diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
index d556f72335..0bd3ece2e3 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
@@ -4041,6 +4041,7 @@ mod tests {
     use crate::repository::{Key, Value};
     use crate::tenant::harness::*;
     use crate::tenant::timeline::CompactFlags;
+    use crate::walrecord::NeonWalRecord;
     use crate::DEFAULT_PG_VERSION;
     use bytes::{Bytes, BytesMut};
     use hex_literal::hex;
@@ -6705,8 +6706,8 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]
-    async fn test_simple_bottom_most_compaction() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-        let harness = TenantHarness::create("test_simple_bottom_most_compaction")?;
+    async fn test_simple_bottom_most_compaction_images() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let harness = TenantHarness::create("test_simple_bottom_most_compaction_images")?;
         let (tenant, ctx) = harness.load().await;
 
         fn get_key(id: u32) -> Key {
@@ -6861,4 +6862,79 @@ mod tests {
 
         Ok(())
     }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_neon_test_record() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let harness = TenantHarness::create("test_neon_test_record")?;
+        let (tenant, ctx) = harness.load().await;
+
+        fn get_key(id: u32) -> Key {
+            // using aux key here b/c they are guaranteed to be inside `collect_keyspace`.
+            let mut key = Key::from_hex("620000000033333333444444445500000000").unwrap();
+            key.field6 = id;
+            key
+        }
+
+        let delta1 = vec![
+            (
+                get_key(1),
+                Lsn(0x20),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_append(",0x20")),
+            ),
+            (
+                get_key(1),
+                Lsn(0x30),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_append(",0x30")),
+            ),
+            (get_key(2), Lsn(0x10), Value::Image("0x10".into())),
+            (
+                get_key(2),
+                Lsn(0x20),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_append(",0x20")),
+            ),
+            (
+                get_key(2),
+                Lsn(0x30),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_append(",0x30")),
+            ),
+            (get_key(3), Lsn(0x10), Value::Image("0x10".into())),
+            (
+                get_key(3),
+                Lsn(0x20),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_clear()),
+            ),
+            (get_key(4), Lsn(0x10), Value::Image("0x10".into())),
+            (
+                get_key(4),
+                Lsn(0x20),
+                Value::WalRecord(NeonWalRecord::wal_init()),
+            ),
+        ];
+        let image1 = vec![(get_key(1), "0x10".into())];
+
+        let tline = tenant
+            .create_test_timeline_with_layers(
+                TIMELINE_ID,
+                Lsn(0x10),
+                DEFAULT_PG_VERSION,
+                &ctx,
+                vec![delta1],              // delta layers
+                vec![(Lsn(0x10), image1)], // image layers
+                Lsn(0x50),
+            )
+            .await?;
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            tline.get(get_key(1), Lsn(0x50), &ctx).await?,
+            Bytes::from_static(b"0x10,0x20,0x30")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            tline.get(get_key(2), Lsn(0x50), &ctx).await?,
+            Bytes::from_static(b"0x10,0x20,0x30")
+        );
+        // assert_eq!(tline.get(get_key(3), Lsn(0x50), &ctx).await?, Bytes::new());
+        // assert_eq!(tline.get(get_key(4), Lsn(0x50), &ctx).await?, Bytes::new());
+
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }
diff --git a/pageserver/src/walrecord.rs b/pageserver/src/walrecord.rs
index 205f8dee4d..62a3a91b0b 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walrecord.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walrecord.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,19 @@ pub enum NeonWalRecord {
         file_path: String,
         content: Option<Bytes>,
     },
+
+    /// A testing record for unit testing purposes. It supports append data to an existing image, or clear it.
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    Test {
+        /// Append a string to the image.
+        append: String,
+        /// Clear the image before appending.
+        clear: bool,
+        /// Treat this record as an init record. `clear` should be set to true if this field is set
+        /// to true. This record does not need the history WALs to reconstruct. See [`NeonWalRecord::will_init`] and
+        /// its references in `timeline.rs`.
+        will_init: bool,
+    },
 }
 
 impl NeonWalRecord {
@@ -58,11 +71,39 @@ impl NeonWalRecord {
         // If you change this function, you'll also need to change ValueBytes::will_init
         match self {
             NeonWalRecord::Postgres { will_init, rec: _ } => *will_init,
-
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            NeonWalRecord::Test { will_init, .. } => *will_init,
             // None of the special neon record types currently initialize the page
             _ => false,
         }
     }
+
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub(crate) fn wal_append(s: impl AsRef<str>) -> Self {
+        Self::Test {
+            append: s.as_ref().to_string(),
+            clear: false,
+            will_init: false,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub(crate) fn wal_clear() -> Self {
+        Self::Test {
+            append: "".to_string(),
+            clear: true,
+            will_init: false,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub(crate) fn wal_init() -> Self {
+        Self::Test {
+            append: "".to_string(),
+            clear: true,
+            will_init: true,
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 /// DecodedBkpBlock represents per-page data contained in a WAL record.
diff --git a/pageserver/src/walredo/apply_neon.rs b/pageserver/src/walredo/apply_neon.rs
index 24e8d8b01c..facf01004c 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walredo/apply_neon.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walredo/apply_neon.rs
@@ -244,6 +244,20 @@ pub(crate) fn apply_in_neon(
             let mut writer = page.writer();
             dir.ser_into(&mut writer)?;
         }
+        #[cfg(test)]
+        NeonWalRecord::Test {
+            append,
+            clear,
+            will_init,
+        } => {
+            if *will_init {
+                assert!(*clear, "init record must be clear to ensure correctness");
+            }
+            if *clear {
+                page.clear();
+            }
+            page.put_slice(append.as_bytes());
+        }
     }
     Ok(())
 }