diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/tasks.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/tasks.rs
index 589ac5ae88..034e5f8c91 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/tasks.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/tasks.rs
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ async fn compaction_loop(tenant: Arc<Tenant>, cancel: CancellationToken) {
                 error_run += 1;
                 let backoff =
                     exponential_backoff_duration(error_run, BASE_BACKOFF_SECS, MAX_BACKOFF_SECS);
-                log_compaction_error(&err, error_run, backoff, cancel.is_cancelled());
+                log_compaction_error(&err, Some((error_run, backoff)), cancel.is_cancelled());
                 continue;
             }
         }
@@ -281,10 +281,9 @@ async fn compaction_loop(tenant: Arc<Tenant>, cancel: CancellationToken) {
     }
 }
 
-fn log_compaction_error(
+pub(crate) fn log_compaction_error(
     err: &CompactionError,
-    error_count: u32,
-    sleep_duration: Duration,
+    retry_info: Option<(u32, Duration)>,
     task_cancelled: bool,
 ) {
     use CompactionError::*;
@@ -318,14 +317,26 @@ fn log_compaction_error(
         }
     };
 
-    match level {
-        Level::ERROR => {
-            error!("Compaction failed {error_count} times, retrying in {sleep_duration:?}: {err:#}")
+    if let Some((error_count, sleep_duration)) = retry_info {
+        match level {
+            Level::ERROR => {
+                error!(
+                    "Compaction failed {error_count} times, retrying in {sleep_duration:?}: {err:#}"
+                )
+            }
+            Level::INFO => {
+                info!(
+                    "Compaction failed {error_count} times, retrying in {sleep_duration:?}: {err:#}"
+                )
+            }
+            level => unimplemented!("unexpected level {level:?}"),
         }
-        Level::INFO => {
-            info!("Compaction failed {error_count} times, retrying in {sleep_duration:?}: {err:#}")
+    } else {
+        match level {
+            Level::ERROR => error!("Compaction failed: {err:#}"),
+            Level::INFO => info!("Compaction failed: {err:#}"),
+            level => unimplemented!("unexpected level {level:?}"),
         }
-        level => unimplemented!("unexpected level {level:?}"),
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
index face2dfdc1..3007d1e58a 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline.rs
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ use super::remote_timeline_client::index::{GcCompactionState, IndexPart};
 use super::remote_timeline_client::{RemoteTimelineClient, WaitCompletionError};
 use super::secondary::heatmap::HeatMapLayer;
 use super::storage_layer::{LayerFringe, LayerVisibilityHint, ReadableLayer};
+use super::tasks::log_compaction_error;
 use super::upload_queue::NotInitialized;
 use super::{
     AttachedTenantConf, GcError, HeatMapTimeline, MaybeOffloaded,
@@ -1856,18 +1857,23 @@ impl Timeline {
         flags: EnumSet<CompactFlags>,
         ctx: &RequestContext,
     ) -> Result<CompactionOutcome, CompactionError> {
-        self.compact_with_options(
-            cancel,
-            CompactOptions {
-                flags,
-                compact_key_range: None,
-                compact_lsn_range: None,
-                sub_compaction: false,
-                sub_compaction_max_job_size_mb: None,
-            },
-            ctx,
-        )
-        .await
+        let res = self
+            .compact_with_options(
+                cancel,
+                CompactOptions {
+                    flags,
+                    compact_key_range: None,
+                    compact_lsn_range: None,
+                    sub_compaction: false,
+                    sub_compaction_max_job_size_mb: None,
+                },
+                ctx,
+            )
+            .await;
+        if let Err(err) = &res {
+            log_compaction_error(err, None, cancel.is_cancelled());
+        }
+        res
     }
 
     /// Outermost timeline compaction operation; downloads needed layers.
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
index 300daec9bf..711501caa9 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/compaction.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ use crate::tenant::storage_layer::merge_iterator::MergeIterator;
 use crate::tenant::storage_layer::{
     AsLayerDesc, PersistentLayerDesc, PersistentLayerKey, ValueReconstructState,
 };
+use crate::tenant::tasks::log_compaction_error;
 use crate::tenant::timeline::{
     DeltaLayerWriter, ImageLayerCreationOutcome, ImageLayerWriter, IoConcurrency, Layer,
     ResidentLayer, drop_rlock,
@@ -440,6 +441,20 @@ impl GcCompactionQueue {
         ctx: &RequestContext,
         gc_block: &GcBlock,
         timeline: &Arc<Timeline>,
+    ) -> Result<CompactionOutcome, CompactionError> {
+        let res = self.iteration_inner(cancel, ctx, gc_block, timeline).await;
+        if let Err(err) = &res {
+            log_compaction_error(err, None, cancel.is_cancelled());
+        }
+        res
+    }
+
+    async fn iteration_inner(
+        &self,
+        cancel: &CancellationToken,
+        ctx: &RequestContext,
+        gc_block: &GcBlock,
+        timeline: &Arc<Timeline>,
     ) -> Result<CompactionOutcome, CompactionError> {
         let Ok(_one_op_at_a_time_guard) = self.consumer_lock.try_lock() else {
             return Err(CompactionError::AlreadyRunning(