diff --git a/pageserver/src/basebackup.rs b/pageserver/src/basebackup.rs
index f516f85afc..6eb40bead4 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/basebackup.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/basebackup.rs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ use crate::relish::*;
 use crate::repository::Timeline;
 use postgres_ffi::xlog_utils::*;
 use postgres_ffi::*;
-use zenith_utils::lsn::Lsn;
+use zenith_utils::lsn::{Lsn, RecordLsn};
 
 /// This is short-living object only for the time of tarball creation,
 /// created mostly to avoid passing a lot of parameters between various functions
@@ -34,13 +34,36 @@ pub struct Basebackup<'a> {
     prev_record_lsn: Lsn,
 }
 
+// Create basebackup with non-rel data in it. Omit relational data.
+//
+// Currently we use empty lsn in two cases:
+//  * During the basebackup right after timeline creation
+//  * When working without safekeepers. In this situation it is important to match the lsn
+//    we are taking basebackup on with the lsn that is used in pageserver's walreceiver
+//    to start the replication.
 impl<'a> Basebackup<'a> {
     pub fn new(
         write: &'a mut dyn Write,
         timeline: &'a Arc<dyn Timeline>,
-        lsn: Lsn,
-        prev_record_lsn: Lsn,
+        req_lsn: Option<Lsn>,
     ) -> Basebackup<'a> {
+        let RecordLsn {
+            last: lsn,
+            prev: prev_record_lsn,
+        } = if let Some(lsn) = req_lsn {
+            // FIXME: that wouldn't work since we don't know prev for old LSN's.
+            // Probably it is better to avoid using prev in compute node start
+            // at all and acept the fact that first WAL record in the timeline would
+            // have zero as prev. https://github.com/zenithdb/zenith/issues/506
+            RecordLsn {
+                last: lsn,
+                prev: lsn,
+            }
+        } else {
+            // Atomically get last and prev LSN's
+            timeline.get_last_record_rlsn()
+        };
+
         Basebackup {
             ar: Builder::new(write),
             timeline,
diff --git a/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs b/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
index 0a670b7f6b..6006784b55 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/layered_repository.rs
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ use crate::{ZTenantId, ZTimelineId};
 use zenith_metrics::{register_histogram, Histogram};
 use zenith_metrics::{register_histogram_vec, HistogramVec};
 use zenith_utils::bin_ser::BeSer;
-use zenith_utils::lsn::{AtomicLsn, Lsn};
-use zenith_utils::seqwait::{MonotonicCounter, SeqWait};
+use zenith_utils::lsn::{AtomicLsn, Lsn, RecordLsn};
+use zenith_utils::seqwait::SeqWait;
 
 mod blob;
 mod delta_layer;
@@ -147,8 +147,6 @@ impl Repository for LayeredRepository {
     /// Branch a timeline
     fn branch_timeline(&self, src: ZTimelineId, dst: ZTimelineId, start_lsn: Lsn) -> Result<()> {
         let src_timeline = self.get_timeline(src)?;
-        // This LSN comes from the user request. Make sure it is aligned.
-        let start_lsn = start_lsn.aligned();
 
         // Create the metadata file, noting the ancestor of the new timeline.
         // There is initially no data in it, but all the read-calls know to look
@@ -458,24 +456,6 @@ pub struct TimelineMetadata {
     ancestor_lsn: Lsn,
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
-struct RecordLsn {
-    last: Lsn,
-    prev: Lsn,
-}
-
-impl MonotonicCounter<Lsn> for RecordLsn {
-    fn cnt_advance(&mut self, lsn: Lsn) {
-        assert!(self.last <= lsn);
-        let new_prev = self.last;
-        self.last = lsn;
-        self.prev = new_prev;
-    }
-    fn cnt_value(&self) -> Lsn {
-        self.last
-    }
-}
-
 pub struct LayeredTimeline {
     conf: &'static PageServerConf,
 
@@ -629,6 +609,8 @@ impl Timeline for LayeredTimeline {
     fn list_nonrels(&self, lsn: Lsn) -> Result<HashSet<RelishTag>> {
         info!("list_nonrels called at {}", lsn);
 
+        let lsn = self.wait_lsn(lsn)?;
+
         // List all nonrels in this timeline, and all its ancestors.
         let mut all_rels = HashSet::new();
         let mut timeline = self;
@@ -794,6 +776,10 @@ impl Timeline for LayeredTimeline {
     fn get_prev_record_lsn(&self) -> Lsn {
         self.last_record_lsn.load().prev
     }
+
+    fn get_last_record_rlsn(&self) -> RecordLsn {
+        self.last_record_lsn.load()
+    }
 }
 
 impl LayeredTimeline {
@@ -1052,20 +1038,23 @@ impl LayeredTimeline {
     ///
     /// Wait until WAL has been received up to the given LSN.
     ///
-    fn wait_lsn(&self, mut lsn: Lsn) -> anyhow::Result<Lsn> {
+    /// TODO: change lsn to be an Optional<Lsn> or even force callers to call get_last_record_lsn()
+    /// (since at least basebackup needs to call get_last_and_prev_record_lsns() instead)
+    fn wait_lsn(&self, lsn: Lsn) -> anyhow::Result<Lsn> {
         // When invalid LSN is requested, it means "don't wait, return latest version of the page"
         // This is necessary for bootstrap.
         if lsn == Lsn(0) {
-            let last_valid_lsn = self.last_valid_lsn.load();
-            trace!(
-                "walreceiver doesn't work yet last_valid_lsn {}, requested {}",
-                last_valid_lsn,
-                lsn
-            );
-            lsn = last_valid_lsn;
+            return Ok(self.get_last_record_lsn());
         }
 
