diff --git a/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3.go b/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3.go
index 021b541bd9..2e90b062ea 100644
--- a/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3.go
+++ b/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3.go
@@ -340,6 +340,12 @@ func (m *Manager) initialize(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Ready returns a channel that is closed once the background initialization
+// goroutine has successfully connected to the metadata storage.
+func (m *Manager) Ready() <-chan struct{} {
+	return m.ready
+}
+
 // waitForInit blocks until the background initialization goroutine has
 // successfully completed, or until ctx is cancelled.
 func (m *Manager) waitForInit(ctx context.Context) error {
diff --git a/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3_test.go b/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3_test.go
index 4620a69d26..fbb4563a49 100644
--- a/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3_test.go
+++ b/pkg/share/manager/jsoncs3/jsoncs3_test.go
@@ -1163,7 +1163,13 @@ var _ = Describe("CleanupStaleShares", func() {
 		m, err := jsoncs3.New(storage, nil, nil, 0, nil, 0)
 		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 
-		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), time.Millisecond)
+		// New initializes the metadata storage in the background. Wait for that
+		// to finish, otherwise the context below can expire while the manager is
+		// still initializing and CleanupStaleShares reports that instead of the
+		// migration timeout.
+		Eventually(m.Ready(), 10*time.Second).Should(BeClosed())
+
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 100*time.Millisecond)
 		defer cancel()
 
 		err = m.CleanupStaleShares(ctx)