diff --git a/lib/gears/filesystem.lua b/lib/gears/filesystem.lua
index 3bbbfc1a..ffc83fee 100644
--- a/lib/gears/filesystem.lua
+++ b/lib/gears/filesystem.lua
@@ -103,7 +103,9 @@ end
 --- Get the path to a directory that should be used for caching data.
 -- @return A string with the requested path with a slash at the end.
 function filesystem.get_cache_dir()
-    return filesystem.get_xdg_cache_home() .. "awesome/"
+    local result = filesystem.get_xdg_cache_home() .. "awesome/"
+    filesystem.mkdir(result)
+    return result
 end
 
 --- Get the path to the directory where themes are installed.