diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f92da5ec51..8ac198c364 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -6781,6 +6781,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde_assert",
  "serde_json",
  "serde_path_to_error",
+ "serde_with",
  "signal-hook",
  "strum",
  "strum_macros",
diff --git a/libs/utils/Cargo.toml b/libs/utils/Cargo.toml
index 545317f958..a51dff7202 100644
--- a/libs/utils/Cargo.toml
+++ b/libs/utils/Cargo.toml
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ pin-project-lite.workspace = true
 regex.workspace = true
 routerify.workspace = true
 serde.workspace = true
+serde_with.workspace = true
 serde_json.workspace = true
 signal-hook.workspace = true
 thiserror.workspace = true
diff --git a/libs/utils/src/postgres_client.rs b/libs/utils/src/postgres_client.rs
index dba74f5b0b..3073bbde4c 100644
--- a/libs/utils/src/postgres_client.rs
+++ b/libs/utils/src/postgres_client.rs
@@ -7,29 +7,94 @@ use postgres_connection::{parse_host_port, PgConnectionConfig};
 
 use crate::id::TenantTimelineId;
 
+/// Postgres client protocol types
+#[derive(
+    Copy,
+    Clone,
+    PartialEq,
+    Eq,
+    strum_macros::EnumString,
+    strum_macros::Display,
+    serde_with::DeserializeFromStr,
+    serde_with::SerializeDisplay,
+    Debug,
+)]
+#[strum(serialize_all = "kebab-case")]
+#[repr(u8)]
+pub enum PostgresClientProtocol {
+    /// Usual Postgres replication protocol
+    Vanilla,
+    /// Custom shard-aware protocol that replicates interpreted records.
+    /// Used to send wal from safekeeper to pageserver.
+    Interpreted,
+}
+
+impl TryFrom<u8> for PostgresClientProtocol {
+    type Error = u8;
+
+    fn try_from(value: u8) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(match value {
+            v if v == (PostgresClientProtocol::Vanilla as u8) => PostgresClientProtocol::Vanilla,
+            v if v == (PostgresClientProtocol::Interpreted as u8) => {
+                PostgresClientProtocol::Interpreted
+            }
+            x => return Err(x),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct ConnectionConfigArgs<'a> {
+    pub protocol: PostgresClientProtocol,
+
+    pub ttid: TenantTimelineId,
+    pub shard_number: Option<u8>,
+    pub shard_count: Option<u8>,
+    pub shard_stripe_size: Option<u32>,
+
+    pub listen_pg_addr_str: &'a str,
+
+    pub auth_token: Option<&'a str>,
+    pub availability_zone: Option<&'a str>,
+}
+
+impl<'a> ConnectionConfigArgs<'a> {
+    fn options(&'a self) -> Vec<String> {
+        let mut options = vec![
+            "-c".to_owned(),
+            format!("timeline_id={}", self.ttid.timeline_id),
+            format!("tenant_id={}", self.ttid.tenant_id),
+            format!("protocol={}", self.protocol as u8),
+        ];
+
+        if self.shard_number.is_some() {
+            assert!(self.shard_count.is_some());
+            assert!(self.shard_stripe_size.is_some());
+
+            options.push(format!("shard_count={}", self.shard_count.unwrap()));
+            options.push(format!("shard_number={}", self.shard_number.unwrap()));
+            options.push(format!(
+                "shard_stripe_size={}",
+                self.shard_stripe_size.unwrap()
+            ));
+        }
+
+        options
+    }
+}
+
 /// Create client config for fetching WAL from safekeeper on particular timeline.
 /// listen_pg_addr_str is in form host:\[port\].
 pub fn wal_stream_connection_config(
-    TenantTimelineId {
-        tenant_id,
-        timeline_id,
-    }: TenantTimelineId,
-    listen_pg_addr_str: &str,
-    auth_token: Option<&str>,
-    availability_zone: Option<&str>,
+    args: ConnectionConfigArgs,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<PgConnectionConfig> {
     let (host, port) =
-        parse_host_port(listen_pg_addr_str).context("Unable to parse listen_pg_addr_str")?;
+        parse_host_port(args.listen_pg_addr_str).context("Unable to parse listen_pg_addr_str")?;
     let port = port.unwrap_or(5432);
     let mut connstr = PgConnectionConfig::new_host_port(host, port)
-        .extend_options([
-            "-c".to_owned(),
-            format!("timeline_id={}", timeline_id),
-            format!("tenant_id={}", tenant_id),
-        ])
-        .set_password(auth_token.map(|s| s.to_owned()));
+        .extend_options(args.options())
+        .set_password(args.auth_token.map(|s| s.to_owned()));
 
