diff --git a/libs/metrics/src/lib.rs b/libs/metrics/src/lib.rs
index 6011713c8f..f24488b19d 100644
--- a/libs/metrics/src/lib.rs
+++ b/libs/metrics/src/lib.rs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ use prometheus::{Registry, Result};
 pub mod launch_timestamp;
 mod wrappers;
 pub use wrappers::{CountedReader, CountedWriter};
+pub mod metric_vec_duration;
 
 pub type UIntGauge = GenericGauge<AtomicU64>;
 pub type UIntGaugeVec = GenericGaugeVec<AtomicU64>;
diff --git a/libs/metrics/src/metric_vec_duration.rs b/libs/metrics/src/metric_vec_duration.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..840f60f19b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/metrics/src/metric_vec_duration.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+//! Helpers for observing duration on HistogramVec / CounterVec / GaugeVec / MetricVec<T>.
+
+use std::{future::Future, time::Instant};
+
+pub trait DurationResultObserver {
+    fn observe_result<T, E>(&self, res: &Result<T, E>, duration: std::time::Duration);
+}
+
+pub async fn observe_async_block_duration_by_result<
+    T,
+    E,
+    F: Future<Output = Result<T, E>>,
+    O: DurationResultObserver,
+>(
+    observer: &O,
+    block: F,
+) -> Result<T, E> {
+    let start = Instant::now();
+    let result = block.await;
+    let duration = start.elapsed();
+    observer.observe_result(&result, duration);
+    result
+}
diff --git a/pageserver/src/metrics.rs b/pageserver/src/metrics.rs
index 43d06db6d8..b7fdc65a00 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/metrics.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/metrics.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use metrics::metric_vec_duration::DurationResultObserver;
 use metrics::{
     register_counter_vec, register_histogram, register_histogram_vec, register_int_counter,
     register_int_counter_vec, register_int_gauge, register_int_gauge_vec, register_uint_gauge_vec,
@@ -424,6 +425,27 @@ pub static SMGR_QUERY_TIME: Lazy<HistogramVec> = Lazy::new(|| {
     .expect("failed to define a metric")
 });
 
+pub struct BasebackupQueryTime(HistogramVec);
+pub static BASEBACKUP_QUERY_TIME: Lazy<BasebackupQueryTime> = Lazy::new(|| {
+    BasebackupQueryTime({
+        register_histogram_vec!(
+            "pageserver_basebackup_query_seconds",
+            "Histogram of basebackup queries durations, by result type",
+            &["result"],
+            CRITICAL_OP_BUCKETS.into(),
+        )
+        .expect("failed to define a metric")
+    })
+});
+
+impl DurationResultObserver for BasebackupQueryTime {
+    fn observe_result<T, E>(&self, res: &Result<T, E>, duration: std::time::Duration) {
+        let label_value = if res.is_ok() { "ok" } else { "error" };
+        let metric = self.0.get_metric_with_label_values(&[label_value]).unwrap();
+        metric.observe(duration.as_secs_f64());
+    }
+}
+
 pub static LIVE_CONNECTIONS_COUNT: Lazy<IntGaugeVec> = Lazy::new(|| {
     register_int_gauge_vec!(
         "pageserver_live_connections",
diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 31ad45790c..d32518b513 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -913,10 +913,24 @@ where
                 None
             };
 
-            // Check that the timeline exists
-            self.handle_basebackup_request(pgb, tenant_id, timeline_id, lsn, None, false, ctx)
-                .await?;
-            pgb.write_message_noflush(&BeMessage::CommandComplete(b"SELECT 1"))?;
+            metrics::metric_vec_duration::observe_async_block_duration_by_result(
+                &*crate::metrics::BASEBACKUP_QUERY_TIME,
+                async move {
+                    self.handle_basebackup_request(
+                        pgb,
+                        tenant_id,
+                        timeline_id,
+                        lsn,
+                        None,
+                        false,
+                        ctx,
+                    )
+                    .await?;
+                    pgb.write_message_noflush(&BeMessage::CommandComplete(b"SELECT 1"))?;
+                    anyhow::Ok(())
+                },
+            )
+            .await?;
         }
         // return pair of prev_lsn and last_lsn
         else if query_string.starts_with("get_last_record_rlsn ") {
diff --git a/test_runner/fixtures/metrics.py b/test_runner/fixtures/metrics.py
index d55d159037..7ee3c33f92 100644
--- a/test_runner/fixtures/metrics.py
+++ b/test_runner/fixtures/metrics.py
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ PAGESERVER_GLOBAL_METRICS: Tuple[str, ...] = (
     "pageserver_getpage_reconstruct_seconds_bucket",
     "pageserver_getpage_reconstruct_seconds_count",
     "pageserver_getpage_reconstruct_seconds_sum",
+    *[f"pageserver_basebackup_query_seconds_{x}" for x in ["bucket", "count", "sum"]],
 )
 
 PAGESERVER_PER_TENANT_METRICS: Tuple[str, ...] = (