diff --git a/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs b/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
index f01cd1cf8c..76906cfaf7 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/disk_usage_eviction_task.rs
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@
 //   reading these fields. We use the Debug impl for semi-structured logging, though.
 
 use std::{
-    collections::HashMap,
     sync::Arc,
     time::{Duration, SystemTime},
 };
@@ -125,7 +124,7 @@ pub fn launch_disk_usage_global_eviction_task(
 async fn disk_usage_eviction_task(
     state: &State,
     task_config: &DiskUsageEvictionTaskConfig,
-    _storage: &GenericRemoteStorage,
+    storage: &GenericRemoteStorage,
     tenants_dir: &Utf8Path,
     cancel: CancellationToken,
 ) {
@@ -149,8 +148,14 @@ async fn disk_usage_eviction_task(
         let start = Instant::now();
 
         async {
-            let res =
-                disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration(state, task_config, tenants_dir, &cancel).await;
+            let res = disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration(
+                state,
+                task_config,
+                storage,
+                tenants_dir,
+                &cancel,
+            )
+            .await;
 
             match res {
                 Ok(()) => {}
@@ -181,12 +186,13 @@ pub trait Usage: Clone + Copy + std::fmt::Debug {
 async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration(
     state: &State,
     task_config: &DiskUsageEvictionTaskConfig,
+    storage: &GenericRemoteStorage,
     tenants_dir: &Utf8Path,
     cancel: &CancellationToken,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let usage_pre = filesystem_level_usage::get(tenants_dir, task_config)
         .context("get filesystem-level disk usage before evictions")?;
-    let res = disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl(state, usage_pre, cancel).await;
+    let res = disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl(state, storage, usage_pre, cancel).await;
     match res {
         Ok(outcome) => {
             debug!(?outcome, "disk_usage_eviction_iteration finished");
@@ -268,8 +274,9 @@ struct LayerCount {
     count: usize,
 }
 
-pub async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl<U: Usage>(
+pub(crate) async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl<U: Usage>(
     state: &State,
+    _storage: &GenericRemoteStorage,
     usage_pre: U,
     cancel: &CancellationToken,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<IterationOutcome<U>> {
@@ -321,16 +328,16 @@ pub async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl<U: Usage>(
     // Walk through the list of candidates, until we have accumulated enough layers to get
     // us back under the pressure threshold. 'usage_planned' is updated so that it tracks
     // how much disk space would be used after evicting all the layers up to the current
-    // point in the list. The layers are collected in 'batched', grouped per timeline.
+    // point in the list.
     //
     // If we get far enough in the list that we start to evict layers that are below
     // the tenant's min-resident-size threshold, print a warning, and memorize the disk
     // usage at that point, in 'usage_planned_min_resident_size_respecting'.
-    let mut batched: HashMap<_, Vec<_>> = HashMap::new();
     let mut warned = None;
     let mut usage_planned = usage_pre;
-    let mut max_batch_size = 0;
-    for (i, (partition, candidate)) in candidates.into_iter().enumerate() {
+    let mut evicted_amount = 0;
+
+    for (i, (partition, candidate)) in candidates.iter().enumerate() {
         if !usage_planned.has_pressure() {
             debug!(
                 no_candidates_evicted = i,
@@ -339,25 +346,13 @@ pub async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl<U: Usage>(
             break;
         }
 
-        if partition == MinResidentSizePartition::Below && warned.is_none() {
+        if partition == &MinResidentSizePartition::Below && warned.is_none() {
             warn!(?usage_pre, ?usage_planned, candidate_no=i, "tenant_min_resident_size-respecting LRU would not relieve pressure, evicting more following global LRU policy");
             warned = Some(usage_planned);
         }
 
         usage_planned.add_available_bytes(candidate.layer.layer_desc().file_size);
-
-        // FIXME: batching makes no sense anymore because of no layermap locking, should just spawn
-        // tasks to evict all seen layers until we have evicted enough
-
-        let batch = batched.entry(TimelineKey(candidate.timeline)).or_default();
-
-        // semaphore will later be used to limit eviction concurrency, and we can express at
-        // most u32 number of permits. unlikely we would have u32::MAX layers to be evicted,
-        // but fail gracefully by not making batches larger.
-        if batch.len() < u32::MAX as usize {
-            batch.push(candidate.layer);
-            max_batch_size = max_batch_size.max(batch.len());
-        }
+        evicted_amount += 1;
     }
 
     let usage_planned = match warned {
@@ -372,100 +367,79 @@ pub async fn disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl<U: Usage>(
     };
     debug!(?usage_planned, "usage planned");
 
