diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/applyconfiguration-gen/generators/targets.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/applyconfiguration-gen/generators/targets.go
index 95977b50902..6dc46f7e7a3 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/applyconfiguration-gen/generators/targets.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/applyconfiguration-gen/generators/targets.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func GetTargets(context *generator.Context, arguments *args.GeneratorArgs) []gen
 		klog.Fatalf("Failed loading boilerplate: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	pkgTypes := packageTypesForInputDirs(context, arguments.InputDirs, customArgs.OutputPkg)
+	pkgTypes := packageTypesForInputs(context, customArgs.OutputPkg)
 	initialTypes := customArgs.ExternalApplyConfigurations
 	refs := refGraphForReachableTypes(context.Universe, pkgTypes, initialTypes)
 	typeModels, err := newTypeModels(customArgs.OpenAPISchemaFilePath, pkgTypes)
@@ -251,9 +251,9 @@ func goName(gv clientgentypes.GroupVersion, p *types.Package) string {
 	return goName
 }
 
-func packageTypesForInputDirs(context *generator.Context, inputDirs []string, outPkgBase string) map[string]*types.Package {
+func packageTypesForInputs(context *generator.Context, outPkgBase string) map[string]*types.Package {
 	pkgTypes := map[string]*types.Package{}
-	for _, inputDir := range inputDirs {
+	for _, inputDir := range context.Inputs {
 		p := context.Universe.Package(inputDir)
 		internal := isInternalPackage(p)
 		if internal {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/args/args.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/args/args.go
index 3467da348e7..bd0674741c2 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/args/args.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/args/args.go
@@ -25,8 +25,6 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/types"
 )
 
-var DefaultInputDirs = []string{}
-
 // CustomArgs is a wrapper for arguments to client-gen.
 type CustomArgs struct {
 	// The directory for the generated results.
@@ -78,7 +76,6 @@ func NewDefaults() (*args.GeneratorArgs, *CustomArgs) {
 		ApplyConfigurationPackage: "",
 	}
 	genericArgs.CustomArgs = customArgs
-	genericArgs.InputDirs = DefaultInputDirs
 
 	return genericArgs, customArgs
 }
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/conversion-gen/main.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/conversion-gen/main.go
index c7f8f724d35..ddaeaf05df6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/conversion-gen/main.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/conversion-gen/main.go
@@ -115,15 +115,6 @@ func main() {
 	pflag.CommandLine.AddGoFlagSet(flag.CommandLine)
 	pflag.Parse()
 
-	// k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime contains a number of manual conversions,
-	// that we need to generate conversions.
-	// Packages being dependencies of explicitly requested packages are only
-	// partially scanned - only types explicitly used are being traversed.
-	// Not used functions or types are omitted.
-	// Adding this explicitly to InputDirs ensures that the package is fully
-	// scanned and all functions are parsed and processed.
-	genericArgs.InputDirs = append(genericArgs.InputDirs, "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime")
-
 	if err := generatorargs.Validate(genericArgs); err != nil {
 		klog.Fatalf("Error: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/informer-gen/generators/targets.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/informer-gen/generators/targets.go
index df9a2484024..b15caec2e7a 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/informer-gen/generators/targets.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/informer-gen/generators/targets.go
@@ -118,8 +118,8 @@ func GetTargets(context *generator.Context, arguments *args.GeneratorArgs) []gen
 	externalGroupVersions := make(map[string]clientgentypes.GroupVersions)
 	internalGroupVersions := make(map[string]clientgentypes.GroupVersions)
 	groupGoNames := make(map[string]string)
-	for _, inputDir := range arguments.InputDirs {
-		p := context.Universe.Package(inputDir)
+	for _, inputPkg := range context.Inputs {
+		p := context.Universe.Package(inputPkg)
 
 		objectMeta, internal, err := objectMetaForPackage(p)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/lister-gen/generators/lister.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/lister-gen/generators/lister.go
index 6e3929e2c05..c0548b50d3e 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/lister-gen/generators/lister.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/lister-gen/generators/lister.go
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ func GetTargets(context *generator.Context, arguments *args.GeneratorArgs) []gen
 	}
 
 	var targetList []generator.Target
-	for _, inputDir := range arguments.InputDirs {
-		p := context.Universe.Package(inputDir)
+	for _, inputPkg := range context.Inputs {
+		p := context.Universe.Package(inputPkg)
 
 		objectMeta, internal, err := objectMetaForPackage(p)
 		if err != nil {