diff --git a/container/initmkdir.go b/container/initmkdir.go
index 75256b2..3043df9 100644
--- a/container/initmkdir.go
+++ b/container/initmkdir.go
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ func (m *MkdirOp) apply(*setupState) error {
 	return wrapErrSelf(os.MkdirAll(toSysroot(m.Path.String()), m.Perm))
 }
 
-func (m *MkdirOp) Is(op Op) bool  { vm, ok := op.(*MkdirOp); return ok && m == vm }
+func (m *MkdirOp) Is(op Op) bool {
+	vm, ok := op.(*MkdirOp)
+	return ok && ((m == nil && vm == nil) || (m != nil && vm != nil &&
+		m.Path != nil && vm.Path != nil &&
+		m.Path.String() == vm.Path.String() &&
+		m.Perm == vm.Perm))
+}
 func (*MkdirOp) prefix() string   { return "creating" }
 func (m *MkdirOp) String() string { return fmt.Sprintf("directory %q perm %s", m.Path, m.Perm) }
diff --git a/container/initmkdir_test.go b/container/initmkdir_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89058a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/container/initmkdir_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package container
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestMkdirOp(t *testing.T) {
+	checkOpsBuilder(t, []opsBuilderTestCase{
+		{"etc", new(Ops).Mkdir(MustAbs("/etc/"), 0), Ops{
+			&MkdirOp{Path: MustAbs("/etc/")},
+		}},
+	})
+
+	checkOpIs(t, []opIsTestCase{
+		{"zero", new(MkdirOp), new(MkdirOp), false},
+		{"differs", &MkdirOp{Path: MustAbs("/"), Perm: 0755}, &MkdirOp{Path: MustAbs("/etc/"), Perm: 0755}, false},
+		{"equals", &MkdirOp{Path: MustAbs("/")}, &MkdirOp{Path: MustAbs("/")}, true},
+	})
+
+	checkOpMeta(t, []opMetaTestCase{
+		{"etc", &MkdirOp{
+			Path: MustAbs("/etc/"),
+		}, "creating", `directory "/etc/" perm ----------`},
+	})
+}