diff --git a/pageserver/src/walingest.rs b/pageserver/src/walingest.rs
index aaa79f7c27..1c08d49d8b 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/walingest.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/walingest.rs
@@ -218,11 +218,13 @@ struct RawXlogRecord {
 
 enum LogicalMessageRecord {
     Put(PutLogicalMessage),
+    #[cfg(feature = "testing")]
+    Failpoint,
 }
 
 struct PutLogicalMessage {
+    path: String,
     buf: Bytes,
-    prefix_size: usize,
 }
 
 enum StandbyRecord {
@@ -454,6 +456,16 @@ impl WalIngest {
                             self.ingest_logical_message_put(put, modification, ctx)
                                 .await?;
                         }
+                        #[cfg(feature = "testing")]
+                        LogicalMessageRecord::Failpoint => {
+                            // This is a convenient way to make the WAL ingestion pause at
+                            // particular point in the WAL. For more fine-grained control,
+                            // we could peek into the message and only pause if it contains
+                            // a particular string, for example, but this is enough for now.
+                            failpoint_support::sleep_millis_async!(
+                                "wal-ingest-logical-message-sleep"
+                            );
+                        }
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -2183,21 +2195,8 @@ impl WalIngest {
         modification: &mut DatadirModification<'_>,
         ctx: &RequestContext,
     ) -> Result<()> {
-        let PutLogicalMessage { buf, prefix_size } = put;
-
-        let prefix = std::str::from_utf8(&buf[0..prefix_size - 1])?;
-        let message = &buf[prefix_size..];
-        if prefix == "neon-test" {
-            // This is a convenient way to make the WAL ingestion pause at
-            // particular point in the WAL. For more fine-grained control,
-            // we could peek into the message and only pause if it contains
-            // a particular string, for example, but this is enough for now.
-            failpoint_support::sleep_millis_async!("wal-ingest-logical-message-sleep");
-        } else if let Some(path) = prefix.strip_prefix("neon-file:") {
-            modification.put_file(path, message, ctx).await?;
-        }
-
-        Ok(())
+        let PutLogicalMessage { path, buf } = put;
+        modification.put_file(path.as_str(), &buf, ctx).await
     }
 
     fn decode_logical_message_record(
@@ -2208,13 +2207,21 @@ impl WalIngest {
         let info = decoded.xl_info & pg_constants::XLR_RMGR_INFO_MASK;
         if info == pg_constants::XLOG_LOGICAL_MESSAGE {
             let xlrec = crate::walrecord::XlLogicalMessage::decode(buf);
-            let buf_size = xlrec.prefix_size + xlrec.message_size;
-            // TODO change decode function interface to take ownership of buf
-            let buf = Bytes::copy_from_slice(&buf[..buf_size]);
-            return Ok(Some(LogicalMessageRecord::Put(PutLogicalMessage {
-                buf,
-                prefix_size: xlrec.prefix_size,
-            })));
+            let prefix = std::str::from_utf8(&buf[0..xlrec.prefix_size - 1])?;
+
+            #[cfg(feature = "testing")]
+            if prefix == "neon-test" {
+                return Ok(Some(LogicalMessageRecord::Failpoint));
+            }
+
+            if let Some(path) = prefix.strip_prefix("neon-file:") {
+                let buf_size = xlrec.prefix_size + xlrec.message_size;
+                let buf = Bytes::copy_from_slice(&buf[xlrec.prefix_size..buf_size]);
+                return Ok(Some(LogicalMessageRecord::Put(PutLogicalMessage {
+                    path: path.to_string(),
+                    buf,
+                })));
+            }
         }
 
         Ok(None)