmdirs {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		return nil, Rmdirs(ctx, f, remote, leaveRoot)
 	case "deletefile":
 		o, err := f.NewObject(ctx, remote)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/fs/operations/rc_test.go b/fs/operations/rc_test.go
index 2d8d0f2af..a44d0d64c 100644
--- a/fs/operations/rc_test.go
+++ b/fs/operations/rc_test.go
@@ -159,21 +159,32 @@ func TestRcCopyurl(t *testing.T) {
 
 // operations/delete: Remove files in the path
 func TestRcDelete(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
 	r, call := rcNewRun(t, "operations/delete")
+	file1 := r.WriteObject(ctx, "subdir/file1", "subdir/file1 contents", t1)
+	file2 := r.WriteObject(ctx, "file2", "file2 contents", t1)
 
-	file1 := r.WriteObject(context.Background(), "small", "1234567890", t2)                                                                                           // 10 bytes
-	file2 := r.WriteObject(context.Background(), "medium", "------------------------------------------------------------", t1)                                        // 60 bytes
-	file3 := r.WriteObject(context.Background(), "large", "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA", t1) // 100 bytes
-	r.CheckRemoteItems(t, file1, file2, file3)
+	fstest.CheckListingWithPrecision(t, r.Fremote, []fstest.Item{file1, file2}, []string{"subdir"}, fs.GetModifyWindow(ctx, r.Fremote))
 
 	in := rc.Params{
 		"fs": r.FremoteName,
 	}
-	out, err := call.Fn(context.Background(), in)
+	out, err := call.Fn(ctx, in)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, rc.Params(nil), out)
 
-	r.CheckRemoteItems(t)
+	fstest.CheckListingWithPrecision(t, r.Fremote, []fstest.Item{}, []string{"subdir"}, fs.GetModifyWindow(ctx, r.Fremote))
+
+	// Now try with rmdirs=true and leaveRoot=true
+	in["rmdirs"] = true
+	in["leaveRoot"] = true
+	out, err = call.Fn(ctx, in)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, rc.Params(nil), out)
+
+	fstest.CheckListingWithPrecision(t, r.Fremote, []fstest.Item{}, []string{}, fs.GetModifyWindow(ctx, r.Fremote))
+
+	// FIXME don't have an easy way of checking the root still exists or not
 }
 
 // operations/deletefile: Remove the single file pointed to