diff --git a/libs/postgres_backend/src/lib.rs b/libs/postgres_backend/src/lib.rs
index 654dde8da6..714d8ac403 100644
--- a/libs/postgres_backend/src/lib.rs
+++ b/libs/postgres_backend/src/lib.rs
@@ -841,6 +841,10 @@ impl<IO: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin> PostgresBackend<IO> {
 
         let expected_end = match &end {
             ServerInitiated(_) | CopyDone | CopyFail | Terminate | EOF | Cancelled => true,
+            // The timeline doesn't exist and we have been requested to not auto-create it.
+            // Compute requests for timelines that haven't been created yet
+            // might reach us before the storcon request to create those timelines.
+            TimelineNoCreate => true,
             CopyStreamHandlerEnd::Disconnected(ConnectionError::Io(io_error))
                 if is_expected_io_error(io_error) =>
             {
@@ -1059,6 +1063,8 @@ pub enum CopyStreamHandlerEnd {
     Terminate,
     #[error("EOF on COPY stream")]
     EOF,
+    #[error("timeline not found, and allow_timeline_creation is false")]
+    TimelineNoCreate,
     /// The connection was lost
     #[error("connection error: {0}")]
     Disconnected(#[from] ConnectionError),
diff --git a/libs/safekeeper_api/src/models.rs b/libs/safekeeper_api/src/models.rs
index 51f88625da..cc31b38fe7 100644
--- a/libs/safekeeper_api/src/models.rs
+++ b/libs/safekeeper_api/src/models.rs
@@ -303,7 +303,8 @@ pub struct PullTimelineRequest {
 
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct PullTimelineResponse {
-    // Donor safekeeper host
-    pub safekeeper_host: String,
+    /// Donor safekeeper host.
+    /// None if no pull happened because the timeline already exists.
+    pub safekeeper_host: Option<String>,
     // TODO: add more fields?
 }
diff --git a/safekeeper/src/pull_timeline.rs b/safekeeper/src/pull_timeline.rs
index 653b084ad8..1510a51019 100644
--- a/safekeeper/src/pull_timeline.rs
+++ b/safekeeper/src/pull_timeline.rs
@@ -401,7 +401,10 @@ pub async fn handle_request(
         request.timeline_id,
     ));
     if existing_tli.is_ok() {
-        bail!("Timeline {} already exists", request.timeline_id);
+        info!("Timeline {} already exists", request.timeline_id);
+        return Ok(PullTimelineResponse {
+            safekeeper_host: None,
+        });
     }
 
     let mut http_client = reqwest::Client::builder();
@@ -425,8 +428,25 @@ pub async fn handle_request(
 
     let mut statuses = Vec::new();
     for (i, response) in responses.into_iter().enumerate() {
-        let status = response.context(format!("fetching status from {}", http_hosts[i]))?;
-        statuses.push((status, i));
+        match response {
+            Ok(status) => {
+                statuses.push((status, i));
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                info!("error fetching status from {}: {e}", http_hosts[i]);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Allow missing responses from up to one safekeeper (say due to downtime)
+    // e.g. if we created a timeline on PS A and B, with C being offline. Then B goes
+    // offline and C comes online. Then we want a pull on C with A and B as hosts to work.
+    let min_required_successful = (http_hosts.len() - 1).max(1);
+    if statuses.len() < min_required_successful {
+        bail!(
+            "only got {} successful status responses. required: {min_required_successful}",
+            statuses.len()
+        )
     }
 
     // Find the most advanced safekeeper
@@ -536,6 +556,6 @@ async fn pull_timeline(
         .await?;
 
     Ok(PullTimelineResponse {
-        safekeeper_host: host,
+        safekeeper_host: Some(host),
     })
 }
diff --git a/safekeeper/src/receive_wal.rs b/safekeeper/src/receive_wal.rs
index 9975153f6c..eb8eee6ab8 100644
--- a/safekeeper/src/receive_wal.rs
+++ b/safekeeper/src/receive_wal.rs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ use crate::metrics::{
     WAL_RECEIVERS,
 };
 use crate::safekeeper::{AcceptorProposerMessage, ProposerAcceptorMessage};
-use crate::timeline::WalResidentTimeline;
+use crate::timeline::{TimelineError, WalResidentTimeline};
 
 const DEFAULT_FEEDBACK_CAPACITY: usize = 8;
 
@@ -357,9 +357,14 @@ impl<IO: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin> NetworkReader<'_, IO> {
                         .await
                         .context("create timeline")?
                 } else {
-                    self.global_timelines
-                        .get(self.ttid)
-                        .context("get timeline")?
+                    let timeline_res = self.global_timelines.get(self.ttid);
+                    match timeline_res {
+                        Ok(tl) => tl,
+                        Err(TimelineError::NotFound(_)) => {
+                            return Err(CopyStreamHandlerEnd::TimelineNoCreate);
+                        }
+                        other => other.context("get_timeline")?,
+                    }
                 };
                 tli.wal_residence_guard().await?
             }
diff --git a/storage_controller/src/service/safekeeper_reconciler.rs b/storage_controller/src/service/safekeeper_reconciler.rs
index 74308cabff..71c73a0112 100644
--- a/storage_controller/src/service/safekeeper_reconciler.rs
+++ b/storage_controller/src/service/safekeeper_reconciler.rs
@@ -306,10 +306,11 @@ impl SafekeeperReconcilerInner {
                     req,
                     async |client| client.pull_timeline(&pull_req).await,
                     |resp| {
-                        tracing::info!(
-                            "pulled timeline from {} onto {req_host}",
-                            resp.safekeeper_host,
-                        );
+                        if let Some(host) = resp.safekeeper_host {
+                            tracing::info!("pulled timeline from {host} onto {req_host}");
+                        } else {
+                            tracing::info!("timeline already present on safekeeper on {req_host}");
+                        }
                     },
                     req_cancel,
                 )