diff --git a/pageserver/src/repository.rs b/pageserver/src/repository.rs
index e4ebafd927..a7c155ef82 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/repository.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/repository.rs
@@ -73,6 +73,21 @@ impl ValueBytes {
 
         Ok(raw[8] == 1)
     }
+
+    pub(crate) fn is_image(raw: &[u8]) -> Result<bool, InvalidInput> {
+        if raw.len() < 12 {
+            return Err(InvalidInput::TooShortValue);
+        }
+
+        let value_discriminator = &raw[0..4];
+
+        if value_discriminator == [0, 0, 0, 0] {
+            // Value::Image always initializes
+            return Ok(true);
+        }
+
+        Ok(false)
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer.rs
index 1ae372c0d8..6b12c89c53 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use utils::bin_ser::BeSer;
 pub mod split_writer;
 
 use crate::context::{AccessStatsBehavior, RequestContext};
-use crate::repository::Value;
+use crate::repository::{Value, ValueBytes};
 use crate::walrecord::NeonWalRecord;
 use bytes::Bytes;
 use pageserver_api::key::Key;
@@ -110,15 +110,23 @@ pub(crate) async fn convert(
         match fut.await {
             Ok(res) => match res {
                 Ok(bytes) => {
-                    let value = Value::des(&bytes)
-                        .map_err(|err| PageReconstructError::Other(err.into()))?;
+                    let is_image = ValueBytes::is_image(&bytes).map_err(|err| {
+                        PageReconstructError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                            "Failed to check image discriminator: {err:?}"
+                        ))
+                    })?;
 
-                    match value {
-                        Value::Image(img) => {
-                            to.img = Some((lsn, img));
-                        }
-                        Value::WalRecord(rec) => {
+                    if is_image {
+                        to.img = Some((lsn, bytes));
+                    } else {
+                        let value = Value::des(&bytes)
+                            .map_err(|err| PageReconstructError::Other(err.into()))?;
+                        if let Value::WalRecord(rec) = value {
                             to.records.push((lsn, rec));
+                        } else {
+                            return Err(PageReconstructError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                                "Deserialized to image"
+                            )));
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
index 05c22b3344..ac57e14b37 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/delta_layer.rs
@@ -1028,7 +1028,8 @@ impl DeltaLayerInner {
                     }
                     Err(err) => {
                         for (_, sender) in senders {
-                            let _ = sender.send(Err(std::io::Error::new(err.kind(), "vec read failed")));
+                            let _ = sender
+                                .send(Err(std::io::Error::new(err.kind(), "vec read failed")));
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
index e795ad43cd..999e9fed4d 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/image_layer.rs
@@ -589,12 +589,7 @@ impl ImageLayerInner {
                 let (tx, rx) = oneshot::channel();
                 senders.insert((blob_meta.key, blob_meta.lsn), tx);
 
-                reconstruct_state.update_key(
-                    &blob_meta.key,
-                    blob_meta.lsn,
-                    true,
-                    rx,
-                );
+                reconstruct_state.update_key(&blob_meta.key, blob_meta.lsn, true, rx);
             }
 
             let buf_size = read.size();
@@ -636,7 +631,8 @@ impl ImageLayerInner {
                     }
                     Err(err) => {
                         for (_, sender) in senders {
-                            let _ = sender.send(Err(std::io::Error::new(err.kind(), "vec read failed")));
+                            let _ = sender
+                                .send(Err(std::io::Error::new(err.kind(), "vec read failed")));
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
index 0d2f118597..e60ac3452d 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer.rs
@@ -34,9 +34,7 @@ use std::sync::atomic::Ordering as AtomicOrdering;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, AtomicUsize};
 use tokio::sync::RwLock;
 
-use super::{
-    DeltaLayerWriter, PersistentLayerDesc, ValuesReconstructState,
-};
+use super::{DeltaLayerWriter, PersistentLayerDesc, ValuesReconstructState};
 
 pub(crate) mod vectored_dio_read;
 
@@ -502,7 +500,8 @@ impl InMemoryLayer {
                             let sender = senders
                                 .remove(&(key, entry_lsn))
                                 .expect("sender must exist");
-                            let _ = sender.send(Err(std::io::Error::new(e.kind(), "dio vec read failed")));
+                            let _ = sender
+                                .send(Err(std::io::Error::new(e.kind(), "dio vec read failed")));
                         }
                         Ok(value_buf) => {
                             let _ = sender.send(Ok(value_buf.into()));
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
index 85fb3f0d12..d3ca5411ae 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
@@ -1140,7 +1140,10 @@ impl Timeline {
                 let walredo_self = self.myself.upgrade().expect("&self method holds the arc");
                 async move {
                     let state = res.expect("Read path is infallible");
-                    assert!(matches!(state.situation, ValueReconstructSituation::Complete));
+                    assert!(matches!(
+                        state.situation,
+                        ValueReconstructSituation::Complete
+                    ));
 
                     let converted = match convert(state).await {
                         Ok(ok) => ok,
@@ -1149,12 +1152,17 @@ impl Timeline {
                         }
                     };
 
-                    (key, walredo_self.reconstruct_value(key, lsn, converted).await)
+                    (
+                        key,
+                        walredo_self.reconstruct_value(key, lsn, converted).await,
+                    )
                 }
             });
         }
 
-        let results = futs.collect::<BTreeMap<Key, Result<Bytes, PageReconstructError>>>().await;
+        let results = futs
+            .collect::<BTreeMap<Key, Result<Bytes, PageReconstructError>>>()
+            .await;
 
         reconstruct_timer.stop_and_record();