diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/delete.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/delete.rs
index bdc315d985..3c828c8a9e 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/delete.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/delete.rs
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ pub(super) async fn delete_local_timeline_directory(
 }
 
 /// It is important that this gets called when DeletionGuard is being held.
-/// For more context see comments in [`DeleteTimelineFlow::prepare`]
+/// For more context see comments in [`make_timeline_delete_guard`]
 async fn remove_maybe_offloaded_timeline_from_tenant(
     tenant: &Tenant,
     timeline: &TimelineOrOffloaded,
@@ -193,10 +193,8 @@ impl DeleteTimelineFlow {
     ) -> Result<(), DeleteTimelineError> {
         super::debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_and_timeline_id();
 
-        let allow_offloaded_children = false;
-        let set_stopping = true;
         let (timeline, mut guard) =
-            Self::prepare(tenant, timeline_id, allow_offloaded_children, set_stopping)?;
+            make_timeline_delete_guard(tenant, timeline_id, TimelineDeleteGuardKind::Delete)?;
 
         guard.mark_in_progress()?;
 
@@ -333,75 +331,6 @@ impl DeleteTimelineFlow {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    pub(super) fn prepare(
-        tenant: &Tenant,
-        timeline_id: TimelineId,
-        allow_offloaded_children: bool,
-        set_stopping: bool,
-    ) -> Result<(TimelineOrOffloaded, DeletionGuard), DeleteTimelineError> {
-        // Note the interaction between this guard and deletion guard.
-        // Here we attempt to lock deletion guard when we're holding a lock on timelines.
-        // This is important because when you take into account `remove_timeline_from_tenant`
-        // we remove timeline from memory when we still hold the deletion guard.
-        // So here when timeline deletion is finished timeline wont be present in timelines map at all
-        // which makes the following sequence impossible:
-        // T1: get preempted right before the try_lock on `Timeline::delete_progress`
-        // T2: do a full deletion, acquire and drop `Timeline::delete_progress`
-        // T1: acquire deletion lock, do another `DeleteTimelineFlow::run`
-        // For more context see this discussion: `https://github.com/neondatabase/neon/pull/4552#discussion_r1253437346`
-        let timelines = tenant.timelines.lock().unwrap();
-        let timelines_offloaded = tenant.timelines_offloaded.lock().unwrap();
-
-        let timeline = match timelines.get(&timeline_id) {
-            Some(t) => TimelineOrOffloaded::Timeline(Arc::clone(t)),
-            None => match timelines_offloaded.get(&timeline_id) {
-                Some(t) => TimelineOrOffloaded::Offloaded(Arc::clone(t)),
-                None => return Err(DeleteTimelineError::NotFound),
-            },
-        };
-
-        // Ensure that there are no child timelines, because we are about to remove files,
-        // which will break child branches
-        let mut children = Vec::new();
-        if !allow_offloaded_children {
-            children.extend(timelines_offloaded.iter().filter_map(|(id, entry)| {
-                (entry.ancestor_timeline_id == Some(timeline_id)).then_some(*id)
-            }));
-        }
-        children.extend(timelines.iter().filter_map(|(id, entry)| {
-            (entry.get_ancestor_timeline_id() == Some(timeline_id)).then_some(*id)
-        }));
-
-        if !children.is_empty() {
-            return Err(DeleteTimelineError::HasChildren(children));
-        }
-
-        // Note that using try_lock here is important to avoid a deadlock.
-        // Here we take lock on timelines and then the deletion guard.
-        // At the end of the operation we're holding the guard and need to lock timelines map
-        // to remove the timeline from it.
-        // Always if you have two locks that are taken in different order this can result in a deadlock.
-
-        let delete_progress = Arc::clone(timeline.delete_progress());
-        let delete_lock_guard = match delete_progress.try_lock_owned() {
-            Ok(guard) => DeletionGuard(guard),
-            Err(_) => {
-                // Unfortunately if lock fails arc is consumed.
-                return Err(DeleteTimelineError::AlreadyInProgress(Arc::clone(
-                    timeline.delete_progress(),
-                )));
-            }
-        };
-
-        if set_stopping {
-            if let TimelineOrOffloaded::Timeline(timeline) = &timeline {
-                timeline.set_state(TimelineState::Stopping);
-            }
-        }
-
-        Ok((timeline, delete_lock_guard))
-    }
-
     fn schedule_background(
         guard: DeletionGuard,
         conf: &'static PageServerConf,
@@ -483,6 +412,80 @@ impl DeleteTimelineFlow {
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(Copy, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(super) enum TimelineDeleteGuardKind {
+    Offload,
+    Delete,
+}
+
+pub(super) fn make_timeline_delete_guard(
+    tenant: &Tenant,
+    timeline_id: TimelineId,
+    guard_kind: TimelineDeleteGuardKind,
+) -> Result<(TimelineOrOffloaded, DeletionGuard), DeleteTimelineError> {
+    // Note the interaction between this guard and deletion guard.
+    // Here we attempt to lock deletion guard when we're holding a lock on timelines.
+    // This is important because when you take into account `remove_timeline_from_tenant`
+    // we remove timeline from memory when we still hold the deletion guard.
+    // So here when timeline deletion is finished timeline wont be present in timelines map at all
+    // which makes the following sequence impossible:
+    // T1: get preempted right before the try_lock on `Timeline::delete_progress`
+    // T2: do a full deletion, acquire and drop `Timeline::delete_progress`
+    // T1: acquire deletion lock, do another `DeleteTimelineFlow::run`
+    // For more context see this discussion: `https://github.com/neondatabase/neon/pull/4552#discussion_r1253437346`
+    let timelines = tenant.timelines.lock().unwrap();
+    let timelines_offloaded = tenant.timelines_offloaded.lock().unwrap();
+
+    let timeline = match timelines.get(&timeline_id) {
+        Some(t) => TimelineOrOffloaded::Timeline(Arc::clone(t)),
+        None => match timelines_offloaded.get(&timeline_id) {
+            Some(t) => TimelineOrOffloaded::Offloaded(Arc::clone(t)),
+            None => return Err(DeleteTimelineError::NotFound),
+        },
+    };
+
+    // Ensure that there are no child timelines, because we are about to remove files,
+    // which will break child branches
+    let mut children = Vec::new();
+    if guard_kind == TimelineDeleteGuardKind::Delete {
+        children.extend(timelines_offloaded.iter().filter_map(|(id, entry)| {
+            (entry.ancestor_timeline_id == Some(timeline_id)).then_some(*id)
+        }));
+    }
+    children.extend(timelines.iter().filter_map(|(id, entry)| {
+        (entry.get_ancestor_timeline_id() == Some(timeline_id)).then_some(*id)
+    }));
+
+    if !children.is_empty() {
+        return Err(DeleteTimelineError::HasChildren(children));
+    }
+
+    // Note that using try_lock here is important to avoid a deadlock.
+    // Here we take lock on timelines and then the deletion guard.
+    // At the end of the operation we're holding the guard and need to lock timelines map
+    // to remove the timeline from it.
+    // Always if you have two locks that are taken in different order this can result in a deadlock.
+
+    let delete_progress = Arc::clone(timeline.delete_progress());
+    let delete_lock_guard = match delete_progress.try_lock_owned() {
+        Ok(guard) => DeletionGuard(guard),
+        Err(_) => {
+            // Unfortunately if lock fails arc is consumed.
+            return Err(DeleteTimelineError::AlreadyInProgress(Arc::clone(
+                timeline.delete_progress(),
+            )));
+        }
+    };
+
+    if guard_kind == TimelineDeleteGuardKind::Delete {
+        if let TimelineOrOffloaded::Timeline(timeline) = &timeline {
+            timeline.set_state(TimelineState::Stopping);
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok((timeline, delete_lock_guard))
+}
+
 pub(super) struct DeletionGuard(OwnedMutexGuard<DeleteTimelineFlow>);
 
