diff --git a/packages/api/src/directives.ts b/packages/api/src/directives.ts
index 435166539..292a546b8 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/directives.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/directives.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export const sanitizeDirectiveTransformer = (schema: GraphQLSchema) => {
       }
 
       const maxLength = sanitizeDirective.maxLength as number | undefined
+      const minLength = sanitizeDirective.minLength as number | undefined
       const allowedTags = sanitizeDirective.allowedTags as string[] | undefined
       const pattern = sanitizeDirective.pattern as string | undefined
 
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ export const sanitizeDirectiveTransformer = (schema: GraphQLSchema) => {
             fieldConfig.type.ofType,
             allowedTags,
             maxLength,
+            minLength,
             pattern
           )
         )
@@ -35,6 +37,7 @@ export const sanitizeDirectiveTransformer = (schema: GraphQLSchema) => {
           fieldConfig.type,
           allowedTags,
           maxLength,
+          minLength,
           pattern
         )
       } else {
diff --git a/packages/api/src/generated/graphql.ts b/packages/api/src/generated/graphql.ts
index d3bfcc675..3334b1968 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/generated/graphql.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/generated/graphql.ts
@@ -4062,6 +4062,7 @@ export type ResolversParentTypes = {
 export type SanitizeDirectiveArgs = {
   allowedTags?: Maybe<Array<Maybe<Scalars['String']>>>;
   maxLength?: Maybe<Scalars['Int']>;
+  minLength?: Maybe<Scalars['Int']>;
   pattern?: Maybe<Scalars['String']>;
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/api/src/generated/schema.graphql b/packages/api/src/generated/schema.graphql
index 96d6b560c..629d64e48 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/generated/schema.graphql
+++ b/packages/api/src/generated/schema.graphql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-directive @sanitize(allowedTags: [String], maxLength: Int, pattern: String) on INPUT_FIELD_DEFINITION
+directive @sanitize(allowedTags: [String], maxLength: Int, minLength: Int, pattern: String) on INPUT_FIELD_DEFINITION
 
 type AddPopularReadError {
   errorCodes: [AddPopularReadErrorCode!]!
diff --git a/packages/api/src/scalars.ts b/packages/api/src/scalars.ts
index 22404534f..aa74cddb7 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/scalars.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/scalars.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ export class SanitizedString extends GraphQLScalarType {
     type: GraphQLScalarType,
     allowedTags?: string[],
     maxLength?: number,
+    minLength?: number,
     pattern?: string
   ) {
     super({
@@ -25,11 +26,7 @@ export class SanitizedString extends GraphQLScalarType {
 
       // invoked when a query is passed as a JSON object (for example, when Apollo Client makes a request
       parseValue(value) {
-        if (maxLength && maxLength < value.length) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `Specified value cannot be longer than ${maxLength} characters`
-          )
-        }
+        checkLength(value)
         if (pattern && !new RegExp(pattern).test(value)) {
           throw new Error(`Specified value does not match pattern`)
         }
@@ -39,17 +36,26 @@ export class SanitizedString extends GraphQLScalarType {
       // invoked when a query is passed as a string
       parseLiteral(ast) {
         const value = type.parseLiteral(ast, {})
-        if (maxLength && maxLength < value.length) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `Specified value cannot be longer than ${maxLength} characters`
-          )
-        }
+        checkLength(value)
         if (pattern && !new RegExp(pattern).test(value)) {
           throw new Error(`Specified value does not match pattern`)
         }
         return sanitize(value, { allowedTags: allowedTags || [] })
       },
     })
+
+    function checkLength(value: any) {
+      if (maxLength && maxLength < value.length) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `Specified value cannot be longer than ${maxLength} characters`
+        )
+      }
+      if (minLength && minLength > value.length) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `Specified value cannot be shorter than ${minLength} characters`
+        )
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/api/src/schema.ts b/packages/api/src/schema.ts
index 1c43b4e22..c298c856a 100755
--- a/packages/api/src/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/schema.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const schema = gql`
   directive @sanitize(
     allowedTags: [String]
     maxLength: Int
+    minLength: Int
     pattern: String
   ) on INPUT_FIELD_DEFINITION
 
@@ -688,7 +689,7 @@ const schema = gql`
     shortId: String!
     articleId: ID!
     patch: String!
-    quote: String! @sanitize(maxLength: 6000)
+    quote: String! @sanitize(maxLength: 6000, minLength: 1)
     prefix: String @sanitize
     suffix: String @sanitize
     annotation: String @sanitize(maxLength: 4000)
@@ -720,7 +721,7 @@ const schema = gql`
     shortId: ID!
     articleId: ID!
     patch: String!
-    quote: String! @sanitize(maxLength: 6000)
+    quote: String! @sanitize(maxLength: 6000, minLength: 1)
     prefix: String @sanitize
     suffix: String @sanitize
     annotation: String @sanitize(maxLength: 8000)
@@ -752,7 +753,7 @@ const schema = gql`
     highlightId: ID!
     annotation: String @sanitize(maxLength: 4000)
     sharedAt: Date
-    quote: String @sanitize(maxLength: 6000)
+    quote: String @sanitize(maxLength: 6000, minLength: 1)
   }
 
   type UpdateHighlightSuccess {