diff --git a/doc/api/fs.md b/doc/api/fs.md
index 114a51c15dc5d6..76543badbe29fd 100644
--- a/doc/api/fs.md
+++ b/doc/api/fs.md
@@ -1305,6 +1305,7 @@ changes:
   * `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
   * `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
   * `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
+  * `depth` {number} **Default:** `1`
 * Returns: {Promise}  Fulfills with an array of the names of the files in
   the directory excluding `'.'` and `'..'`.
 
@@ -1318,6 +1319,12 @@ will be passed as {Buffer} objects.
 If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the resolved array will contain
 {fs.Dirent} objects.
 
+The `options.depth` determines the amount of recursion to apply. A value less
+than 1 applies full recursion, value of 1 applies no recursion, and greater
+values determine the depth of descendant directies to traverse. If
+`options.recursive` is value `true` then `options.depth` defaults to a value
+of `0` and otherwise defaults to a value `1`.
+
 ```mjs
 import { readdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
 
@@ -3615,6 +3622,7 @@ changes:
   * `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
   * `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
   * `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
+  * `depth` {number} **Default:** `1`
 * `callback` {Function}
   * `err` {Error}
   * `files` {string\[]|Buffer\[]|fs.Dirent\[]}
@@ -3633,6 +3641,12 @@ the filenames returned will be passed as {Buffer} objects.
 If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the `files` array will contain
 {fs.Dirent} objects.
 
+The `options.depth` determines the amount of recursion to apply. A value less
+than 1 applies full recursion, value of 1 applies no recursion, and greater
+values determine the depth of descendant directies to traverse. If
+`options.recursive` is value `true` then `options.depth` defaults to a value
+of `0` and otherwise defaults to a value `1`.
+
 ### `fs.readFile(path[, options], callback)`
 
 <!-- YAML
@@ -5681,6 +5695,7 @@ changes:
   * `encoding` {string} **Default:** `'utf8'`
   * `withFileTypes` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
   * `recursive` {boolean} **Default:** `false`
+  * `depth` {boolean} **Default:** `1`
 * Returns: {string\[]|Buffer\[]|fs.Dirent\[]}
 
 Reads the contents of the directory.
@@ -5695,6 +5710,12 @@ the filenames returned will be passed as {Buffer} objects.
 If `options.withFileTypes` is set to `true`, the result will contain
 {fs.Dirent} objects.
 
+The `options.depth` determines the amount of recursion to apply. A value less
+than 1 applies full recursion, value of 1 applies no recursion, and greater
+values determine the depth of descendant directies to traverse. If
+`options.recursive` is value `true` then `options.depth` defaults to a value
+of `0` and otherwise defaults to a value `1`.
+
 ### `fs.readFileSync(path[, options])`
 
 <!-- YAML
diff --git a/lib/fs.js b/lib/fs.js
index 616ce0aacf8c3b..44bb9699bf6116 100644
--- a/lib/fs.js
+++ b/lib/fs.js
@@ -1427,6 +1427,7 @@ function mkdirSync(path, options) {
 function readdirSyncRecursive(basePath, options) {
   const withFileTypes = Boolean(options.withFileTypes);
   const encoding = options.encoding;
+  const sep = pathModule.sep;
 
   const readdirResults = [];
   const pathsQueue = [basePath];
@@ -1469,9 +1470,11 @@ function readdirSyncRecursive(basePath, options) {
       }
     }
   }
-
+  const base = basePath.replace(/\//g, sep) + sep;
   for (let i = 0; i < pathsQueue.length; i++) {
-    read(pathsQueue[i]);
+    if (options.depth < 1 || pathsQueue[i] === basePath || pathsQueue[i].replace(base, "").split(sep).length < options.depth) {
+      read(pathsQueue[i]);
+    }
   }
 
   return readdirResults;
@@ -1498,7 +1501,13 @@ function readdir(path, options, callback) {
     validateBoolean(options.recursive, 'options.recursive');
   }
 
-  if (options.recursive) {
+  const depth = (options !== null && options !== undefined && typeof options.depth === 'number')
+  ? Math.floor(options.depth)
+  : options.recursive
+    ? 0
+    : 1;
+  if (depth !== 1) {
+    options.depth = depth;