-    // phase2: evict victims batched by timeline
+    // phase2: evict layers
 
     let mut js = tokio::task::JoinSet::new();
+    let limit = 1000;
 
-    // ratelimit to 1k files or any higher max batch size
-    let limit = Arc::new(tokio::sync::Semaphore::new(1000.max(max_batch_size)));
+    let mut evicted = candidates.into_iter().take(evicted_amount).fuse();
+    let mut consumed_all = false;
 
-    for (timeline, batch) in batched {
-        let tenant_shard_id = timeline.tenant_shard_id;
-        let timeline_id = timeline.timeline_id;
-        let batch_size =
-            u32::try_from(batch.len()).expect("batch size limited to u32::MAX during partitioning");
+    // After the evictions, `usage_assumed` is the post-eviction usage,
+    // according to internal accounting.
+    let mut usage_assumed = usage_pre;
+    let mut evictions_failed = LayerCount::default();
 
-        // I dislike naming of `available_permits` but it means current total amount of permits
-        // because permits can be added
-        assert!(batch_size as usize <= limit.available_permits());
+    let evict_layers = async move {
+        loop {
+            let next = if js.len() >= limit || consumed_all {
+                js.join_next().await
+            } else if !js.is_empty() {
+                // opportunistically consume ready result, one per each new evicted
+                futures::future::FutureExt::now_or_never(js.join_next()).and_then(|x| x)
+            } else {
+                None
+            };
 
-        debug!(%timeline_id, "evicting batch for timeline");
-
-        let evict = {
-            let limit = limit.clone();
-            let cancel = cancel.clone();
-            async move {
-                let mut evicted_bytes = 0;
-                let mut evictions_failed = LayerCount::default();
-
-                let Ok(_permit) = limit.acquire_many_owned(batch_size).await else {
-                    // semaphore closing means cancelled
-                    return (evicted_bytes, evictions_failed);
-                };
-
-                let results = timeline.evict_layers(&batch).await;
-
-                match results {
-                    Ok(results) => {
-                        assert_eq!(results.len(), batch.len());
-                        for (result, layer) in results.into_iter().zip(batch.iter()) {
-                            let file_size = layer.layer_desc().file_size;
-                            match result {
-                                Some(Ok(())) => {
-                                    evicted_bytes += file_size;
-                                }
-                                Some(Err(EvictionError::NotFound | EvictionError::Downloaded)) => {
-                                    evictions_failed.file_sizes += file_size;
-                                    evictions_failed.count += 1;
-                                }
-                                None => {
-                                    assert!(cancel.is_cancelled());
-                                }
-                            }
-                        }
+            if let Some(next) = next {
+                match next {
+                    Ok(Ok(file_size)) => {
+                        usage_assumed.add_available_bytes(file_size);
                     }
-                    Err(e) => {
-                        warn!("failed to evict batch: {:#}", e);
+                    Ok(Err((file_size, EvictionError::NotFound | EvictionError::Downloaded))) => {
+                        evictions_failed.file_sizes += file_size;
+                        evictions_failed.count += 1;
                     }
+                    Err(je) if je.is_cancelled() => unreachable!("not used"),
+                    Err(je) if je.is_panic() => { /* already logged */ }
+                    Err(je) => tracing::error!("unknown JoinError: {je:?}"),
                 }
-                (evicted_bytes, evictions_failed)
             }
-        }
-        .instrument(tracing::info_span!("evict_batch", tenant_id=%tenant_shard_id.tenant_id, shard_id=%tenant_shard_id.shard_slug(), %timeline_id, batch_size));
 
