diff --git a/src/v/cloud_storage/remote_segment.cc b/src/v/cloud_storage/remote_segment.cc
index 3b1fc7f844f15..bae4330fa02bc 100644
--- a/src/v/cloud_storage/remote_segment.cc
+++ b/src/v/cloud_storage/remote_segment.cc
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ remote_segment::offset_data_stream(
     ss::gate::holder g(_gate);
     co_await hydrate();
     offset_index::find_result pos;
+    std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override = std::nullopt;
     if (first_timestamp) {
         // Time queries are linear search from front of the segment.  The
         // dominant cost of a time query on a remote partition is promoting
@@ -290,6 +291,7 @@ remote_segment::offset_data_stream(
           .kaf_offset = _base_rp_offset - _base_offset_delta,
           .file_pos = 0,
         };
+        prefetch_override = 0;
     } else {
         pos = maybe_get_offsets(start).value_or(offset_index::find_result{
           .rp_offset = _base_rp_offset,
@@ -320,7 +322,8 @@ remote_segment::offset_data_stream(
           pos.kaf_offset,
           end,
           pos.file_pos,
-          std::move(options));
+          std::move(options),
+          prefetch_override);
         data_stream = ss::input_stream<char>{
           ss::data_source{std::move(chunk_ds)}};
     }
diff --git a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.cc b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.cc
index 1a1080196f7ee..8f41c093b8eb7 100644
--- a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.cc
+++ b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.cc
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ bool segment_chunks::downloads_in_progress() const {
     });
 }
 
-ss::future<ss::file>
-segment_chunks::do_hydrate_and_materialize(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start) {
+ss::future<ss::file> segment_chunks::do_hydrate_and_materialize(
+  chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start, std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override) {
     gate_guard g{_gate};
     vassert(_started, "chunk API is not started");
 
@@ -121,15 +121,15 @@ segment_chunks::do_hydrate_and_materialize(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start) {
         chunk_end = next->first - 1;
     }
 
-    co_await _segment.hydrate_chunk(segment_chunk_range{
-      _chunks,
-      config::shard_local_cfg().cloud_storage_chunk_prefetch,
-      chunk_start});
+    const auto prefetch = prefetch_override.value_or(
+      config::shard_local_cfg().cloud_storage_chunk_prefetch);
+    co_await _segment.hydrate_chunk(
+      segment_chunk_range{_chunks, prefetch, chunk_start});
     co_return co_await _segment.materialize_chunk(chunk_start);
 }
 
-ss::future<segment_chunk::handle_t>
-segment_chunks::hydrate_chunk(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start) {
+ss::future<segment_chunk::handle_t> segment_chunks::hydrate_chunk(
+  chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start, std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override) {
     gate_guard g{_gate};
     vassert(_started, "chunk API is not started");
 
@@ -161,7 +161,8 @@ segment_chunks::hydrate_chunk(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start) {
         // Keep retrying if materialization fails.
         bool done = false;
         while (!done) {
-            auto handle = co_await do_hydrate_and_materialize(chunk_start);
+            auto handle = co_await do_hydrate_and_materialize(
+              chunk_start, prefetch_override);
             if (handle) {
                 done = true;
                 chunk.handle = ss::make_lw_shared(std::move(handle));
@@ -433,6 +434,8 @@ segment_chunk_range::segment_chunk_range(
   size_t prefetch,
   chunk_start_offset_t start) {
     auto it = chunks.find(start);
+    vassert(
+      it != chunks.end(), "failed to find {} in chunk start offsets", start);
     auto n_it = std::next(it);
 
     // We need one chunk which will be downloaded for the current read, plus the
diff --git a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.h b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.h
index 311786813201e..5191ac21b4428 100644
--- a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.h
+++ b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_api.h
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ class segment_chunks {
     // hydration. The waiters are managed per chunk in `segment_chunk::waiters`.
     // The first reader to request hydration queues the download. The next
     // readers are added to wait list.
-    ss::future<segment_chunk::handle_t>
-    hydrate_chunk(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start);
+    ss::future<segment_chunk::handle_t> hydrate_chunk(
+      chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start,
+      std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override = std::nullopt);
 
     // For all chunks between first and last, increment the
     // required_by_readers_in_future value by one, and increment the
@@ -76,8 +77,9 @@ class segment_chunks {
     // Attempts to download chunk into cache and return the file handle for
     // segment_chunk. Should be retried if there is a failure due to cache
     // eviction between download and opening the file handle.
-    ss::future<ss::file>
-    do_hydrate_and_materialize(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start);
+    ss::future<ss::file> do_hydrate_and_materialize(
+      chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start,
+      std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override = std::nullopt);
 
     // Periodically closes chunk file handles for the space to be reclaimable by
     // cache eviction. The chunks are evicted when they are no longer opened for
diff --git a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.cc b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.cc
index 8008b29a7951f..75b4cf7eb4fa7 100644
--- a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.cc
+++ b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.cc
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ chunk_data_source_impl::chunk_data_source_impl(
   kafka::offset start,
   kafka::offset end,
   int64_t begin_stream_at,
-  ss::file_input_stream_options stream_options)
+  ss::file_input_stream_options stream_options,
+  std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override)
   : _chunks(chunks)
   , _segment(segment)
   , _first_chunk_start(_segment.get_chunk_start_for_kafka_offset(start))
@@ -31,7 +32,8 @@ chunk_data_source_impl::chunk_data_source_impl(
   , _current_chunk_start(_first_chunk_start)
   , _stream_options(std::move(stream_options))
   , _rtc{_as}
-  , _ctxlog{cst_log, _rtc, _segment.get_segment_path()().native()} {
+  , _ctxlog{cst_log, _rtc, _segment.get_segment_path()().native()}
+  , _prefetch_override{prefetch_override} {
     vlog(
       _ctxlog.trace,
       "chunk data source initialized with file position {} to {}",
@@ -73,7 +75,8 @@ ss::future<ss::temporary_buffer<char>> chunk_data_source_impl::get() {
 ss::future<>
 chunk_data_source_impl::load_chunk_handle(chunk_start_offset_t chunk_start) {
     try {
-        _current_data_file = co_await _chunks.hydrate_chunk(chunk_start);
+        _current_data_file = co_await _chunks.hydrate_chunk(
+          chunk_start, _prefetch_override);
     } catch (const ss::abort_requested_exception& ex) {
         throw;
     } catch (const ss::gate_closed_exception& ex) {
diff --git a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.h b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.h
index bb77a2592e157..fbe0e25347726 100644
--- a/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.h
+++ b/src/v/cloud_storage/segment_chunk_data_source.h
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ class chunk_data_source_impl final : public ss::data_source_impl {
       kafka::offset start,
       kafka::offset end,
       int64_t begin_stream_at,
-      ss::file_input_stream_options stream_options);
+      ss::file_input_stream_options stream_options,
+      std::optional<uint16_t> prefetch_override = std::nullopt);
 
     chunk_data_source_impl(const chunk_data_source_impl&) = delete;
     chunk_data_source_impl& operator=(const chunk_data_source_impl&) = delete;
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ class chunk_data_source_impl final : public ss::data_source_impl {
     ss::abort_source _as;
     retry_chain_node _rtc;
     retry_chain_logger _ctxlog;
+    std::optional<uint16_t> _prefetch_override;
 };
 
 } // namespace cloud_storage