     callback(null, readdirSyncRecursive(path, options));
     return;
   }
@@ -1536,7 +1545,13 @@ function readdirSync(path, options) {
     validateBoolean(options.recursive, 'options.recursive');
   }
 
-  if (options.recursive) {
+  const depth = (options !== null && options !== undefined && typeof options.depth === 'number')
+  ? Math.floor(options.depth)
+  : options.recursive
+    ? 0
+    : 1;
+  if (depth !== 1) {
+    options.depth = depth;
     return readdirSyncRecursive(path, options);
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
index 8f56baf77505f1..cb9533c397667b 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
@@ -781,6 +781,8 @@ async function mkdir(path, options) {
 
 async function readdirRecursive(originalPath, options) {
   const result = [];
+  const sep = pathModule.sep;
+  const origin = originalPath.replace(/\//g, sep) + sep;
   const queue = [
     [
       originalPath,
@@ -793,47 +795,50 @@ async function readdirRecursive(originalPath, options) {
     ],
   ];
 
-
   if (options.withFileTypes) {
     while (queue.length > 0) {
       // If we want to implement BFS make this a `shift` call instead of `pop`
       const { 0: path, 1: readdir } = ArrayPrototypePop(queue);
-      for (const dirent of getDirents(path, readdir)) {
-        ArrayPrototypePush(result, dirent);
-        if (dirent.isDirectory()) {
-          const direntPath = pathModule.join(path, dirent.name);
-          ArrayPrototypePush(queue, [
-            direntPath,
-            await binding.readdir(
+      if (options.depth < 1 || path === originalPath || path.replace(origin, "").split(sep).length < options.depth) {
+        for (const dirent of getDirents(path, readdir)) {
+          ArrayPrototypePush(result, dirent);
+          if (dirent.isDirectory()) {
+            const direntPath = pathModule.join(path, dirent.name);
+            ArrayPrototypePush(queue, [
               direntPath,
-              options.encoding,
-              true,
-              kUsePromises,
-            ),
-          ]);
+              await binding.readdir(
+                direntPath,
+                options.encoding,
+                true,
+                kUsePromises,
+              ),
+            ]);
+          }
         }
       }
     }
   } else {
     while (queue.length > 0) {
       const { 0: path, 1: readdir } = ArrayPrototypePop(queue);
-      for (const ent of readdir) {
-        const direntPath = pathModule.join(path, ent);
-        const stat = binding.internalModuleStat(direntPath);
-        ArrayPrototypePush(
-          result,
-          pathModule.relative(originalPath, direntPath),
-        );
-        if (stat === 1) {
-          ArrayPrototypePush(queue, [
-            direntPath,
-            await binding.readdir(
-              pathModule.toNamespacedPath(direntPath),
-              options.encoding,
-              false,
-              kUsePromises,
-            ),
-          ]);
+      if (options.depth < 1 || path === originalPath || path.replace(origin, "").split(sep).length < options.depth) {
+        for (const ent of readdir) {
+          const direntPath = pathModule.join(path, ent);
+          const stat = binding.internalModuleStat(direntPath);
+          ArrayPrototypePush(
+            result,
+            pathModule.relative(originalPath, direntPath),
+          );
+          if (stat === 1) {
+            ArrayPrototypePush(queue, [
+              direntPath,
+              await binding.readdir(
+                pathModule.toNamespacedPath(direntPath),
+                options.encoding,
+                false,
+                kUsePromises,
+              ),
+            ]);
+          }
         }
       }
     }
@@ -845,7 +850,12 @@ async function readdirRecursive(originalPath, options) {
 async function readdir(path, options) {
   options = getOptions(options);
   path = getValidatedPath(path);
-  if (options.recursive) {
+  const depth = (options !== null && options !== undefined && typeof options.depth === 'number')
+    ? Math.floor(options.depth)
+    : options.recursive
+      ? 0
+      : 1;
+  if (depth !== 1) {
     return readdirRecursive(path, options);
   }
   const result = await binding.readdir(