diff --git a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
index 85d4cf91f3..1645dfc9d0 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/page_service.rs
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
         cancel: &CancellationToken,
         ctx: &RequestContext,
         parent_span: Span,
-    ) -> Result<Option<Box<BatchedFeMessage>>, QueryError>
+    ) -> Result<Option<BatchedFeMessage>, QueryError>
     where
         IO: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Send + Sync + Unpin + 'static,
     {
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                             span,
                             error: $error,
                         };
-                        Ok(Some(Box::new(error)))
+                        Ok(Some(error))
                     }};
                 }
 
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                 }
             }
         };
-        Ok(Some(Box::new(batched_msg)))
+        Ok(Some(batched_msg))
     }
 
     /// Post-condition: `batch` is Some()
@@ -759,21 +759,25 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
     #[allow(clippy::boxed_local)]
     fn pagestream_do_batch(
         max_batch_size: NonZeroUsize,
-        batch: &mut Box<BatchedFeMessage>,
-        this_msg: Box<BatchedFeMessage>,
-    ) -> Result<(), Box<BatchedFeMessage>> {
+        batch: &mut Result<BatchedFeMessage, QueryError>,
+        this_msg: Result<BatchedFeMessage, QueryError>,
+    ) -> Result<(), Result<BatchedFeMessage, QueryError>> {
         debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_and_timeline_id_no_shard_id();
 
-        match (&mut **batch, *this_msg) {
+        let this_msg = match this_msg {
+            Ok(this_msg) => this_msg,
+            Err(e) => return Err(Err(e)),
+        };
+
+        match (&mut *batch, this_msg) {
             // something batched already, let's see if we can add this message to the batch
             (
-                BatchedFeMessage::GetPage {
+                Ok(BatchedFeMessage::GetPage {
                     span: _,
                     shard: accum_shard,
                     pages: ref mut accum_pages,
                     effective_request_lsn: accum_lsn,
-                },
-                // would be nice to have box pattern here
+                }),
                 BatchedFeMessage::GetPage {
                     span: _,
                     shard: this_shard,
@@ -811,7 +815,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
             // something batched already but this message is unbatchable
             (_, this_msg) => {
                 // by default, don't continue batching
-                Err(Box::new(this_msg)) // TODO: avoid re-box
+                Err(Ok(this_msg))
             }
         }
     }
@@ -1085,7 +1089,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                 }
             };
             let err = self
-                .pagesteam_handle_batched_message(pgb_writer, *msg, &cancel, ctx)
+                .pagesteam_handle_batched_message(pgb_writer, msg, &cancel, ctx)
                 .await;
             match err {
                 Ok(()) => {}
@@ -1191,11 +1195,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
         //
 
         let cancel_batcher = self.cancel.child_token();
-        enum Batch {
-            Request(Box<BatchedFeMessage>),
-            ReadError(QueryError),
-        }
-        let (mut batch_tx, mut batch_rx) = spsc_fold::channel::<Batch>();
+        let (mut batch_tx, mut batch_rx) = spsc_fold::channel();
         let read_messages = pipeline_stage!(
             "read_messages",
             cancel_batcher.clone(),
@@ -1205,7 +1205,7 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                     let mut pgb_reader = pgb_reader;
                     let mut exit = false;
                     while !exit {
-                        let res = Self::pagestream_read_message(
+                        let read_res = Self::pagestream_read_message(
                             &mut pgb_reader,
                             tenant_id,
                             timeline_id,
@@ -1215,37 +1215,17 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                             request_span.clone(),
                         )
                         .await;
-                        exit |= res.is_err();
-                        let send_res = match res {
-                            Ok(None) => {
-                                debug!("sub-protocol client-initiated shutdown");
-                                break;
-                            }
-                            Ok(Some(req)) => {
-                                batch_tx
-                                    .send(Batch::Request(req), |batch, req| match (batch, req) {
-                                        (Batch::Request(ref mut batch), Batch::Request(req)) => {
-                                            Self::pagestream_do_batch(max_batch_size, batch, req)
-                                                .map_err(Batch::Request)
-                                        }
-                                        (Batch::Request(_), x @ Batch::ReadError(_)) => Err(x),
-                                        (
-                                            Batch::ReadError(_),
-                                            Batch::Request(_) | Batch::ReadError(_),
-                                        ) => {
-                                            unreachable!(
-                                                "we exit from batcher after storing a read error"
-                                            );
-                                        }
-                                    })
-                                    .await
-                            }
-                            Err(e) => {
-                                exit = true;
-                                batch_tx.send(Batch::ReadError(e), |_, req| Err(req)).await
-                            }
+                        let Some(read_res) = read_res.transpose() else {
+                            debug!("client-initiated shutdown");
+                            break;
                         };
-                        exit |= send_res.is_err();
+                        exit |= read_res.is_err();
+                        let could_send = batch_tx
+                            .send(read_res, |batch, res| {
+                                Self::pagestream_do_batch(max_batch_size, batch, res)
+                            })
+                            .await;
+                        exit |= could_send.is_err();
                     }
                     (pgb_reader, timeline_handles)
                 }
@@ -1269,17 +1249,14 @@ impl PageServerHandler {
                             return Ok(());
                         }
                     };
-                    match batch {
-                        Batch::Request(batch) => {
-                            self.pagesteam_handle_batched_message(
-                                pgb_writer, *batch, &cancel, &ctx,
-                            )
-                            .await?;
-                        }
-                        Batch::ReadError(e) => {
+                    let batch = match batch {
+                        Ok(batch) => batch,
+                        Err(e) => {
                             return Err(e);
                         }
-                    }
+                    };
+                    self.pagesteam_handle_batched_message(pgb_writer, batch, &cancel, &ctx)
+                        .await?;
                 }
             }
         });