-        js.spawn(evict);
-
-        // spwaning multiple thousands of these is essentially blocking, so give already spawned a
-        // chance of making progress
-        tokio::task::yield_now().await;
-    }
-
-    let join_all = async move {
-        // After the evictions, `usage_assumed` is the post-eviction usage,
-        // according to internal accounting.
-        let mut usage_assumed = usage_pre;
-        let mut evictions_failed = LayerCount::default();
-
-        while let Some(res) = js.join_next().await {
-            match res {
-                Ok((evicted_bytes, failed)) => {
-                    usage_assumed.add_available_bytes(evicted_bytes);
-                    evictions_failed.file_sizes += failed.file_sizes;
-                    evictions_failed.count += failed.count;
-                }
-                Err(je) if je.is_cancelled() => unreachable!("not used"),
-                Err(je) if je.is_panic() => { /* already logged */ }
-                Err(je) => tracing::error!("unknown JoinError: {je:?}"),
+            if consumed_all && js.is_empty() {
+                break;
             }
+
+            // calling again when consumed_all is fine as evicted is fused.
+            let Some((_partition, candidate)) = evicted.next() else {
+                consumed_all = true;
+                continue;
+            };
+
+            js.spawn(async move {
+                let rtc = candidate.timeline.remote_client.as_ref().expect(
+                    "holding the witness, all timelines must have a remote timeline client",
+                );
+                let file_size = candidate.layer.layer_desc().file_size;
+                candidate
+                    .layer
+                    .evict_and_wait(rtc)
+                    .await
+                    .map(|()| file_size)
+                    .map_err(|e| (file_size, e))
+            });
+
+            tokio::task::yield_now().await;
         }
+
         (usage_assumed, evictions_failed)
     };
 
     let (usage_assumed, evictions_failed) = tokio::select! {
-        tuple = join_all => { tuple },
+        tuple = evict_layers => { tuple },
         _ = cancel.cancelled() => {
-            // close the semaphore to stop any pending acquires
-            limit.close();
+            // dropping joinset will abort all pending evict_and_waits and that is fine, our
+            // requests will still stand
             return Ok(IterationOutcome::Cancelled);
         }
     };
diff --git a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
index 9faacaef89..da7e8218a2 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
@@ -1588,7 +1588,7 @@ async fn always_panic_handler(
 
 async fn disk_usage_eviction_run(
     mut r: Request<Body>,
-    _cancel: CancellationToken,
+    cancel: CancellationToken,
 ) -> Result<Response<Body>, ApiError> {
     check_permission(&r, None)?;
 
@@ -1625,48 +1625,26 @@ async fn disk_usage_eviction_run(
         freed_bytes: 0,
     };
 
-    let (tx, rx) = tokio::sync::oneshot::channel();
-
     let state = get_state(&r);
 
-    if state.remote_storage.as_ref().is_none() {
+    let Some(storage) = state.remote_storage.as_ref() else {
         return Err(ApiError::InternalServerError(anyhow::anyhow!(
             "remote storage not configured, cannot run eviction iteration"
         )));
-    }
+    };
 
     let state = state.disk_usage_eviction_state.clone();
 
-    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
-    let child_cancel = cancel.clone();
-    let _g = cancel.drop_guard();
+    let res = crate::disk_usage_eviction_task::disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl(
+        &state, storage, usage, &cancel,
+    )
+    .await;
 
-    crate::task_mgr::spawn(
-        crate::task_mgr::BACKGROUND_RUNTIME.handle(),
-        TaskKind::DiskUsageEviction,
-        None,
-        None,
-        "ondemand disk usage eviction",
-        false,
-        async move {
-            let res = crate::disk_usage_eviction_task::disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl(
-                &state,
-                usage,
-                &child_cancel,
-            )
-            .await;
+    info!(?res, "disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl finished");
 
-            info!(?res, "disk_usage_eviction_task_iteration_impl finished");
+    let res = res.map_err(ApiError::InternalServerError)?;
 
-            let _ = tx.send(res);
-            Ok(())
-        }
-        .in_current_span(),
-    );
-
-    let response = rx.await.unwrap().map_err(ApiError::InternalServerError)?;
-
-    json_response(StatusCode::OK, response)
+    json_response(StatusCode::OK, res)
 }
 
 async fn handler_404(_: Request<Body>) -> Result<Response<Body>, ApiError> {
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
index a2a31f395e..d0241eafd5 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
@@ -1099,8 +1099,9 @@ impl Timeline {
         Ok(Some(true))
     }
 
-    /// Like [`evict_layer_batch`](Self::evict_layer_batch), but for just one layer.
-    /// Additional case `Ok(None)` covers the case where the layer could not be found by its `layer_file_name`.
+    /// Evict just one layer.
+    ///
+    /// Returns `Ok(None)` in the case where the layer could not be found by its `layer_file_name`.
     pub async fn evict_layer(&self, layer_file_name: &str) -> anyhow::Result<Option<bool>> {
         let _gate = self
             .gate
@@ -1111,109 +1112,17 @@ impl Timeline {
             return Ok(None);
         };
 
-        let Some(local_layer) = local_layer.keep_resident().await? else {
-            return Ok(Some(false));
-        };
-
-        let local_layer: Layer = local_layer.into();
-
-        let remote_client = self
+        let rtc = self
             .remote_client
             .as_ref()
             .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("remote storage not configured; cannot evict"))?;
 
