diff --git a/storage_controller/src/reconciler.rs b/storage_controller/src/reconciler.rs
index fe97f724c132..886ceae90fbf 100644
--- a/storage_controller/src/reconciler.rs
+++ b/storage_controller/src/reconciler.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use crate::pageserver_client::PageserverClient;
 use crate::persistence::Persistence;
 use crate::service;
+use pageserver_api::controller_api::PlacementPolicy;
 use pageserver_api::models::{
     LocationConfig, LocationConfigMode, LocationConfigSecondary, TenantConfig,
 };
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ pub(super) struct Reconciler {
     /// of a tenant's state from when we spawned a reconcile task.
     pub(super) tenant_shard_id: TenantShardId,
     pub(crate) shard: ShardIdentity,
+    pub(crate) placement_policy: PlacementPolicy,
     pub(crate) generation: Option<Generation>,
     pub(crate) intent: TargetState,
 
@@ -641,7 +643,7 @@ impl Reconciler {
                 generation,
                 &self.shard,
                 &self.config,
-                !self.intent.secondary.is_empty(),
+                &self.placement_policy,
             );
             match self.observed.locations.get(&node.get_id()) {
                 Some(conf) if conf.conf.as_ref() == Some(&wanted_conf) => {
@@ -801,8 +803,15 @@ pub(crate) fn attached_location_conf(
     generation: Generation,
     shard: &ShardIdentity,
     config: &TenantConfig,
-    has_secondaries: bool,
+    policy: &PlacementPolicy,
 ) -> LocationConfig {
+    let has_secondaries = match policy {
+        PlacementPolicy::Attached(0) | PlacementPolicy::Detached | PlacementPolicy::Secondary => {
+            false
+        }
+        PlacementPolicy::Attached(_) => true,
+    };
+
     LocationConfig {
         mode: LocationConfigMode::AttachedSingle,
         generation: generation.into(),
diff --git a/storage_controller/src/service.rs b/storage_controller/src/service.rs
index bcc40c69a25d..3965d7453d49 100644
--- a/storage_controller/src/service.rs
+++ b/storage_controller/src/service.rs
@@ -1390,7 +1390,7 @@ impl Service {
                             tenant_shard.generation.unwrap(),
                             &tenant_shard.shard,
                             &tenant_shard.config,
-                            false,
+                            &PlacementPolicy::Attached(0),
                         )),
                     },
                 )]);
@@ -3321,7 +3321,7 @@ impl Service {
                                 generation,
                                 &child_shard,
                                 &config,
-                                matches!(policy, PlacementPolicy::Attached(n) if n > 0),
+                                &policy,
                             )),
                         },
                     );
diff --git a/storage_controller/src/tenant_shard.rs b/storage_controller/src/tenant_shard.rs
index 45295bc59be8..3fcf31ac1028 100644
--- a/storage_controller/src/tenant_shard.rs
+++ b/storage_controller/src/tenant_shard.rs
@@ -908,12 +908,8 @@ impl TenantShard {
                 .generation
                 .expect("Attempted to enter attached state without a generation");
 
-            let wanted_conf = attached_location_conf(
-                generation,
-                &self.shard,
-                &self.config,
-                !self.intent.secondary.is_empty(),
-            );
+            let wanted_conf =
+                attached_location_conf(generation, &self.shard, &self.config, &self.policy);
             match self.observed.locations.get(&node_id) {
                 Some(conf) if conf.conf.as_ref() == Some(&wanted_conf) => {}
                 Some(_) | None => {
@@ -1099,6 +1095,7 @@ impl TenantShard {
         let mut reconciler = Reconciler {
             tenant_shard_id: self.tenant_shard_id,
             shard: self.shard,
+            placement_policy: self.policy.clone(),
             generation: self.generation,
             intent: reconciler_intent,
             detach,
diff --git a/test_runner/regress/test_sharding.py b/test_runner/regress/test_sharding.py
index 62a9f422ee4d..8267d3f36c0b 100644
--- a/test_runner/regress/test_sharding.py
+++ b/test_runner/regress/test_sharding.py
@@ -542,6 +542,13 @@ def check_effective_tenant_config():
             for k, v in non_default_tenant_config.items():
                 assert config.effective_config[k] == v
 
+            # Check that heatmap uploads remain enabled after shard split
+            # (https://github.com/neondatabase/neon/issues/8189)
+            assert (
+                config.effective_config["heatmap_period"]
+                and config.effective_config["heatmap_period"] != "0s"
+            )
+
     # Validate pageserver state: expect every child shard to have an attached and secondary location
     (total, attached) = get_node_shard_counts(env, tenant_ids=[tenant_id])
     assert sum(attached.values()) == split_shard_count