diff --git a/pkg/server/server.go b/pkg/server/server.go
index b2eadf8349e9..3646a00a6dbd 100644
--- a/pkg/server/server.go
+++ b/pkg/server/server.go
@@ -743,6 +743,9 @@ func NewServer(cfg Config, stopper *stop.Stopper) (*Server, error) {
 
 	lateBoundServer := &Server{}
 
+	// The following initialization is mirrored in NewTenantServer().
+	// Please keep them in sync.
+
 	// Instantiate the API privilege checker.
 	//
 	// TODO(tbg): give adminServer only what it needs (and avoid circular deps).
diff --git a/pkg/server/tenant.go b/pkg/server/tenant.go
index 718163d74d64..cb08cddeee27 100644
--- a/pkg/server/tenant.go
+++ b/pkg/server/tenant.go
@@ -154,64 +154,111 @@ func NewTenantServer(
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	// The following initialization mirrors that of NewServer().
+	// Please keep them in sync.
+	// Instantiate the API privilege checker.
+	//
+	// TODO(tbg): give adminServer only what it needs (and avoid circular deps).
+	adminAuthzCheck := &adminPrivilegeChecker{
+		ie:          args.circularInternalExecutor,
+		st:          args.Settings,
+		makePlanner: nil,
+	}
+
+	// Instantiate the admin API server.
+	sAdmin := newTenantAdminServer(baseCfg.AmbientCtx)
+
+	// Instantiate the HTTP server.
+	// These callbacks help us avoid a dependency on gossip in httpServer.
+	parseNodeIDFn := func(s string) (roachpb.NodeID, bool, error) {
+		return roachpb.NodeID(0), false, errors.New("tenants cannot proxy to KV Nodes")
+	}
+	getNodeIDHTTPAddressFn := func(id roachpb.NodeID) (*util.UnresolvedAddr, error) {
+		return nil, errors.New("tenants cannot proxy to KV Nodes")
+	}
+	sHTTP := newHTTPServer(baseCfg, args.rpcContext, parseNodeIDFn, getNodeIDHTTPAddressFn)
+
+	// This is where we would be instantiating the SQL session registry
+	// in NewServer().
+	// This is currently performed in makeTenantSQLServerArgs().
+
+	// Instantiate the cache of closed SQL sessions.
 	closedSessionCache := sql.NewClosedSessionCache(
 		baseCfg.Settings, args.monitorAndMetrics.rootSQLMemoryMonitor, time.Now)
 	args.closedSessionCache = closedSessionCache
 
-	// Add the server tags to the startup context.
-	//
-	// We use args.BaseConfig here instead of baseCfg directly because
-	// makeTenantSQLArgs defines its own AmbientCtx instance and it's
-	// defined by-value.
-	ctx = args.BaseConfig.AmbientCtx.AnnotateCtx(ctx)
-
+	// Instantiate the status API server.
 	// The tenantStatusServer needs access to the sqlServer,
 	// but we also need the same object to set up the sqlServer.
 	// So construct the tenant status server with a nil sqlServer,
 	// and then assign it once an SQL server gets created. We are
 	// going to assume that the tenant status server won't require
-	// the SQL server object.
+	// the SQL server object until later.
 	sStatus := newTenantStatusServer(
-		baseCfg.AmbientCtx, nil,
-		args.sessionRegistry, args.closedSessionCache, args.flowScheduler, baseCfg.Settings, nil,
-		args.rpcContext, args.stopper,
+		baseCfg.AmbientCtx,
+		adminAuthzCheck,
+		args.sessionRegistry,
+		args.closedSessionCache,
+		args.flowScheduler,
+		baseCfg.Settings,
+		args.rpcContext,
+		args.stopper,
 	)
-
 	args.sqlStatusServer = sStatus
+	// Connect the admin server to the status service.
+	//
+	// TODO(knz): This would not be necessary if we could use the
+	// adminServer directly.
+	sAdmin.status = sStatus
+
+	// This is the location in NewServer() where we would be configuring
+	// the path to the special file that blocks background jobs.
+	// This should probably done here.
+	// See: https://github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/issues/90524
+
+	// This is the location in NewServer() where we would be creating
+	// the eventsServer. This is currently performed in
+	// makeTenantSQLServerArgs().
+
+	// Instantiate the SQL server proper.
 	sqlServer, err := newSQLServer(ctx, args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	adminAuthzCheck := &adminPrivilegeChecker{
-		ie: sqlServer.execCfg.InternalExecutor,
-		st: args.Settings,
-		makePlanner: func(opName string) (interface{}, func()) {
-			txn := args.db.NewTxn(ctx, "check-system-privilege")
-			return sql.NewInternalPlanner(
-				opName,
-				txn,
-				username.RootUserName(),
-				&sql.MemoryMetrics{},
-				sqlServer.execCfg,
-				sessiondatapb.SessionData{},
-			)
-		},
-	}
-	sStatus.privilegeChecker = adminAuthzCheck
-	sStatus.sqlServer = sqlServer
-
-	drainServer := newDrainServer(baseCfg, args.stopper, args.grpc, sqlServer)
 