-    if let Some(availability_zone) = availability_zone {
+    if let Some(availability_zone) = args.availability_zone {
         connstr = connstr.extend_options([format!("availability_zone={}", availability_zone)]);
     }
 
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/walreceiver/connection_manager.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/walreceiver/connection_manager.rs
index de50f217d8..6fb0eeb8bc 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/walreceiver/connection_manager.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant/timeline/walreceiver/connection_manager.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ use postgres_connection::PgConnectionConfig;
 use utils::backoff::{
     exponential_backoff, DEFAULT_BASE_BACKOFF_SECONDS, DEFAULT_MAX_BACKOFF_SECONDS,
 };
-use utils::postgres_client::wal_stream_connection_config;
+use utils::postgres_client::{
+    wal_stream_connection_config, ConnectionConfigArgs, PostgresClientProtocol,
+};
 use utils::{
     id::{NodeId, TenantTimelineId},
     lsn::Lsn,
@@ -984,15 +986,19 @@ impl ConnectionManagerState {
                 if info.safekeeper_connstr.is_empty() {
                     return None; // no connection string, ignore sk
                 }
-                match wal_stream_connection_config(
-                    self.id,
-                    info.safekeeper_connstr.as_ref(),
-                    match &self.conf.auth_token {
-                        None => None,
-                        Some(x) => Some(x),
-                    },
-                    self.conf.availability_zone.as_deref(),
-                ) {
+
+                let connection_conf_args = ConnectionConfigArgs {
+                    protocol: PostgresClientProtocol::Vanilla,
+                    ttid: self.id,
+                    shard_number: None,
+                    shard_count: None,
+                    shard_stripe_size: None,
+                    listen_pg_addr_str: info.safekeeper_connstr.as_ref(),
+                    auth_token: self.conf.auth_token.as_ref().map(|t| t.as_str()),
+                    availability_zone: self.conf.availability_zone.as_deref()
+                };
+
+                match wal_stream_connection_config(connection_conf_args) {
                     Ok(connstr) => Some((*sk_id, info, connstr)),
                     Err(e) => {
                         error!("Failed to create wal receiver connection string from broker data of safekeeper node {}: {e:#}", sk_id);
diff --git a/safekeeper/src/recovery.rs b/safekeeper/src/recovery.rs
index 9c4149d8f1..7b87166aa0 100644
--- a/safekeeper/src/recovery.rs
+++ b/safekeeper/src/recovery.rs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ use tokio::{
 use tokio_postgres::replication::ReplicationStream;
 use tokio_postgres::types::PgLsn;
 use tracing::*;
+use utils::postgres_client::{ConnectionConfigArgs, PostgresClientProtocol};
 use utils::{id::NodeId, lsn::Lsn, postgres_client::wal_stream_connection_config};
 
 use crate::receive_wal::{WalAcceptor, REPLY_QUEUE_SIZE};
@@ -325,7 +326,17 @@ async fn recovery_stream(
     conf: &SafeKeeperConf,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
     // TODO: pass auth token
-    let cfg = wal_stream_connection_config(tli.ttid, &donor.pg_connstr, None, None)?;
+    let connection_conf_args = ConnectionConfigArgs {
+        protocol: PostgresClientProtocol::Vanilla,
+        ttid: tli.ttid,
+        shard_number: None,
+        shard_count: None,
+        shard_stripe_size: None,
+        listen_pg_addr_str: &donor.pg_connstr,
+        auth_token: None,
+        availability_zone: None,
+    };
+    let cfg = wal_stream_connection_config(connection_conf_args)?;
     let mut cfg = cfg.to_tokio_postgres_config();
     // It will make safekeeper give out not committed WAL (up to flush_lsn).
     cfg.application_name(&format!("safekeeper_{}", conf.my_id));