diff --git a/pgxn/neon/communicator/src/worker_process/main_loop.rs b/pgxn/neon/communicator/src/worker_process/main_loop.rs
index e0638dfc1f..17dad6a560 100644
--- a/pgxn/neon/communicator/src/worker_process/main_loop.rs
+++ b/pgxn/neon/communicator/src/worker_process/main_loop.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::os::fd::AsRawFd;
 use std::os::fd::OwnedFd;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::str::FromStr as _;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
 
 use crate::backend_comms::NeonIOHandle;
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ use crate::integrated_cache::{CacheResult, IntegratedCacheWriteAccess};
 use crate::neon_request::{CGetPageVRequest, CPrefetchVRequest};
 use crate::neon_request::{NeonIORequest, NeonIOResult};
 use crate::worker_process::in_progress_ios::{RequestInProgressKey, RequestInProgressTable};
-use pageserver_client_grpc::request_tracker::ShardedRequestTracker;
+use pageserver_client_grpc::client::PageserverClient;
 use pageserver_page_api as page_api;
 
 use metrics::{IntCounter, IntCounterVec};
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ use metrics::{IntCounter, IntCounterVec};
 use tokio::io::AsyncReadExt;
 use tokio_pipe::PipeRead;
 use uring_common::buf::IoBuf;
+use utils::id::{TenantId, TimelineId};
 
 use super::callbacks::{get_request_lsn, notify_proc};
 
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ use utils::lsn::Lsn;
 pub struct CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'a> {
     neon_request_slots: &'a [NeonIOHandle],
 
-    request_tracker: ShardedRequestTracker,
+    client: PageserverClient,
 
     pub(crate) cache: IntegratedCacheWriteAccess<'a>,
 
@@ -92,16 +94,10 @@ pub(super) async fn init(
         .integrated_cache_init_struct
         .worker_process_init(last_lsn, file_cache);
 
-    let request_tracker = ShardedRequestTracker::new();
-    request_tracker
-        .update_shard_map(
-            shard_map,
-            None,
-            tenant_id,
-            timeline_id,
-            auth_token.as_deref(),
-        )
-        .await;
+    let tenant_id = TenantId::from_str(&tenant_id).expect("invalid tenant ID");
+    let timeline_id = TimelineId::from_str(&timeline_id).expect("invalid timeline ID");
+    let client = PageserverClient::new(tenant_id, timeline_id, shard_map, auth_token)
+        .expect("count not create client");
 
     let request_counters = IntCounterVec::new(
         metrics::core::Opts::new(
@@ -152,7 +148,7 @@ pub(super) async fn init(
 
     CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct {
         neon_request_slots: cis.neon_request_slots,
-        request_tracker,
+        client,
         cache,
         submission_pipe_read_fd: cis.submission_pipe_read_fd,
         next_request_id: AtomicU64::new(1),
@@ -260,8 +256,8 @@ impl<'t> CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'t> {
                 };
 
                 match self
-                    .request_tracker
-                    .process_check_rel_exists_request(page_api::CheckRelExistsRequest {
+                    .client
+                    .check_rel_exists(page_api::CheckRelExistsRequest {
                         read_lsn: self.request_lsns(not_modified_since),
                         rel,
                     })
@@ -293,8 +289,8 @@ impl<'t> CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'t> {
 
                 let read_lsn = self.request_lsns(not_modified_since);
                 match self
-                    .request_tracker
-                    .process_get_rel_size_request(page_api::GetRelSizeRequest { read_lsn, rel })
+                    .client
+                    .get_rel_size(page_api::GetRelSizeRequest { read_lsn, rel })
                     .await
                 {
                     Ok(nblocks) => {
@@ -343,8 +339,8 @@ impl<'t> CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'t> {
                 };
 
                 match self
-                    .request_tracker
-                    .process_get_dbsize_request(page_api::GetDbSizeRequest {
+                    .client
+                    .get_db_size(page_api::GetDbSizeRequest {
                         read_lsn: self.request_lsns(not_modified_since),
                         db_oid: req.db_oid,
                     })
@@ -466,7 +462,7 @@ impl<'t> CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'t> {
         // TODO: Use batched protocol
         for (blkno, _lsn, dest, _guard) in cache_misses.iter() {
             match self
-                .request_tracker
+                .client
                 .get_page(page_api::GetPageRequest {
                     request_id: self.next_request_id.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed),
                     request_class: page_api::GetPageClass::Normal,
@@ -547,7 +543,7 @@ impl<'t> CommunicatorWorkerProcessStruct<'t> {
         // TODO: Use batched protocol
         for (blkno, _lsn, _guard) in cache_misses.iter() {
             match self
-                .request_tracker
+                .client
                 .get_page(page_api::GetPageRequest {
                     request_id: self.next_request_id.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed),
                     request_class: page_api::GetPageClass::Prefetch,