diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
index 57be8ec82..909fd75d6 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
@@ -734,22 +734,23 @@ fn calculate_end_span(
             // keywords, they get to set this by being present
 
             let positionals_between = kw_pos - positional_idx - 1;
-            if positionals_between > (kw_idx - spans_idx) {
+            if positionals_between >= (kw_idx - spans_idx) {
                 kw_idx
             } else {
                 kw_idx - positionals_between
             }
         } else {
             // Make space for the remaining require positionals, if we can
-            if signature.num_positionals_after(positional_idx) == 0 {
-                spans.len()
-            } else if positional_idx < signature.required_positional.len()
-                && spans.len() > (signature.required_positional.len() - positional_idx)
-            {
-                spans.len() - (signature.required_positional.len() - positional_idx - 1)
-            } else {
-                spans_idx + 1
-            }
+            // spans_idx < spans.len() is an invariant
+            let remaining_spans = spans.len() - (spans_idx + 1);
+            // positional_idx can be larger than required_positional.len() if we have optional args
+            let remaining_positional = signature
+                .required_positional
+                .len()
+                .saturating_sub(positional_idx + 1);
+            // Saturates to 0 when we have too few args
+            let extra_spans = remaining_spans.saturating_sub(remaining_positional);
+            spans_idx + 1 + extra_spans
         }
     }
 }
@@ -1164,11 +1165,24 @@ pub fn parse_internal_call(
         if let Some(positional) = signature.get_positional(positional_idx) {
             let end = calculate_end_span(working_set, &signature, spans, spans_idx, positional_idx);
 
-            let end = if spans.len() > spans_idx && end == spans_idx {
-                end + 1
-            } else {
-                end
-            };
+            // Missing arguments before next keyword
+            if end == spans_idx {
+                let prev_span = if spans_idx == 0 {
+                    command_span
+                } else {
+                    spans[spans_idx - 1]
+                };
+                let whitespace_span = Span::new(prev_span.end, spans[spans_idx].start);
+                working_set.error(ParseError::MissingPositional(
+                    positional.name.clone(),
+                    whitespace_span,
+                    signature.call_signature(),
+                ));
+                call.add_positional(Expression::garbage(working_set, whitespace_span));
+                positional_idx += 1;
+                continue;
+            }
+            debug_assert!(end <= spans.len());
 
             if spans[..end].is_empty() || spans_idx == end {
                 working_set.error(ParseError::MissingPositional(
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/signature.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/signature.rs
index 4c5cae9e0..30f8b280d 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/signature.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/signature.rs
@@ -522,27 +522,6 @@ impl Signature {
         total
     }
 
-    pub fn num_positionals_after(&self, idx: usize) -> usize {
-        let mut total = 0;
-
-        for (curr, positional) in self.required_positional.iter().enumerate() {
-            match positional.shape {
-                SyntaxShape::Keyword(..) => {
-                    // Keywords have a required argument, so account for that
-                    if curr > idx {
-                        total += 2;
-                    }
-                }
-                _ => {
-                    if curr > idx {
-                        total += 1;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        total
-    }
-
     /// Find the matching long flag
     pub fn get_long_flag(&self, name: &str) -> Option<Flag> {
         for flag in &self.named {
diff --git a/tests/repl/test_parser.rs b/tests/repl/test_parser.rs
index b5ab6d735..8ccc15080 100644
--- a/tests/repl/test_parser.rs
+++ b/tests/repl/test_parser.rs
@@ -189,7 +189,31 @@ fn assignment_with_no_var() -> TestResult {
         "mut = 'foo' | $in; $x | describe",
     ];
 
-    let expected = "valid variable";
+    let expecteds = [
+        "missing var_name",
+        "missing var_name",
+        "missing const_name",
+        "missing var_name",
+        "missing var_name",
+    ];
+
+    for (case, expected) in std::iter::zip(cases, expecteds) {
+        fail_test(case, expected)?;
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn too_few_arguments() -> TestResult {
+    // Test for https://github.com/nushell/nushell/issues/9072
+    let cases = [
+        "def a [b: bool, c: bool, d: float, e: float, f: float] {}; a true true 1 1",
+        "def a [b: bool, c: bool, d: float, e: float, f: float, g: float] {}; a true true 1 1",
+        "def a [b: bool, c: bool, d: float, e: float, f: float, g: float, h: float] {}; a true true 1 1",
+    ];
+
+    let expected = "missing f";
 
     for case in cases {
         fail_test(case, expected)?;