diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-structure.xml b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-structure.xml
index 1ce323e7a0..3948c64377 100644
--- a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-structure.xml
+++ b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-structure.xml
@@ -810,7 +810,8 @@
             recipe listed in
             <link linkend='var-DEPENDS'><filename>DEPENDS</filename></link>.
             Population of this directory is handled through shared state, while
-            the path is specified by the <filename>COMPONENTS_DIR</filename>
+            the path is specified by the
+            <link linkend='var-COMPONENTS_DIR'><filename>COMPONENTS_DIR</filename></link>
             variable. Apart from a few unusual circumstances, handling of the
             <filename>sysroots-components</filename> directory should be
             automatic, and recipes should not directly reference
diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
index 0289ad183f..2b5f0e1494 100644
--- a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
+++ b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
@@ -2208,6 +2208,27 @@
             </glossdef>
         </glossentry>
 
+        <glossentry id='var-COMPONENTS_DIR'><glossterm>COMPONENTS_DIR</glossterm>
+            <info>
+                COMPONENTS_DIR[doc] = "Stores sysroot components for each recipe."
+            </info>
+            <glossdef>
+                <para role="glossdeffirst">
+<!--                <para role="glossdeffirst"><imagedata fileref="figures/define-generic.png" /> -->
+                    Stores sysroot components for each recipe.
+                    The OpenEmbedded build system uses
+                    <filename>COMPONENTS_DIR</filename> when constructing
+                    recipe-specific sysroots for other recipes.
+                </para>
+
+                <para>
+                    The default is
+                    "<filename>${</filename><link linkend='var-STAGING_DIR'><filename>STAGING_DIR</filename></link><filename>}-components</filename>."
+                    (i.e. "<filename>${TMPDIR}/sysroots-components</filename>".
+                </para>
+            </glossdef>
+        </glossentry>
+
         <glossentry id='var-CONF_VERSION'><glossterm>CONF_VERSION</glossterm>
             <info>
                 CONF_VERSION[doc] = "Tracks the version of local.conf.  Increased each time build/conf/ changes incompatibly."