-        let results = self
-            .evict_layer_batch(remote_client, &[local_layer])
-            .await?;
-        assert_eq!(results.len(), 1);
-        let result: Option<Result<(), EvictionError>> = results.into_iter().next().unwrap();
-        match result {
-            None => anyhow::bail!("task_mgr shutdown requested"),
-            Some(Ok(())) => Ok(Some(true)),
-            Some(Err(e)) => Err(anyhow::Error::new(e)),
+        match local_layer.evict_and_wait(rtc).await {
+            Ok(()) => Ok(Some(true)),
+            Err(EvictionError::NotFound) => Ok(Some(false)),
+            Err(EvictionError::Downloaded) => Ok(Some(false)),
         }
     }
-
-    /// Evict a batch of layers.
-    pub(crate) async fn evict_layers(
-        &self,
-        layers_to_evict: &[Layer],
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<Option<Result<(), EvictionError>>>> {
-        let _gate = self
-            .gate
-            .enter()
-            .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Shutting down"))?;
-
-        let remote_client = self
-            .remote_client
-            .as_ref()
-            .context("timeline must have RemoteTimelineClient")?;
-
-        self.evict_layer_batch(remote_client, layers_to_evict).await
-    }
-
-    /// Evict multiple layers at once, continuing through errors.
-    ///
-    /// The `remote_client` should be this timeline's `self.remote_client`.
-    /// We make the caller provide it so that they are responsible for handling the case
-    /// where someone wants to evict the layer but no remote storage is configured.
-    ///
-    /// Returns either `Err()` or `Ok(results)` where `results.len() == layers_to_evict.len()`.
-    /// If `Err()` is returned, no eviction was attempted.
-    /// Each position of `Ok(results)` corresponds to the layer in `layers_to_evict`.
-    /// Meaning of each `result[i]`:
-    /// - `Some(Err(...))` if layer replacement failed for some reason
-    ///    - replacement failed for an expectable reason (e.g., layer removed by GC before we grabbed all locks)
-    /// - `Some(Ok(()))` if everything went well.
-    /// - `None` if no eviction attempt was made for the layer because `cancel.is_cancelled() == true`.
-    async fn evict_layer_batch(
-        &self,
-        remote_client: &Arc<RemoteTimelineClient>,
-        layers_to_evict: &[Layer],
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<Option<Result<(), EvictionError>>>> {
-        {
-            // to avoid racing with detach and delete_timeline
-            let state = self.current_state();
-            anyhow::ensure!(
-                state == TimelineState::Active,
-                "timeline is not active but {state:?}"
-            );
-        }
-
-        let mut results = Vec::with_capacity(layers_to_evict.len());
-        for _ in 0..layers_to_evict.len() {
-            results.push(None);
-        }
-
-        let mut js = tokio::task::JoinSet::new();
-
-        for (i, l) in layers_to_evict.iter().enumerate() {
-            js.spawn({
-                let l = l.to_owned();
-                let remote_client = remote_client.clone();
-                async move { (i, l.evict_and_wait(&remote_client).await) }
-            });
-        }
-
-        let join = async {
-            while let Some(next) = js.join_next().await {
-                match next {
-                    Ok((i, res)) => results[i] = Some(res),
-                    Err(je) if je.is_cancelled() => unreachable!("not used"),
-                    Err(je) if je.is_panic() => { /* already logged */ }
-                    Err(je) => tracing::error!("unknown JoinError: {je:?}"),
-                }
-            }
-        };
-
-        tokio::select! {
-            _ = self.cancel.cancelled() => {},
-            _ = join => {}
-        }
-
-        assert_eq!(results.len(), layers_to_evict.len());
-        Ok(results)
-    }
 }
 
 /// Number of times we will compute partition within a checkpoint distance.
@@ -4586,7 +4495,7 @@ mod tests {
             .await
             .unwrap();
 
-        let rc = timeline
+        let rtc = timeline
             .remote_client
             .clone()
             .expect("just configured this");
@@ -4599,16 +4508,12 @@ mod tests {
             .expect("should had been resident")
             .drop_eviction_guard();
 
-        let batch = [layer];
-
-        let first = async { timeline.evict_layer_batch(&rc, &batch).await.unwrap() };
-        let second = async { timeline.evict_layer_batch(&rc, &batch).await.unwrap() };
+        let first = async { layer.evict_and_wait(&rtc).await };
+        let second = async { layer.evict_and_wait(&rtc).await };
 
         let (first, second) = tokio::join!(first, second);
 
