diff --git a/pageserver/src/context.rs b/pageserver/src/context.rs
index da9c095a15..072f8081c3 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/context.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/context.rs
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
 use crate::task_mgr::TaskKind;
 
 // The main structure of this module, see module-level comment.
-#[derive(Debug)]
+#[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct RequestContext {
     task_kind: TaskKind,
     download_behavior: DownloadBehavior,
@@ -161,20 +161,17 @@ impl RequestContextBuilder {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn extend(original: &RequestContext) -> Self {
+    pub fn from(original: &RequestContext) -> Self {
         Self {
-            // This is like a Copy, but avoid implementing Copy because ordinary users of
-            // RequestContext should always move or ref it.
-            inner: RequestContext {
-                task_kind: original.task_kind,
-                download_behavior: original.download_behavior,
-                access_stats_behavior: original.access_stats_behavior,
-                page_content_kind: original.page_content_kind,
-                read_path_debug: original.read_path_debug,
-            },
+            inner: original.clone(),
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn task_kind(mut self, b: TaskKind) -> Self {
+        self.inner.task_kind = b;
+        self
+    }
+
     /// Configure the DownloadBehavior of the context: whether to
     /// download missing layers, and/or warn on the download.
     pub fn download_behavior(mut self, b: DownloadBehavior) -> Self {
@@ -199,7 +196,15 @@ impl RequestContextBuilder {
         self
     }
 
-    pub fn build(self) -> RequestContext {
+    pub fn root(self) -> RequestContext {
+        self.inner
+    }
+
+    pub fn attached_child(self) -> RequestContext {
+        self.inner
+    }
+
+    pub fn detached_child(self) -> RequestContext {
         self.inner
     }
 }
@@ -220,7 +225,7 @@ impl RequestContext {
     pub fn new(task_kind: TaskKind, download_behavior: DownloadBehavior) -> Self {
         RequestContextBuilder::new(task_kind)
             .download_behavior(download_behavior)
-            .build()
+            .root()
     }
 
     /// Create a detached child context for a task that may outlive `self`.
@@ -241,7 +246,10 @@ impl RequestContext {
     ///
     /// We could make new calls to this function fail if `self` is already canceled.
     pub fn detached_child(&self, task_kind: TaskKind, download_behavior: DownloadBehavior) -> Self {
-        self.child_impl(task_kind, download_behavior)
+        RequestContextBuilder::from(self)
+            .task_kind(task_kind)
+            .download_behavior(download_behavior)
+            .detached_child()
     }
 
     /// Create a child of context `self` for a task that shall not outlive `self`.
@@ -265,7 +273,7 @@ impl RequestContext {
     /// The method to wait for child tasks would return an error, indicating
     /// that the child task was not started because the context was canceled.
     pub fn attached_child(&self) -> Self {
-        self.child_impl(self.task_kind(), self.download_behavior())
+        RequestContextBuilder::from(self).attached_child()
     }
 
     /// Use this function when you should be creating a child context using
@@ -280,10 +288,6 @@ impl RequestContext {
         Self::new(task_kind, download_behavior)
     }
 
-    fn child_impl(&self, task_kind: TaskKind, download_behavior: DownloadBehavior) -> Self {
-        Self::new(task_kind, download_behavior)
-    }
-
     pub fn task_kind(&self) -> TaskKind {
         self.task_kind
     }
diff --git a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
index cd79aa6680..26015adcf9 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
@@ -2579,9 +2579,10 @@ async fn getpage_at_lsn_handler_inner(
     let lsn: Option<Lsn> = parse_query_param(&request, "lsn")?;
 
     async {
-        let ctx = RequestContext::new(TaskKind::MgmtRequest, DownloadBehavior::Download);
-        // Enable read path debugging
-        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(&ctx).read_path_debug(true).build();
+        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::new(TaskKind::MgmtRequest)
+            .download_behavior(DownloadBehavior::Download)
+            .read_path_debug(true)
+            .root();
         let timeline = active_timeline_of_active_tenant(&state.tenant_manager, tenant_shard_id, timeline_id).await?;
 