-	sAdmin := newTenantAdminServer(baseCfg.AmbientCtx, sqlServer, sStatus, drainServer)
+	// Tell the authz server how to connect to SQL.
+	adminAuthzCheck.makePlanner = func(opName string) (interface{}, func()) {
+		// This is a hack to get around a Go package dependency cycle. See comment
+		// in sql/jobs/registry.go on planHookMaker.
+		txn := args.db.NewTxn(ctx, "check-system-privilege")
+		return sql.NewInternalPlanner(
+			opName,
+			txn,
+			username.RootUserName(),
+			&sql.MemoryMetrics{},
+			sqlServer.execCfg,
+			sessiondatapb.SessionData{},
+		)
+	}
 
+	// Create the authentication RPC server (login/logout).
 	sAuth := newAuthenticationServer(baseCfg.Config, sqlServer)
 
-	// Register and start gRPC service on pod. This is separate from the
-	// gRPC + Gateway services configured below.
+	// Connect the various servers to RPC.
 	for _, gw := range []grpcGatewayServer{sAdmin, sStatus, sAuth} {
-		gw.RegisterService(args.grpcServer)
+		gw.RegisterService(args.grpc.Server)
 	}
 
+	// Tell the status/admin servers how to access SQL structures.
+	//
+	// TODO(knz): If/when we want to support statement diagnostic requests
+	// in secondary tenants, this is where we would call setStmtDiagnosticsRequester(),
+	// like in NewServer().
+	sStatus.baseStatusServer.sqlServer = sqlServer
+	sAdmin.sqlServer = sqlServer
+
+	// Create the debug API server.
 	debugServer := debug.NewServer(
 		baseCfg.AmbientCtx,
 		args.Settings,
@@ -219,15 +266,15 @@ func NewTenantServer(
 		sqlServer.execCfg.SQLStatusServer,
 	)
 
-	parseNodeIDFn := func(s string) (roachpb.NodeID, bool, error) {
-		return roachpb.NodeID(0), false, errors.New("tenants cannot proxy to KV Nodes")
-	}
-	getNodeIDHTTPAddressFn := func(id roachpb.NodeID) (*util.UnresolvedAddr, error) {
-		return nil, errors.New("tenants cannot proxy to KV Nodes")
-	}
-	sHTTP := newHTTPServer(baseCfg, args.rpcContext, parseNodeIDFn, getNodeIDHTTPAddressFn)
+	// Create a drain server.
+	drainServer := newDrainServer(baseCfg, args.stopper, args.grpc, sqlServer)
+	// Connect the admin server to the drain service.
+	//
+	// TODO(knz): This would not be necessary if we could use the
+	// adminServer directly.
+	sAdmin.drain = drainServer
 
-	sw := &SQLServerWrapper{
+	return &SQLServerWrapper{
 		clock:      args.clock,
 		rpcContext: args.rpcContext,
 
@@ -254,8 +301,7 @@ func NewTenantServer(
 
 		externalStorageBuilder: args.externalStorageBuilder,
 		costController:         args.costController,
-	}
-	return sw, nil
+	}, nil
 }
 
 // PreStart starts the server on the specified port(s) and
@@ -574,6 +620,8 @@ func (s *SQLServerWrapper) PreStart(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 
 	nextLiveInstanceIDFn := makeNextLiveInstanceIDFn(s.sqlServer.sqlInstanceProvider, instanceID)
+
+	// Start the cost controller for this secondary tenant.
 	if err := s.costController.Start(
 		workersCtx, s.stopper, instanceID, s.sqlServer.sqlLivenessSessionID,
 		externalUsageFn, nextLiveInstanceIDFn,
diff --git a/pkg/server/tenant_admin.go b/pkg/server/tenant_admin.go
index bce375ecbfee..b9d44b769df5 100644
--- a/pkg/server/tenant_admin.go
+++ b/pkg/server/tenant_admin.go
@@ -59,17 +59,9 @@ func (t *tenantAdminServer) RegisterGateway(
 
 var _ grpcGatewayServer = &tenantAdminServer{}
 
-func newTenantAdminServer(
-	ambientCtx log.AmbientContext,
-	sqlServer *SQLServer,
-	status *tenantStatusServer,
-	drain *drainServer,
-) *tenantAdminServer {
+func newTenantAdminServer(ambientCtx log.AmbientContext) *tenantAdminServer {
 	return &tenantAdminServer{
 		AmbientContext: ambientCtx,
-		sqlServer:      sqlServer,
-		drain:          drain,
-		status:         status,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/server/tenant_status.go b/pkg/server/tenant_status.go
index 29c2fb10d176..9cb048425f7b 100644
--- a/pkg/server/tenant_status.go
+++ b/pkg/server/tenant_status.go
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@ func newTenantStatusServer(
 	closedSessionCache *sql.ClosedSessionCache,
 	flowScheduler *flowinfra.FlowScheduler,
 	st *cluster.Settings,
-	sqlServer *SQLServer,
 	rpcCtx *rpc.Context,
 	stopper *stop.Stopper,
 ) *tenantStatusServer {
@@ -100,7 +99,6 @@ func newTenantStatusServer(
 			closedSessionCache: closedSessionCache,
 			flowScheduler:      flowScheduler,
 			st:                 st,
-			sqlServer:          sqlServer,
 			rpcCtx:             rpcCtx,
 			stopper:            stopper,
 		},