-        let (first, second) = (only_one(first), only_one(second));
-
-        let res = batch[0].keep_resident().await;
+        let res = layer.keep_resident().await;
         assert!(matches!(res, Ok(None)), "{res:?}");
 
         match (first, second) {
@@ -4629,14 +4534,6 @@ mod tests {
         RequestContext::new(TaskKind::UnitTest, DownloadBehavior::Error)
     }
 
-    fn only_one<T>(mut input: Vec<Option<T>>) -> T {
-        assert_eq!(1, input.len());
-        input
-            .pop()
-            .expect("length just checked")
-            .expect("no cancellation")
-    }
-
     async fn find_some_layer(timeline: &Timeline) -> Layer {
         let layers = timeline.layers.read().await;
         let desc = layers
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/eviction_task.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/eviction_task.rs
index 020c5a9e9f..782e8f9e39 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/eviction_task.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/eviction_task.rs
@@ -212,11 +212,21 @@ impl Timeline {
         // Gather layers for eviction.
         // NB: all the checks can be invalidated as soon as we release the layer map lock.
         // We don't want to hold the layer map lock during eviction.
+
         // So, we just need to deal with this.
-        let candidates: Vec<_> = {
+
+        let remote_client = match self.remote_client.as_ref() {
+            Some(c) => c,
+            None => {
+                error!("no remote storage configured, cannot evict layers");
+                return ControlFlow::Continue(());
+            }
+        };
+
+        let mut js = tokio::task::JoinSet::new();
+        {
             let guard = self.layers.read().await;
             let layers = guard.layer_map();
-            let mut candidates = Vec::new();
             for hist_layer in layers.iter_historic_layers() {
                 let hist_layer = guard.get_from_desc(&hist_layer);
 
@@ -262,54 +272,49 @@ impl Timeline {
                         continue;
                     }
                 };
+                let layer = guard.drop_eviction_guard();
                 if no_activity_for > p.threshold {
-                    candidates.push(guard.drop_eviction_guard())
+                    let remote_client = remote_client.clone();
+                    // this could cause a lot of allocations in some cases
+                    js.spawn(async move { layer.evict_and_wait(&remote_client).await });
+                    stats.candidates += 1;
                 }
             }
-            candidates
-        };
-        stats.candidates = candidates.len();
-
-        let remote_client = match self.remote_client.as_ref() {
-            None => {
-                error!(
-                    num_candidates = candidates.len(),
-                    "no remote storage configured, cannot evict layers"
-                );
-                return ControlFlow::Continue(());
-            }
-            Some(c) => c,
         };
 
-        let results = match self.evict_layer_batch(remote_client, &candidates).await {
-            Err(pre_err) => {
-                stats.errors += candidates.len();
-                error!("could not do any evictions: {pre_err:#}");
-                return ControlFlow::Continue(());
+        let join_all = async move {
+            while let Some(next) = js.join_next().await {
+                match next {
+                    Ok(Ok(())) => stats.evicted += 1,
+                    Ok(Err(EvictionError::NotFound | EvictionError::Downloaded)) => {
+                        stats.not_evictable += 1;
+                    }
+                    Err(je) if je.is_cancelled() => unreachable!("not used"),
+                    Err(je) if je.is_panic() => {
+                        /* already logged */
+                        stats.errors += 1;
+                    }
+                    Err(je) => tracing::error!("unknown JoinError: {je:?}"),
+                }
             }
-            Ok(results) => results,
+            stats
         };
-        assert_eq!(results.len(), candidates.len());
-        for result in results {
-            match result {
-                None => {
-                    stats.skipped_for_shutdown += 1;
-                }
-                Some(Ok(())) => {
-                    stats.evicted += 1;
-                }
-                Some(Err(EvictionError::NotFound | EvictionError::Downloaded)) => {
-                    stats.not_evictable += 1;
+
+        tokio::select! {
+            stats = join_all => {
+                if stats.candidates == stats.not_evictable {
+                    debug!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
+                } else if stats.errors > 0 || stats.not_evictable > 0 {
+                    warn!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
+                } else {
+                    info!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
                 }
             }
+            _ = cancel.cancelled() => {
+                // just drop the joinset to "abort"
+            }
         }
-        if stats.candidates == stats.not_evictable {
-            debug!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
-        } else if stats.errors > 0 || stats.not_evictable > 0 {
-            warn!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
-        } else {
-            info!(stats=?stats, "eviction iteration complete");
-        }
+
         ControlFlow::Continue(())
     }