         // Use last_record_lsn if no lsn is provided
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
index 83ac6aab51..300d0ae00e 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
@@ -896,9 +896,9 @@ impl DeltaLayerInner {
     where
         Reader: BlockReader + Clone,
     {
-        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
             .page_content_kind(PageContentKind::DeltaLayerBtreeNode)
-            .build();
+            .attached_child();
 
         for range in keyspace.ranges.iter() {
             let mut range_end_handled = false;
@@ -1105,9 +1105,9 @@ impl DeltaLayerInner {
                     all_keys.push(entry);
                     true
                 },
-                &RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+                &RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
                     .page_content_kind(PageContentKind::DeltaLayerBtreeNode)
-                    .build(),
+                    .attached_child(),
             )
             .await?;
         if let Some(last) = all_keys.last_mut() {
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
index 0db9e8c845..afa8a20c31 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
@@ -481,9 +481,9 @@ impl ImageLayerInner {
         let tree_reader =
             DiskBtreeReader::new(self.index_start_blk, self.index_root_blk, block_reader);
 
-        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
             .page_content_kind(PageContentKind::ImageLayerBtreeNode)
-            .build();
+            .attached_child();
 
         for range in keyspace.ranges.iter() {
             let mut range_end_handled = false;
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
index 46135b5330..42b581ee3c 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
@@ -420,9 +420,9 @@ impl InMemoryLayer {
         reconstruct_state: &mut ValuesReconstructState,
         ctx: &RequestContext,
     ) -> Result<(), GetVectoredError> {
-        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+        let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
             .page_content_kind(PageContentKind::InMemoryLayer)
-            .build();
+            .attached_child();
 
         let inner = self.inner.read().await;
 
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer.rs
index bde7fbc1f9..a8d3d27caf 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer.rs
@@ -1720,9 +1720,9 @@ impl DownloadedLayer {
             );
 
             let res = if owner.desc.is_delta {
-                let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+                let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
                     .page_content_kind(crate::context::PageContentKind::DeltaLayerSummary)
-                    .build();
+                    .attached_child();
                 let summary = Some(delta_layer::Summary::expected(
                     owner.desc.tenant_shard_id.tenant_id,
                     owner.desc.timeline_id,
@@ -1738,9 +1738,9 @@ impl DownloadedLayer {
                 .await
                 .map(LayerKind::Delta)
             } else {
-                let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+                let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
                     .page_content_kind(crate::context::PageContentKind::ImageLayerSummary)
-                    .build();
+                    .attached_child();
                 let lsn = owner.desc.image_layer_lsn();
                 let summary = Some(image_layer::Summary::expected(
                     owner.desc.tenant_shard_id.tenant_id,
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer/tests.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer/tests.rs
index a7f3c6b8c5..dbf49a8ce6 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer/tests.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/layer/tests.rs
@@ -644,9 +644,9 @@ async fn cancelled_get_or_maybe_download_does_not_cancel_eviction() {
         .unwrap();
 
     // This test does downloads
-    let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(&ctx)
+    let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(&ctx)
         .download_behavior(DownloadBehavior::Download)
-        .build();
+        .attached_child();
 
     let layer = {
         let mut layers = {
@@ -729,9 +729,9 @@ async fn evict_and_wait_does_not_wait_for_download() {
         .unwrap();
 
     // This test does downloads
-    let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(&ctx)
+    let ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(&ctx)
         .download_behavior(DownloadBehavior::Download)
-        .build();
+        .attached_child();
 
     let layer = {
         let mut layers = {
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
index f646e621d3..3d4aaea466 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
@@ -7184,9 +7184,9 @@ mod tests {
 
             eprintln!("Downloading {layer} and re-generating heatmap");
 
-            let ctx = &RequestContextBuilder::extend(&ctx)
+            let ctx = &RequestContextBuilder::from(&ctx)
                 .download_behavior(crate::context::DownloadBehavior::Download)
-                .build();
+                .attached_child();
 
             let _resident = layer
                 .download_and_keep_resident(ctx)
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
index 17f7d96e5e..ccad9e5543 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
@@ -928,9 +928,9 @@ impl Timeline {
         {
             Ok(((dense_partitioning, sparse_partitioning), lsn)) => {
                 // Disables access_stats updates, so that the files we read remain candidates for eviction after we're done with them
-                let image_ctx = RequestContextBuilder::extend(ctx)
+                let image_ctx = RequestContextBuilder::from(ctx)
                     .access_stats_behavior(AccessStatsBehavior::Skip)
-                    .build();
+                    .attached_child();
 
                 let mut partitioning = dense_partitioning;
                 partitioning