diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/connection_context.cc b/src/v/kafka/server/connection_context.cc
index c31b2b37b7fea..444ba2d1a8e42 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/connection_context.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/connection_context.cc
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ connection_context::reserve_request_units(api_key key, size_t size) {
     // case the request is likely for an API we don't support or malformed, so
     // it is likely to fail shortly anyway).
     auto handler = handler_for_key(key);
-    auto mem_estimate = handler ? (*handler)->memory_estimate(size)
+    auto mem_estimate = handler ? (*handler)->memory_estimate(size, *this)
                                 : default_memory_estimate(size);
     if (unlikely(mem_estimate >= (size_t)std::numeric_limits<int32_t>::max())) {
         // TODO: Create error response using the specific API?
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/fwd.h b/src/v/kafka/server/fwd.h
index 4aa0a30909ec1..e034d9f650847 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/fwd.h
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/fwd.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 namespace kafka {
 
 // sorted
+class connection_context;
 class coordinator_ntp_mapper;
 class fetch_session_cache;
 class group_manager;
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.cc b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.cc
index d245ceb988f4f..280f6602fa655 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.cc
@@ -71,8 +71,9 @@ struct any_handler_base final : public any_handler_t {
     api_key key() const override { return _info._key; }
     const char* name() const override { return _info._name; }
 
-    size_t memory_estimate(size_t request_size) const override {
-        return _info._mem_estimate(request_size);
+    size_t memory_estimate(
+      size_t request_size, connection_context& conn_ctx) const override {
+        return _info._mem_estimate(request_size, conn_ctx);
     }
     /**
      * Only handle varies with one or two pass, since one pass handlers
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.h b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.h
index 1b2e2fac06778..7da4bf7666061 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.h
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/details/any_handler.h
@@ -55,15 +55,14 @@ struct any_handler_t {
      * out-of-memory condition, while a too-large estimate will "merely" reduce
      * performance.
      *
-     * Handers may also return an initial, small estimate here covering the
-     * first part of processing, then dynamically increase their memory
-     * allocation later on during processing when the full memory size is known.
-     *
      * Unfortunately, this estimate happens early in the decoding process, after
      * only the request size and header has been read, so handlers don't have
-     * as much information as they may like to make this decision.
+     * as much information as they may like to make this decision. The
+     * connection_context for the associated connection is passed to give access
+     * to global state which may be useful in making the estimate.
      */
-    virtual size_t memory_estimate(size_t request_size) const = 0;
+    virtual size_t memory_estimate(
+      size_t request_size, connection_context& conn_ctx) const = 0;
 
     /**
      * @brief Handles the request.
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/handler.h b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/handler.h
index 263bc6fd9077a..129b91ba9aea2 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/handler.h
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/handler.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
  */
 #pragma once
 #include "kafka/protocol/types.h"
+#include "kafka/server/fwd.h"
 #include "kafka/server/request_context.h"
 #include "kafka/server/response.h"
 #include "kafka/types.h"
@@ -18,7 +19,12 @@
 
 namespace kafka {
 
-using memory_estimate_fn = size_t(size_t);
+using memory_estimate_fn = size_t(size_t, connection_context&);
+
+constexpr size_t
+default_estimate_adaptor(size_t request_size, connection_context&) {
+    return default_memory_estimate(request_size);
+}
 
 /**
  * Handlers are generally specializations of this template, via one of the
@@ -45,8 +51,9 @@ struct handler_template {
     /**
      * See any_handler_t::memory_estimate for a description of this function.
      */
-    static size_t memory_estimate(size_t request_size) {
-        return MemEstimator(request_size);
+    static size_t
+    memory_estimate(size_t request_size, connection_context& conn_ctx) {
+        return MemEstimator(request_size, conn_ctx);
     }
 };
 
@@ -58,7 +65,7 @@ template<
   typename RequestApi,
   api_version::type MinSupported,
   api_version::type MaxSupported,
-  memory_estimate_fn MemEstimator = default_memory_estimate>
+  memory_estimate_fn MemEstimator = default_estimate_adaptor>
 using handler = handler_template<
   RequestApi,
   MinSupported,
@@ -77,7 +84,7 @@ template<
   typename RequestApi,
   api_version::type MinSupported,
   api_version::type MaxSupported,
-  memory_estimate_fn MemEstimator = default_memory_estimate>
+  memory_estimate_fn MemEstimator = default_estimate_adaptor>
 using two_phase_handler = handler_template<
   RequestApi,
   MinSupported,
diff --git a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/metadata.cc b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/metadata.cc
index a372d5b6a4fec..7a6e674cc4987 100644
--- a/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/metadata.cc
+++ b/src/v/kafka/server/handlers/metadata.cc
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "config/configuration.h"
 #include "config/node_config.h"
 #include "kafka/server/errors.h"
+#include "kafka/server/fwd.h"
 #include "kafka/server/handlers/details/leader_epoch.h"
 #include "kafka/server/handlers/details/security.h"
 #include "kafka/server/handlers/topics/topic_utils.h"