 impl Deref for DeletionGuard {
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/offload.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/offload.rs
index 6c6b19e8b1..3b5bf8290c 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/offload.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/offload.rs
@@ -2,10 +2,11 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use pageserver_api::models::{TenantState, TimelineState};
 
-use super::delete::{delete_local_timeline_directory, DeleteTimelineFlow, DeletionGuard};
+use super::delete::{delete_local_timeline_directory, DeletionGuard};
 use super::Timeline;
 use crate::span::debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_and_timeline_id;
 use crate::tenant::remote_timeline_client::ShutdownIfArchivedError;
+use crate::tenant::timeline::delete::{make_timeline_delete_guard, TimelineDeleteGuardKind};
 use crate::tenant::{OffloadedTimeline, Tenant, TenantManifestError, TimelineOrOffloaded};
 
 #[derive(thiserror::Error, Debug)]
@@ -36,13 +37,10 @@ pub(crate) async fn offload_timeline(
     debug_assert_current_span_has_tenant_and_timeline_id();
     tracing::info!("offloading archived timeline");
 
-    let allow_offloaded_children = true;
-    let set_stopping = false;
-    let (timeline, guard) = DeleteTimelineFlow::prepare(
+    let (timeline, guard) = make_timeline_delete_guard(
         tenant,
         timeline.timeline_id,
-        allow_offloaded_children,
-        set_stopping,
+        TimelineDeleteGuardKind::Offload,
     )
     .map_err(|e| OffloadError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!(e)))?;
 
@@ -106,7 +104,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn offload_timeline(
 }
 
 /// It is important that this gets called when DeletionGuard is being held.
-/// For more context see comments in [`DeleteTimelineFlow::prepare`]
+/// For more context see comments in [`make_timeline_delete_guard`]
 ///
 /// Returns the strong count of the timeline `Arc`
 fn remove_timeline_from_tenant(