diff --git a/doc/release-notes-16528.md b/doc/release-notes-16528.md
index 84af219e90..bc67977f86 100644
--- a/doc/release-notes-16528.md
+++ b/doc/release-notes-16528.md
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ Descriptor Wallet should be created.
 
 Without those options being set, a Legacy Wallet will be created instead.
 
+
 #### `IsMine` Semantics
 
 `IsMine` refers to the function used to determine whether a script belongs to the wallet.
@@ -117,3 +118,4 @@ descriptors with private keys for now as explained earlier.
 ## RPC changes
  - `createwallet` has changed list of arguments: `createwallet "wallet_name" ( disable_private_keys blank "passphrase" avoid_reuse descriptors load_on_startup )`
 `load_on_startup` used to be an argument 5 but now has a number 6.
+ - `createwallet` requires specifying the `load_on_startup` flag when creating descriptor wallets due to breaking changes in v21.
diff --git a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
index 2a7b557b31..f9b29f28e5 100644
--- a/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/rpcwallet.cpp
@@ -3032,6 +3032,9 @@ static RPCHelpMan createwallet()
 #ifndef USE_SQLITE
         throw JSONRPCError(RPC_WALLET_ERROR, "Compiled without sqlite support (required for descriptor wallets)");
 #endif
+        if (request.params[6].isNull()) {
+            throw JSONRPCError(RPC_INVALID_PARAMETER, "The createwallet RPC requires specifying the 'load_on_startup' flag when creating descriptor wallets. Dash Core v21 introduced this requirement due to breaking changes in the createwallet RPC.");
+        }
         flags |= WALLET_FLAG_DESCRIPTORS;
         warnings.emplace_back(Untranslated("Wallet is an experimental descriptor wallet"));
     }
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
index b1d6f70bfa..d92b5bc4a3 100755
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
@@ -704,6 +704,8 @@ class RPCOverloadWrapper():
     def createwallet(self, wallet_name, disable_private_keys=None, blank=None, passphrase='', avoid_reuse=None, descriptors=None, load_on_startup=None):
         if descriptors is None:
             descriptors = self.descriptors
+        if descriptors is not None and load_on_startup is None:
+            load_on_startup = False
         return self.__getattr__('createwallet')(wallet_name, disable_private_keys, blank, passphrase, avoid_reuse, descriptors, load_on_startup)
 
     def importprivkey(self, privkey, label=None, rescan=None):