diff --git a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
index 0e12cc2b1e..08d3fcf8df 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/http/routes.rs
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ use super::models::{
     TimelineCreateRequest, TimelineGcRequest, TimelineInfo,
 };
 use crate::context::{DownloadBehavior, RequestContext};
-use crate::disk_usage_eviction_task;
 use crate::metrics::{StorageTimeOperation, STORAGE_TIME_GLOBAL};
 use crate::pgdatadir_mapping::LsnForTimestamp;
 use crate::task_mgr::TaskKind;
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@ use crate::tenant::size::ModelInputs;
 use crate::tenant::storage_layer::LayerAccessStatsReset;
 use crate::tenant::{LogicalSizeCalculationCause, PageReconstructError, Timeline};
 use crate::{config::PageServerConf, tenant::mgr};
+use crate::{disk_usage_eviction_task, tenant};
 use utils::{
     auth::JwtAuth,
     http::{
@@ -328,15 +328,17 @@ async fn timeline_create_handler(
             &ctx,
         )
         .await {
-            Ok(Some(new_timeline)) => {
+            Ok(new_timeline) => {
                 // Created. Construct a TimelineInfo for it.
                 let timeline_info = build_timeline_info_common(&new_timeline, &ctx)
                     .await
                     .map_err(ApiError::InternalServerError)?;
                 json_response(StatusCode::CREATED, timeline_info)
             }
-            Ok(None) => json_response(StatusCode::CONFLICT, ()), // timeline already exists
-            Err(err) => Err(ApiError::InternalServerError(err)),
+            Err(tenant::CreateTimelineError::AlreadyExists) => {
+                json_response(StatusCode::CONFLICT, ())
+            }
+            Err(tenant::CreateTimelineError::Other(err)) => Err(ApiError::InternalServerError(err)),
         }
     }
     .instrument(info_span!("timeline_create", tenant = %tenant_id, timeline_id = %new_timeline_id, lsn=?request_data.ancestor_start_lsn, pg_version=?request_data.pg_version))
diff --git a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
index 47e9b5b4ec..339291149f 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/tenant.rs
@@ -501,6 +501,14 @@ impl DeletionGuard {
     }
 }
 
+#[derive(thiserror::Error, Debug)]
+pub enum CreateTimelineError {
+    #[error("a timeline with the given ID already exists")]
+    AlreadyExists,
+    #[error(transparent)]
+    Other(#[from] anyhow::Error),
+}
+
 impl Tenant {
     /// Yet another helper for timeline initialization.
     /// Contains the common part of `load_local_timeline` and `load_remote_timeline`.
@@ -1375,8 +1383,7 @@ impl Tenant {
     /// Returns the new timeline ID and reference to its Timeline object.
     ///
     /// If the caller specified the timeline ID to use (`new_timeline_id`), and timeline with
-    /// the same timeline ID already exists, returns None. If `new_timeline_id` is not given,
-    /// a new unique ID is generated.
+    /// the same timeline ID already exists, returns CreateTimelineError::AlreadyExists.
     pub async fn create_timeline(
         &self,
         new_timeline_id: TimelineId,
@@ -1385,11 +1392,12 @@ impl Tenant {
         pg_version: u32,
         broker_client: storage_broker::BrokerClientChannel,
         ctx: &RequestContext,
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Option<Arc<Timeline>>> {
-        anyhow::ensure!(
-            self.is_active(),
-            "Cannot create timelines on inactive tenant"
-        );
+    ) -> Result<Arc<Timeline>, CreateTimelineError> {
+        if !self.is_active() {
+            return Err(CreateTimelineError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                "Cannot create timelines on inactive tenant"
+            )));
+        }
 
         if let Ok(existing) = self.get_timeline(new_timeline_id, false) {
             debug!("timeline {new_timeline_id} already exists");
@@ -1409,7 +1417,7 @@ impl Tenant {
                     .context("wait for timeline uploads to complete")?;
             }
 
-            return Ok(None);
+            return Err(CreateTimelineError::AlreadyExists);
         }
 
         let loaded_timeline = match ancestor_timeline_id {
@@ -1424,12 +1432,12 @@ impl Tenant {
                     let ancestor_ancestor_lsn = ancestor_timeline.get_ancestor_lsn();
                     if ancestor_ancestor_lsn > *lsn {
                         // can we safely just branch from the ancestor instead?
-                        bail!(
+                        return Err(CreateTimelineError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!(
                             "invalid start lsn {} for ancestor timeline {}: less than timeline ancestor lsn {}",
                             lsn,
                             ancestor_timeline_id,
                             ancestor_ancestor_lsn,
-                        );
+                        )));
                     }
 
                     // Wait for the WAL to arrive and be processed on the parent branch up
@@ -1463,7 +1471,7 @@ impl Tenant {
             })?;
         }
 
-        Ok(Some(loaded_timeline))
+        Ok(loaded_timeline)
     }
 
     /// perform one garbage collection iteration, removing old data files from disk.