diff --git a/src/mito2/src/compaction/compactor.rs b/src/mito2/src/compaction/compactor.rs
index 5c15da731c..17e5d83bf9 100644
--- a/src/mito2/src/compaction/compactor.rs
+++ b/src/mito2/src/compaction/compactor.rs
@@ -267,16 +267,18 @@ impl CompactionRegion {
             return;
         };
 
-        // Local compaction fills `sst_infos` 1:1 with `files_to_add`. Remote
-        // compaction deserializes `MergeOutput` over gRPC, where `sst_infos`
-        // is `#[serde(skip)]`; substitute empty defaults — the hook still reads
-        // `record_count` from [`FileMeta::num_rows`].
-        let defaults: Vec<SstInfo>;
+        // Remote compaction deserializes `MergeOutput` over gRPC, where
+        // `sst_infos` is `#[serde(skip)]`. Rebuild each `SstInfo` from the
+        // matching `FileMeta` so the hook observes real ids/rows/sizes rather
+        // than zeros — see [`sst_info_from_file_meta`] for what stays default.
+        let synthesized: Vec<SstInfo>;
         let infos: &[SstInfo] = if merge_output.sst_infos.is_empty() {
-            defaults = (0..merge_output.files_to_add.len())
-                .map(|_| SstInfo::default())
+            synthesized = merge_output
+                .files_to_add
+                .iter()
+                .map(sst_info_from_file_meta)
                 .collect();
-            &defaults
+            &synthesized
         } else {
             // `sst_infos` and `files_to_add` are documented as 1:1. If they
             // ever diverge, `zip` below would silently truncate; warn so the
@@ -306,6 +308,41 @@ impl CompactionRegion {
     }
 }
 
+/// Builds an [`SstInfo`] for the remote-compaction path by copying the scalar
+/// fields that [`FileMeta`] also carries.
+///
+/// Remote compaction runs off-process and ships `MergeOutput` over the wire;
+/// [`MergeOutput::sst_infos`] is `#[serde(skip)]` because the parquet footer
+/// (`ParquetMetaData`) is not serde-serializable. To avoid feeding the hook
+/// default (zero) values for real SSTs, this rebuilds the seven fields `FileMeta`
+/// and `SstInfo` share: `file_id`, `time_range`, `file_size`,
+/// `max_row_group_uncompressed_size`, `num_rows`, `num_row_groups`, `num_series`.
+///
+/// Two fields stay default and **cannot be recovered on the datanode**:
+/// - `file_metadata` — the parquet footer, whose column min/max/null-count
+///   statistics are required by hooks building richer artifacts (e.g. an Iceberg
+///   manifest). That data is produced by the compactor's writer and exists only
+///   in the freshly-written SST on object storage.
+/// - `index_metadata` — `FileMeta` tracks indexes via `available_indexes` /
+///   `indexes`, not as an [`IndexOutput`].
+///
+/// A hook that needs column stats must fetch the footer from object storage
+/// (the [`CompactionRegion`]'s `access_layer` reaches the store), or the footer
+/// must be shipped over the wire (revisit the `#[serde(skip)]` on `sst_infos`).
+/// `num_rows` may read `0` for legacy `FileMeta`s where the count is unknown.
+fn sst_info_from_file_meta(meta: &FileMeta) -> SstInfo {
+    SstInfo {
+        file_id: meta.file_id,
+        time_range: meta.time_range,
+        file_size: meta.file_size,
+        max_row_group_uncompressed_size: meta.max_row_group_uncompressed_size,
+        num_rows: meta.num_rows as usize,
+        num_row_groups: meta.num_row_groups,
+        num_series: meta.num_series,
+        ..Default::default()
+    }
+}
+
 /// `[MergeOutput]` represents the output of merging SST files.
 #[derive(Default, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct MergeOutput {