diff --git a/pageserver/src/deletion_queue.rs b/pageserver/src/deletion_queue.rs
index 0c43dc9787..446e89d152 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/deletion_queue.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/deletion_queue.rs
@@ -72,7 +72,11 @@ enum FrontendQueueMessage {
 struct DeletionOp {
     tenant_id: TenantId,
     timeline_id: TimelineId,
+    // `layers` and `objects` are both just lists of objects.  `layers` is used if you do not
+    // have a config object handy to project it to a remote key, and need the consuming worker
+    // to do it for you.
     layers: Vec<LayerFileName>,
+    objects: Vec<RemotePath>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -131,18 +135,35 @@ impl DeletionQueueClient {
     /// persistent, but it may be executed at any time after this function enters: do not push
     /// layers until you're sure they can be deleted safely (i.e. remote metadata no longer
     /// references them).
-    pub async fn push(
+    pub async fn push_layers(
         &self,
         tenant_id: TenantId,
         timeline_id: TimelineId,
         layers: Vec<LayerFileName>,
     ) {
         DELETION_QUEUE_SUBMITTED.inc_by(layers.len() as u64);
-        info!("pushed!");
         self.do_push(FrontendQueueMessage::Delete(DeletionOp {
             tenant_id,
             timeline_id,
             layers,
+            objects: Vec::new(),
+        }))
+        .await;
+    }
+
+    /// Just like push_layers, but using some already-known remote paths, instead of abstract layer names
+    pub async fn push_objects(
+        &self,
+        tenant_id: TenantId,
+        timeline_id: TimelineId,
+        objects: Vec<RemotePath>,
+    ) {
+        DELETION_QUEUE_SUBMITTED.inc_by(objects.len() as u64);
+        self.do_push(FrontendQueueMessage::Delete(DeletionOp {
+            tenant_id,
+            timeline_id,
+            layers: Vec::new(),
+            objects: objects,
         }))
         .await;
     }
@@ -481,6 +502,8 @@ impl FrontendQueueWorker {
                         };
                         self.pending.objects.push(path);
                     }
+
+                    self.pending.objects.extend(op.objects.into_iter())
                 }
                 FrontendQueueMessage::Flush(op) => {
                     if self.pending.objects.is_empty() {
@@ -686,7 +709,7 @@ mod test {
 
         // File should still be there after we push it to the queue (we haven't pushed enough to flush anything)
         info!("Pushing");
-        ctx.runtime.block_on(client.push(
+        ctx.runtime.block_on(client.push_layers(
             tenant_id,
             TIMELINE_ID,
             [layer_file_name_1.clone()].to_vec(),
@@ -758,6 +781,7 @@ pub mod mock {
                                     timeline_id = %op.timeline_id,
                                 );
 
+                                let mut objects = op.objects;
                                 for layer in op.layers {
                                     let local_path = timeline_path.join(layer.file_name());
                                     let path = match conf.remote_path(&local_path) {
@@ -766,6 +790,10 @@ pub mod mock {
                                             panic!("Can't make a timeline path! {e}");
                                         }
                                     };
+                                    objects.push(path);
+                                }
+
+                                for path in objects {
                                     info!("Executing deletion {path}");
                                     match remote_storage.delete(&path).await {
                                         Ok(_) => {