diff --git a/libs/pageserver_api/src/key.rs b/libs/pageserver_api/src/key.rs
index 373329c9b464..f0cd713c38b6 100644
--- a/libs/pageserver_api/src/key.rs
+++ b/libs/pageserver_api/src/key.rs
@@ -565,6 +565,10 @@ impl Key {
             && self.field5 == 0
             && self.field6 == u32::MAX
     }
+
+    pub fn is_slru_dir_key(&self) -> bool {
+        slru_dir_kind(self).is_some()
+    }
 }
 
 #[inline(always)]
diff --git a/libs/pageserver_api/src/shard.rs b/libs/pageserver_api/src/shard.rs
index cf0cd3a46b88..4cc0a739e871 100644
--- a/libs/pageserver_api/src/shard.rs
+++ b/libs/pageserver_api/src/shard.rs
@@ -173,7 +173,11 @@ impl ShardIdentity {
 
     /// Return true if the key should be stored on all shards, not just one.
     pub fn is_key_global(&self, key: &Key) -> bool {
-        if key.is_slru_block_key() || key.is_slru_segment_size_key() || key.is_aux_file_key() {
+        if key.is_slru_block_key()
+            || key.is_slru_segment_size_key()
+            || key.is_aux_file_key()
+            || key.is_slru_dir_key()
+        {
             // Special keys that are only stored on shard 0
             false
         } else if key.is_rel_block_key() {
diff --git a/pageserver/src/pgdatadir_mapping.rs b/pageserver/src/pgdatadir_mapping.rs
index 255bd01e259e..3eaecd3a08f5 100644
--- a/pageserver/src/pgdatadir_mapping.rs
+++ b/pageserver/src/pgdatadir_mapping.rs
@@ -1319,18 +1319,23 @@ impl<'a> DatadirModification<'a> {
 
         let buf: Bytes = SlruSegmentDirectory::ser(&SlruSegmentDirectory::default())?.into();
         let empty_dir = Value::Image(buf);
-        self.put(slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::Clog), empty_dir.clone());
-        self.pending_directory_entries
-            .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::Clog), 0));
-        self.put(
-            slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::MultiXactMembers),
-            empty_dir.clone(),
-        );
-        self.pending_directory_entries
-            .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::Clog), 0));
-        self.put(slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::MultiXactOffsets), empty_dir);
-        self.pending_directory_entries
-            .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::MultiXactOffsets), 0));
+
+        // Initialize SLRUs on shard 0 only: creating these on other shards would be
+        // harmless but they'd just be dropped on later compaction.
+        if self.tline.tenant_shard_id.is_shard_zero() {
+            self.put(slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::Clog), empty_dir.clone());
+            self.pending_directory_entries
+                .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::Clog), 0));
+            self.put(
+                slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::MultiXactMembers),
+                empty_dir.clone(),
+            );
+            self.pending_directory_entries
+                .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::Clog), 0));
+            self.put(slru_dir_to_key(SlruKind::MultiXactOffsets), empty_dir);
+            self.pending_directory_entries
+                .push((DirectoryKind::SlruSegment(SlruKind::MultiXactOffsets), 0));
+        }
 
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/test_runner/regress/test_clog_truncate.py b/test_runner/regress/test_clog_truncate.py
index 10027ce6891b..2ae38e6d8887 100644
--- a/test_runner/regress/test_clog_truncate.py
+++ b/test_runner/regress/test_clog_truncate.py
@@ -1,18 +1,19 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import os
-import time
 
 from fixtures.log_helper import log
-from fixtures.neon_fixtures import NeonEnv
-from fixtures.utils import query_scalar
+from fixtures.neon_fixtures import NeonEnvBuilder
+from fixtures.utils import query_scalar, wait_until
 
 
 #
 # Test compute node start after clog truncation
 #
-def test_clog_truncate(neon_simple_env: NeonEnv):
-    env = neon_simple_env
+def test_clog_truncate(neon_env_builder: NeonEnvBuilder):
+    # Use a multi-sharded tenant because WAL ingest logic is shard-dependent, and
+    # this test is one of the very few that exercises a CLogTruncate WAL record.
+    env = neon_env_builder.init_start(initial_tenant_shard_count=2)
 
     # set aggressive autovacuum to make sure that truncation will happen
     config = [
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ def test_clog_truncate(neon_simple_env: NeonEnv):
     endpoint.safe_psql("CREATE EXTENSION neon_test_utils")
 
     # Consume many xids to advance clog
+    log.info("Consuming xids...")
     with endpoint.cursor() as cur:
         cur.execute("select test_consume_xids(1000*1000*10);")
         log.info("xids consumed")
@@ -47,11 +49,17 @@ def test_clog_truncate(neon_simple_env: NeonEnv):
     pg_xact_0000_path = os.path.join(endpoint.pg_xact_dir_path(), "0000")
     log.info(f"pg_xact_0000_path = {pg_xact_0000_path}")
 
-    while os.path.isfile(pg_xact_0000_path):
-        log.info(f"file exists. wait for truncation: {pg_xact_0000_path=}")
-        time.sleep(5)
+    def assert_file_removed():
+        exists = os.path.isfile(pg_xact_0000_path)
+        if exists:
+            log.info(f"file exists. wait for truncation: {pg_xact_0000_path=}")
+        assert not exists
+
+    log.info("Waiting for truncation...")
+    wait_until(assert_file_removed)
 
     # checkpoint to advance latest lsn
+    log.info("Checkpointing...")
     with endpoint.cursor() as cur:
         cur.execute("CHECKPOINT;")
         lsn_after_truncation = query_scalar(cur, "select pg_current_wal_insert_lsn()")