diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer/vectored_dio_read.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer/vectored_dio_read.rs
index 3c79b9c3cb..785af671ec 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer/vectored_dio_read.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/storage_layer/inmemory_layer/vectored_dio_read.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,17 @@ pub trait Buffer: sealed::Sealed + std::ops::Deref<Target = [u8]> {
 /// The minimum alignment and size requirement for disk offsets and memory buffer size for direct IO.
 const DIO_CHUNK_SIZE: usize = 512;
 
+/// If multiple chunks need to be read, merge adjacent chunk reads into batches of max size `MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE`.
+/// (The unit is the number of chunks.)
+const MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE: usize = {
+    let desired = 128 * 1024; // 128k
+    if desired % DIO_CHUNK_SIZE != 0 {
+        panic!("MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE must be a multiple of DIO_CHUNK_SIZE")
+        // compile-time error
+    }
+    desired / DIO_CHUNK_SIZE
+};
+
 /// Execute the given `reads` against `file`.
 /// The results are placed in the buffers of the [`ValueRead`]s.
 /// Retrieve the results by calling [`ValueRead::into_result`] on each [`ValueRead`].
@@ -65,8 +76,8 @@ const DIO_CHUNK_SIZE: usize = 512;
 /// TODO: prevent this through type system.
 pub async fn execute<'a, I, F, B>(file: &F, reads: I, ctx: &RequestContext)
 where
-    I: IntoIterator<Item = &'a ValueRead<B>> + Send,
-    F: File + Send,
+    I: IntoIterator<Item = &'a ValueRead<B>>,
+    F: File,
     B: Buffer + IoBufMut + Send,
 {
     // Plan which parts of which chunks need to be appended to which buffer
@@ -111,15 +122,6 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    // Merge adjacent chunk reads (merging pass on the BTreeMap iterator)
-    const MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE: usize = {
-        let desired = 128 * 1024; // 128k
-        if desired % DIO_CHUNK_SIZE != 0 {
-            panic!("MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE must be a multiple of DIO_CHUNK_SIZE")
-            // compile-time error
-        }
-        desired / DIO_CHUNK_SIZE
-    };
     struct MergedRead<'a, B: Buffer> {
         start_chunk_no: u32,
         nchunks: u32,
@@ -319,7 +321,7 @@ mod tests {
         }
     }
 
-    #[derive(Debug)]
+    #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
     struct TestValueRead {
         pos: u32,
         expected_result: Vec<u8>,
@@ -382,6 +384,15 @@ mod tests {
         expected: RefCell<VecDeque<ExpectedRead>>,
     }
 
+    impl Drop for MockFile {
+        fn drop(&mut self) {
+            assert!(
+                self.expected.borrow().is_empty(),
+                "expected reads not satisfied"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
     macro_rules! mock_file {
         ($($pos:expr , $len:expr => $respond:expr),* $(,)?) => {{
             MockFile {
@@ -470,4 +481,112 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
         assert_eq!(err.to_string(), "foo");
     }
+
+    struct RecorderFile<'a> {
+        recorded: RefCell<Vec<RecordedRead>>,
+        file: &'a InMemoryFile,
+    }
+
+    struct RecordedRead {
+        pos: u32,
+        req_len: usize,
+        res: Vec<u8>,
+    }
+
+    impl<'a> RecorderFile<'a> {
+        fn new(file: &'a InMemoryFile) -> RecorderFile<'a> {
+            Self {
+                recorded: Default::default(),
+                file,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<'x> File for RecorderFile<'x> {
+        async fn read_at_to_end<'a, 'b, B: IoBufMut + Send>(
+            &'b self,
+            start: u32,
+            dst: Slice<B>,
+            ctx: &'a RequestContext,
+        ) -> std::io::Result<(Slice<B>, usize)> {
+            let (dst, nread) = self.file.read_at_to_end(start, dst, ctx).await?;
+            self.recorded.borrow_mut().push(RecordedRead {
+                pos: start,
+                req_len: dst.bytes_total(),
+                res: Vec::from(&dst[..nread]),
+            });
+            Ok((dst, nread))
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn execute_and_validate_test_value_reads<I, F>(
+        file: &F,
+        test_value_reads: I,
+        ctx: &RequestContext,
+    ) where
+        I: IntoIterator<Item = TestValueRead>,
+        F: File,
+    {
+        let (tmp, test_value_reads) = test_value_reads.into_iter().tee();
+        let value_reads = tmp.map(|tr| tr.make_value_read()).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        execute(file, value_reads.iter(), &ctx).await;
+        for (value_read, test_value_read) in value_reads.into_iter().zip(test_value_reads) {
+            let res = value_read
+                .into_result()
+                .expect("InMemoryFile is infallible");
+            assert_eq!(res, test_value_read.expected_result);
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_value_reads_to_same_chunk_are_merged_into_one_chunk_read() {
+        let ctx = RequestContext::new(TaskKind::UnitTest, DownloadBehavior::Error);
+
+        let file = InMemoryFile::new_random(2 * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+
+        let a = file.test_value_read(DIO_CHUNK_SIZE as u32, 10);
+        let b = file.test_value_read(DIO_CHUNK_SIZE as u32 + 30, 20);
+
+        let recorder = RecorderFile::new(&file);
+
+        execute_and_validate_test_value_reads(&recorder, vec![a, b], &ctx).await;
+
+        let recorded = recorder.recorded.borrow();
+        assert_eq!(recorded.len(), 1);
+        let RecordedRead { pos, req_len, .. } = &recorded[0];
+        assert_eq!(*pos, DIO_CHUNK_SIZE as u32);
+        assert_eq!(*req_len, DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_max_chunk_batch_size_is_respected() {
+        let ctx = RequestContext::new(TaskKind::UnitTest, DownloadBehavior::Error);
+
+        let file = InMemoryFile::new_random(4 * MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+
+        // read the 10th byte of each chunk 3 .. 3+2*MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE
+        assert!(3 < MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE, "test assumption");
+        assert!(10 < DIO_CHUNK_SIZE, "test assumption");
+        let mut test_value_reads = Vec::new();
+        for i in 3..3 + MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE + MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE / 2 {
+            test_value_reads.push(file.test_value_read(i as u32 * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE as u32 + 10, 1));
+        }
+
+        let recorder = RecorderFile::new(&file);
+
+        execute_and_validate_test_value_reads(&recorder, test_value_reads, &ctx).await;
+
+        let recorded = recorder.recorded.borrow();
+        assert_eq!(recorded.len(), 2);
+        {
+            let RecordedRead { pos, req_len, .. } = &recorded[0];
+            assert_eq!(*pos as usize, 3 * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+            assert_eq!(*req_len, MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+        }
+        {
+            let RecordedRead { pos, req_len, .. } = &recorded[1];
+            assert_eq!(*pos as usize, (3 + MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE) * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+            assert_eq!(*req_len, MAX_CHUNK_BATCH_SIZE / 2 * DIO_CHUNK_SIZE);
+        }
+    }
 }