diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
index fb30857ddf..a214a451f9 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
@@ -441,6 +441,14 @@ impl WalRedoManager {
         }
     }
 
+    pub(crate) async fn ping(&self,pg_version: u32) -> Result<(), walredo::Error> {
+        match self {
+            Self::Prod(_, mgr) => mgr.ping(pg_version).await,
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            Self::Test(_) => unimplemented!(),
+        }
+    }
+
     pub(crate) fn status(&self) -> Option<WalRedoManagerStatus> {
         match self {
             WalRedoManager::Prod(_, m) => Some(m.status()),
diff --git a/pageserver/src/walredo.rs b/pageserver/src/walredo.rs
index 74255eccd2..632dbf37ee 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walredo.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walredo.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ use crate::repository::Key;
 use crate::walrecord::NeonWalRecord;
 use anyhow::Context;
 use bytes::{Bytes, BytesMut};
+use once_cell::sync::Lazy;
 use pageserver_api::models::{WalRedoManagerProcessStatus, WalRedoManagerStatus};
 use pageserver_api::shard::TenantShardId;
 use std::future::Future;
@@ -206,6 +207,15 @@ impl PostgresRedoManager {
         }
     }
 
+    pub async fn ping(&self, pg_version: u32) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        self.do_with_walredo_process(pg_version, |proc| async move {
+            proc.ping(Duration::from_secs(1))
+                .await
+                .map_err(Error::Other)
+        })
+        .await
+    }
+
     pub fn status(&self) -> WalRedoManagerStatus {
         WalRedoManagerStatus {
             last_redo_at: {
@@ -546,6 +556,17 @@ mod tests {
     use tracing::Instrument;
     use utils::{id::TenantId, lsn::Lsn};
 
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_ping() {
+        let h = RedoHarness::new().unwrap();
+
+        h.manager
+            .ping(14)
+            .instrument(h.span())
+            .await
+            .expect("ping should work");
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn short_v14_redo() {
         let expected = std::fs::read("test_data/short_v14_redo.page").unwrap();
diff --git a/pageserver/src/walredo/process.rs b/pageserver/src/walredo/process.rs
index 9140d4f6aa..7c3fe0ae36 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walredo/process.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walredo/process.rs
@@ -4,10 +4,7 @@ mod protocol;
 
 use self::no_leak_child::NoLeakChild;
 use crate::{
-    config::PageServerConf,
-    metrics::{WalRedoKillCause, WAL_REDO_PROCESS_COUNTERS, WAL_REDO_RECORD_COUNTER},
-    span::debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_id,
-    walrecord::NeonWalRecord,
+    config::PageServerConf, metrics::{WalRedoKillCause, WAL_REDO_PROCESS_COUNTERS, WAL_REDO_RECORD_COUNTER}, page_cache::PAGE_SZ, span::debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_id, walrecord::NeonWalRecord
 };
 use anyhow::Context;
 use bytes::Bytes;
@@ -237,6 +234,23 @@ impl WalRedoProcess {
         res
     }
 
+    pub(crate) async fn ping(&self, timeout: Duration) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let mut writebuf: Vec<u8> = Vec::with_capacity(4);
+        protocol::build_ping_msg(&mut writebuf);
+        let Ok(res) = tokio::time::timeout(timeout, self.apply_wal_records0(&writebuf)).await
+        else {
+            anyhow::bail!("WAL redo ping timed out");
+        };
+        let response = res?;
+        if response.len() != PAGE_SZ {
+            anyhow::bail!(
+                "WAL redo ping response should respond with page-sized response: {}",
+                response.len()
+            );
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// # Cancel-Safety
     ///
     /// When not polled to completion (e.g. because in `tokio::select!` another
diff --git a/pageserver/src/walredo/process/protocol.rs b/pageserver/src/walredo/process/protocol.rs
index b703344cc8..de3ca8741b 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walredo/process/protocol.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walredo/process/protocol.rs
@@ -55,3 +55,8 @@ pub(crate) fn build_get_page_msg(tag: BufferTag, buf: &mut Vec<u8>) {
     tag.ser_into(buf)
         .expect("serialize BufferTag should always succeed");
 }
+
+pub(crate) fn build_ping_msg(buf: &mut Vec<u8>) {
+    buf.put_u8(b'H');
+    buf.put_u32(4);
+}
diff --git a/pgxn/neon_walredo/walredoproc.c b/pgxn/neon_walredo/walredoproc.c
index cc545393f5..8b319a23b6 100644
--- a/pgxn/neon_walredo/walredoproc.c
+++ b/pgxn/neon_walredo/walredoproc.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
  * PushPage ('P'): Copy a page image (in the payload) to buffer cache
  * ApplyRecord ('A'): Apply a WAL record (in the payload)
  * GetPage ('G'): Return a page image from buffer cache.
+ * Ping ('H'): Return the input message.
  *
  * Currently, you only get a response to GetPage requests; the response is
  * simply a 8k page, without any headers. Errors are logged to stderr.
@@ -130,6 +131,7 @@ static void ApplyRecord(StringInfo input_message);
 static void apply_error_callback(void *arg);
 static bool redo_block_filter(XLogReaderState *record, uint8 block_id);
 static void GetPage(StringInfo input_message);
+static void Ping(StringInfo input_message);
 static ssize_t buffered_read(void *buf, size_t count);
 static void CreateFakeSharedMemoryAndSemaphores();
 
@@ -391,6 +393,10 @@ WalRedoMain(int argc, char *argv[])
 				GetPage(&input_message);
 				break;
 
+			case 'H': 			/* Ping */
+				Ping(&input_message);
+				break;
+
 				/*
 				 * EOF means we're done. Perform normal shutdown.
 				 */
@@ -1047,6 +1053,31 @@ GetPage(StringInfo input_message)
 }
 
 
+static void
+Ping(StringInfo input_message)
+{
+	int			tot_written;
+	/* Response: the input message */
+	tot_written = 0;
+	do {
+		ssize_t		rc;
+		static const char response[BLCKSZ] = {0};
+		rc = write(STDOUT_FILENO, &response[tot_written], BLCKSZ - tot_written);
+		if (rc < 0) {
+			/* If interrupted by signal, just retry */
+			if (errno == EINTR)
+				continue;
+			ereport(ERROR,
+					(errcode_for_file_access(),
+					 errmsg("could not write to stdout: %m")));
+		}
+		tot_written += rc;
+	} while (tot_written < BLCKSZ);
+
+	elog(TRACE, "Page sent back for ping");
+}
+
+
 /* Buffer used by buffered_read() */
 static char stdin_buf[16 * 1024];
 static size_t stdin_len = 0;	/* # of bytes in buffer */