-        self.last_valid_lsn
+        // FIXME: we can deadlock if we call wait_lsn() from WAL receiver. And we actually
+        // it a lot from there. Only deadlock that I caught was while trying to add wait_lsn()
+        // in list_rels(). But it makes sense to make all functions in timeline non-waiting;
+        // assert that arg_lsn <= current_record_lsn; call wait_lsn explicetly where it is
+        // needed (page_service and basebackup); uncomment this check:
+        // assert_ne!(thread::current().name(), Some("WAL receiver thread"));
+
+        self.last_record_lsn
             .wait_for_timeout(lsn, TIMEOUT)
             .with_context(|| {
                 format!(
diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 3ba9e86b87..60e7f65078 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -347,17 +347,9 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
         info!("sent CopyOut");
 
         /* Send a tarball of the latest snapshot on the timeline */
-
-        let req_lsn = lsn.unwrap_or_else(|| timeline.get_last_record_lsn());
-
         {
             let mut writer = CopyDataSink { pgb };
-            let mut basebackup = basebackup::Basebackup::new(
-                &mut writer,
-                &timeline,
-                req_lsn,
-                timeline.get_prev_record_lsn(),
-            );
+            let mut basebackup = basebackup::Basebackup::new(&mut writer, &timeline, lsn);
             basebackup.send_tarball()?;
         }
         pgb.write_message(&BeMessage::CopyDone)?;
@@ -446,9 +438,10 @@ impl postgres_backend::Handler for PageServerHandler {
             self.handle_pagerequests(pgb, timelineid, tenantid)?;
         } else if query_string.starts_with("basebackup ") {
             let (_, params_raw) = query_string.split_at("basebackup ".len());
-            let params = params_raw.split(" ").collect::<Vec<_>>();
+            let params = params_raw.split_whitespace().collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
             ensure!(
-                params.len() == 2,
+                params.len() >= 2,
                 "invalid param number for basebackup command"
             );
 
@@ -457,12 +450,12 @@ impl postgres_backend::Handler for PageServerHandler {
 
             self.check_permission(Some(tenantid))?;
 
-            // TODO are there any tests with lsn option?
             let lsn = if params.len() == 3 {
                 Some(Lsn::from_str(params[2])?)
             } else {
                 None
             };
+
             info!(
                 "got basebackup command. tenantid=\"{}\" timelineid=\"{}\" lsn=\"{:#?}\"",
                 tenantid, timelineid, lsn
diff --git a/pageserver/src/repository.rs b/pageserver/src/repository.rs
index c56e571f5f..ff2d40182e 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/repository.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/repository.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use std::collections::HashSet;
 use std::ops::AddAssign;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
-use zenith_utils::lsn::Lsn;
+use zenith_utils::lsn::{Lsn, RecordLsn};
 use zenith_utils::zid::ZTimelineId;
 
 ///
@@ -142,6 +142,9 @@ pub trait Timeline: Send + Sync {
     /// Advance requires aligned LSN as an argument and would wake wait_lsn() callers.
     /// Previous last record LSN is stored alongside the latest and can be read.
     fn advance_last_record_lsn(&self, lsn: Lsn);
+    /// Atomically get both last and prev.
+    fn get_last_record_rlsn(&self) -> RecordLsn;
+    /// Get last or prev record separately. Same as get_last_record_rlsn().last/prev.
     fn get_last_record_lsn(&self) -> Lsn;
     fn get_prev_record_lsn(&self) -> Lsn;
 
diff --git a/zenith_utils/src/lsn.rs b/zenith_utils/src/lsn.rs
index dba5a91a65..0f865964a4 100644
--- a/zenith_utils/src/lsn.rs
+++ b/zenith_utils/src/lsn.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ use std::path::Path;
 use std::str::FromStr;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
 
+use crate::seqwait::MonotonicCounter;
+
 /// Transaction log block size in bytes
 pub const XLOG_BLCKSZ: u32 = 8192;
 
@@ -197,6 +199,28 @@ impl AtomicLsn {
     }
 }
 
+/// Pair of LSN's pointing to the end of the last valid record and previous one
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct RecordLsn {
+    /// LSN at the end of the current record
+    pub last: Lsn,
+    /// LSN at the end of the previous record
+    pub prev: Lsn,
+}
+
+/// Expose `self.last` as counter to be able to use RecordLsn in SeqWait
+impl MonotonicCounter<Lsn> for RecordLsn {
+    fn cnt_advance(&mut self, lsn: Lsn) {
+        assert!(self.last <= lsn);
+        let new_prev = self.last;
+        self.last = lsn;
+        self.prev = new_prev;
+    }
+    fn cnt_value(&self) -> Lsn {
+        self.last
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;