diff --git a/src/backend/storage/smgr/md.c b/src/backend/storage/smgr/md.c
index dee29037b16..718c1cfc0f9 100644
--- a/src/backend/storage/smgr/md.c
+++ b/src/backend/storage/smgr/md.c
@@ -148,8 +148,7 @@ static void mdunlinkfork(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator, ForkNumber forknum,
 static MdfdVec *mdopenfork(SMgrRelation reln, ForkNumber forknum, int behavior);
 static void register_dirty_segment(SMgrRelation reln, ForkNumber forknum,
 								   MdfdVec *seg);
-static void register_unlink_segment(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator, ForkNumber forknum,
-									BlockNumber segno);
+static void register_unlink_tombstone(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator);
 static void register_forget_request(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator, ForkNumber forknum,
 									BlockNumber segno);
 static void _fdvec_resize(SMgrRelation reln,
@@ -421,7 +420,7 @@ mdunlinkfork(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator, ForkNumber forknum, bool isRedo)
 
 		/* Register request to unlink first segment later */
 		save_errno = errno;
-		register_unlink_segment(rlocator, forknum, 0 /* first seg */ );
+		register_unlink_tombstone(rlocator);
 		errno = save_errno;
 	}
 
@@ -1557,15 +1556,18 @@ register_dirty_segment(SMgrRelation reln, ForkNumber forknum, MdfdVec *seg)
 }
 
 /*
- * register_unlink_segment() -- Schedule a file to be deleted after next checkpoint
+ * register_unlink_tombstone() -- Schedule a tombstone file to be deleted
+ *
+ * A tombstone file is an empty first segment of a relation that has already
+ * been dropped (see mdunlink()).  This function schedules it to be deleted
+ * after the next checkpoint.
  */
 static void
-register_unlink_segment(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator, ForkNumber forknum,
-						BlockNumber segno)
+register_unlink_tombstone(RelFileLocatorBackend rlocator)
 {
 	FileTag		tag;
 
-	INIT_MD_FILETAG(tag, rlocator.locator, forknum, segno);
+	INIT_MD_FILETAG(tag, rlocator.locator, MAIN_FORKNUM, 0);
 
 	/* Should never be used with temp relations */
 	Assert(!RelFileLocatorBackendIsTemp(rlocator));
@@ -1958,6 +1960,9 @@ mdunlinkfiletag(const FileTag *ftag, char *path)
 {
 	RelPathStr	p;
 
+	/* We only unlink tombstone files through this mechanism */
+	Assert(ftag->forknum == MAIN_FORKNUM && ftag->segno == 0);
+
 	/* Compute the path. */
 	p = relpathperm(ftag->rlocator, MAIN_FORKNUM);
 	strlcpy(path, p.str, MAXPGPATH);