diff --git a/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.cc b/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.cc
index f1fd131c10e..50b4d9e4132 100644
--- a/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.cc
+++ b/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.cc
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #include "rgw_common.h"
 #include "rgw_reshard.h"
 #include "rgw_lc.h"
+#include "rgw_bucket_layout.h"
 
 // stolen from src/cls/version/cls_version.cc
 #define VERSION_ATTR "ceph.objclass.version"
@@ -2530,14 +2531,31 @@ int RGWBucketInstanceMetadataHandler::do_put(RGWSI_MetaBackend_Handler::Op *op,
   return do_put_operate(&put_op);
 }
 
-void init_default_bucket_layout(CephContext *cct, RGWBucketInfo& info, const RGWZone& zone) {
-  info.layout.current_index.gen = 0;
-  info.layout.current_index.layout.normal.hash_type = rgw::BucketHashType::Mod;
-  info.layout.current_index.layout.type = rgw::BucketIndexType::Normal;
+void init_default_bucket_layout(CephContext *cct, rgw::BucketLayout& layout,
+				const RGWZone& zone,
+				std::optional<uint32_t> shards,
+				std::optional<rgw::BucketIndexType> type) {
+  layout.current_index.gen = 0;
+  layout.current_index.layout.normal.hash_type = rgw::BucketHashType::Mod;
 
-  info.layout.current_index.layout.normal.num_shards = (
-      cct->_conf->rgw_override_bucket_index_max_shards > 0 ?
-      cct->_conf->rgw_override_bucket_index_max_shards : zone.bucket_index_max_shards);
+  layout.current_index.layout.type =
+    type.value_or(rgw::BucketIndexType::Normal);
+
+  if (shards) {
+    layout.current_index.layout.normal.num_shards = *shards;
+  } else if (cct->_conf->rgw_override_bucket_index_max_shards > 0) {
+    layout.current_index.layout.normal.num_shards =
+      cct->_conf->rgw_override_bucket_index_max_shards;
+  } else {
+    layout.current_index.layout.normal.num_shards =
+      zone.bucket_index_max_shards;
+  }
+
+  if (layout.current_index.layout.type == rgw::BucketIndexType::Normal) {
+    layout.logs.push_back(log_layout_from_index(
+			    layout.current_index.gen,
+			    layout.current_index.layout.normal));
+  }
 }
 
 int RGWMetadataHandlerPut_BucketInstance::put_check()
@@ -2550,12 +2568,17 @@ int RGWMetadataHandlerPut_BucketInstance::put_check()
 
   RGWBucketCompleteInfo *old_bci = (orig_obj ? &orig_obj->get_bci() : nullptr);
 
-  bool exists = (!!orig_obj);
+  const bool exists = (!!orig_obj);
 
   if (from_remote_zone) {
     // don't sync bucket layout changes
     if (!exists) {
-      init_default_bucket_layout(cct, bci.info, bihandler->svc.zone->get_zone());
+      auto& bci_index = bci.info.layout.current_index.layout;
+      auto index_type = bci_index.type;
+      auto num_shards = bci_index.normal.num_shards;
+      init_default_bucket_layout(cct, bci.info.layout,
+				 bihandler->svc.zone->get_zone(),
+				 num_shards, index_type);
     } else {
       bci.info.layout = old_bci->info.layout;
     }
diff --git a/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.h b/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.h
index ef70037ef5b..81d076bce5d 100644
--- a/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.h
+++ b/src/rgw/rgw_bucket.h
@@ -57,7 +57,10 @@ extern void rgw_parse_url_bucket(const string& bucket,
 // conforms to the type declaration of RGWRados::check_filter_t.
 extern bool rgw_bucket_object_check_filter(const string& oid);
 
-extern void init_default_bucket_layout(CephContext *cct, RGWBucketInfo& info, const RGWZone& zone);
+void init_default_bucket_layout(CephContext *cct, rgw::BucketLayout& layout,
+				const RGWZone& zone,
+				std::optional<uint32_t> shards,
+				std::optional<rgw::BucketIndexType> type);
 
 struct RGWBucketCompleteInfo {
   RGWBucketInfo info;
diff --git a/src/rgw/rgw_rados.cc b/src/rgw/rgw_rados.cc
index 1ab15e874a9..5a455340d23 100644
--- a/src/rgw/rgw_rados.cc
+++ b/src/rgw/rgw_rados.cc
@@ -2238,19 +2238,12 @@ int RGWRados::create_bucket(const RGWUserInfo& owner, rgw_bucket& bucket,
     info.placement_rule = selected_placement_rule;
     info.swift_ver_location = swift_ver_location;
     info.swift_versioning = (!swift_ver_location.empty());
-    init_default_bucket_layout(cct, info, svc.zone->get_zone());
-    if (pmaster_num_shards) {
-      // TODO: remove this once sync doesn't require the same shard count
-      info.layout.current_index.layout.normal.num_shards = *pmaster_num_shards;
-    }
-    info.layout.current_index.layout.normal.hash_type = rgw::BucketHashType::Mod;
-    info.layout.current_index.layout.type = rule_info.index_type;
-    if (info.layout.current_index.layout.type == rgw::BucketIndexType::Normal) {
-      // use the same index layout for the bilog
-      const auto gen = info.layout.current_index.gen;
-      const auto& index = info.layout.current_index.layout.normal;
-      info.layout.logs.push_back(rgw::log_layout_from_index(gen, index));
-    }
+
+    init_default_bucket_layout(cct, info.layout, svc.zone->get_zone(),
+			       pmaster_num_shards ?
+			       std::optional{*pmaster_num_shards} :
+			       std::nullopt,
+			       rule_info.index_type);
 
     info.requester_pays = false;
     if (real_clock::is_zero(creation_time)) {