diff --git a/cluster/saltbase/salt/kubelet/default b/cluster/saltbase/salt/kubelet/default
index 846935c3d84..c0c31829f23 100644
--- a/cluster/saltbase/salt/kubelet/default
+++ b/cluster/saltbase/salt/kubelet/default
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@
 {% elif pillar.get('network_policy_provider', '').lower() == 'calico' and grains['roles'][0] != 'kubernetes-master' %}
   {% set network_plugin = "--network-plugin=cni --cni-conf-dir=/etc/cni/net.d/ --cni-bin-dir=/home/kubernetes/bin/" %}
 {% elif pillar.get('network_provider', '').lower() == 'kubenet' %}
-  {% set network_plugin = "--network-plugin=kubenet --network-plugin-dir=/home/kubernetes/bin/" -%}
+  {% set network_plugin = "--network-plugin=kubenet --cni-bin-dir=/home/kubernetes/bin/" -%}
 {% endif -%}
 
 # Don't pipe the --hairpin-mode flag by default. This allows the kubelet to pick
diff --git a/cmd/kubelet/app/plugins.go b/cmd/kubelet/app/plugins.go
index 13abcd9ff73..e14513a18b2 100644
--- a/cmd/kubelet/app/plugins.go
+++ b/cmd/kubelet/app/plugins.go
@@ -107,21 +107,12 @@ func GetDynamicPluginProber(pluginDir string) volume.DynamicPluginProber {
 }
 
 // ProbeNetworkPlugins collects all compiled-in plugins
-func ProbeNetworkPlugins(pluginDir, cniConfDir, cniBinDir string) []network.NetworkPlugin {
+func ProbeNetworkPlugins(cniConfDir, cniBinDir string) []network.NetworkPlugin {
 	allPlugins := []network.NetworkPlugin{}
 
-	// for backwards-compat, allow pluginDir as a source of CNI config files
-	if cniConfDir == "" {
-		cniConfDir = pluginDir
-	}
-
-	binDir := cniBinDir
-	if binDir == "" {
-		binDir = pluginDir
-	}
 	// for each existing plugin, add to the list
-	allPlugins = append(allPlugins, cni.ProbeNetworkPlugins(cniConfDir, binDir)...)
-	allPlugins = append(allPlugins, kubenet.NewPlugin(binDir))
+	allPlugins = append(allPlugins, cni.ProbeNetworkPlugins(cniConfDir, cniBinDir)...)
+	allPlugins = append(allPlugins, kubenet.NewPlugin(cniBinDir))
 
 	return allPlugins
 }
diff --git a/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go b/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
index dfb4e10d0c2..e33cf687a97 100644
--- a/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
+++ b/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ func UnsecuredDependencies(s *options.KubeletServer) (*kubelet.Dependencies, err
 		ExternalKubeClient:  nil,
 		EventClient:         nil,
 		Mounter:             mounter,
-		NetworkPlugins:      ProbeNetworkPlugins(s.NetworkPluginDir, s.CNIConfDir, s.CNIBinDir),
+		NetworkPlugins:      ProbeNetworkPlugins(s.CNIConfDir, s.CNIBinDir),
 		OOMAdjuster:         oom.NewOOMAdjuster(),
 		OSInterface:         kubecontainer.RealOS{},
 		Writer:              writer,
@@ -898,9 +898,6 @@ func RunDockershim(f *options.KubeletFlags, c *kubeletconfiginternal.KubeletConf
 
 	// Initialize network plugin settings.
 	binDir := r.CNIBinDir
-	if binDir == "" {
-		binDir = r.NetworkPluginDir
-	}
 	nh := &kubelet.NoOpLegacyHost{}
 	pluginSettings := dockershim.NetworkPluginSettings{
 		HairpinMode:       kubeletconfiginternal.HairpinMode(c.HairpinMode),
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/flags.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/flags.go
index e63b2322547..10f7dcf3450 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/flags.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/flags.go
@@ -53,9 +53,6 @@ type ContainerRuntimeOptions struct {
 	// and overrides the default MTU for cases where it cannot be automatically
 	// computed (such as IPSEC).
 	NetworkPluginMTU int32
-	// NetworkPluginDir is the full path of the directory in which to search
-	// for network plugins (and, for backwards-compat, CNI config files)
-	NetworkPluginDir string
 	// CNIConfDir is the full path of the directory in which to search for
 	// CNI config files
 	CNIConfDir string
@@ -87,9 +84,6 @@ func (s *ContainerRuntimeOptions) AddFlags(fs *pflag.FlagSet) {
 
 	// Network plugin settings. Shared by both docker and rkt.
 	fs.StringVar(&s.NetworkPluginName, "network-plugin", s.NetworkPluginName, "<Warning: Alpha feature> The name of the network plugin to be invoked for various events in kubelet/pod lifecycle")
-	//TODO(#46410): Remove the network-plugin-dir flag.
-	fs.StringVar(&s.NetworkPluginDir, "network-plugin-dir", s.NetworkPluginDir, "<Warning: Alpha feature> The full path of the directory in which to search for network plugins or CNI config")
-	fs.MarkDeprecated("network-plugin-dir", "Use --cni-bin-dir instead. This flag will be removed in a future version.")
 	fs.StringVar(&s.CNIConfDir, "cni-conf-dir", s.CNIConfDir, "<Warning: Alpha feature> The full path of the directory in which to search for CNI config files. Default: /etc/cni/net.d")
 	fs.StringVar(&s.CNIBinDir, "cni-bin-dir", s.CNIBinDir, "<Warning: Alpha feature> The full path of the directory in which to search for CNI plugin binaries. Default: /opt/cni/bin")
 	fs.Int32Var(&s.NetworkPluginMTU, "network-plugin-mtu", s.NetworkPluginMTU, "<Warning: Alpha feature> The MTU to be passed to the network plugin, to override the default. Set to 0 to use the default 1460 MTU.")
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index b95ca191855..6662772c32e 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -575,9 +575,6 @@ func NewMainKubelet(kubeCfg *kubeletconfiginternal.KubeletConfiguration,
 
 	// TODO: These need to become arguments to a standalone docker shim.
 	binDir := crOptions.CNIBinDir
-	if binDir == "" {
-		binDir = crOptions.NetworkPluginDir
-	}
 	pluginSettings := dockershim.NetworkPluginSettings{
 		HairpinMode:       hairpinMode,
 		NonMasqueradeCIDR: nonMasqueradeCIDR,
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/network/kubenet/kubenet_linux.go b/pkg/kubelet/network/kubenet/kubenet_linux.go
index 1cc3c6c9117..d7a9f836e5c 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/network/kubenet/kubenet_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/network/kubenet/kubenet_linux.go
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ type kubenetNetworkPlugin struct {
 	iptables        utiliptables.Interface
 	sysctl          utilsysctl.Interface
 	ebtables        utilebtables.Interface
-	// vendorDir is passed by kubelet network-plugin-dir parameter.
+	// vendorDir is passed by kubelet cni-bin-dir parameter.
 	// kubenet will search for cni binaries in DefaultCNIDir first, then continue to vendorDir.
 	vendorDir         string
 	nonMasqueradeCIDR string