diff --git a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_replication_layer.erl b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_replication_layer.erl
index a9d904da1..ab72eb7f3 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_replication_layer.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_replication_layer.erl
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
-%% Copyright (c) 2023 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
+%% Copyright (c) 2023-2024 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 %%
 %% Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 %% you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ list_shards(DB) ->
 
 -spec open_db(emqx_ds:db(), builtin_db_opts()) -> ok | {error, _}.
 open_db(DB, CreateOpts) ->
+    ok = emqx_ds_sup:ensure_workers(),
     Opts = emqx_ds_replication_layer_meta:open_db(DB, CreateOpts),
     MyShards = emqx_ds_replication_layer_meta:my_shards(DB),
     lists:foreach(
diff --git a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_sup.erl b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_sup.erl
index 081557a46..819d7d874 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_sup.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_ds_sup.erl
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
-%% Copyright (c) 2022-2023 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
+%% Copyright (c) 2022-2024 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
 -module(emqx_ds_sup).
 
 -behaviour(supervisor).
 
 %% API:
--export([start_link/0]).
+-export([start_link/0, ensure_workers/0]).
 
 %% behaviour callbacks:
 -export([init/1]).
@@ -23,21 +23,41 @@
 
 -spec start_link() -> {ok, pid()}.
 start_link() ->
-    supervisor:start_link({local, ?SUP}, ?MODULE, []).
+    supervisor:start_link({local, ?SUP}, ?MODULE, top).
+
+-spec ensure_workers() -> ok.
+ensure_workers() ->
+    ChildSpec = #{
+        id => workers_sup,
+        restart => temporary,
+        type => supervisor,
+        start => {supervisor, start_link, [?MODULE, workers]}
+    },
+    case supervisor:start_child(?SUP, ChildSpec) of
+        {ok, _} ->
+            ok;
+        {error, already_present} ->
+            ok;
+        {error, {already_started, _}} ->
+            ok
+    end.
 
 %%================================================================================
 %% behaviour callbacks
 %%================================================================================
 
 -dialyzer({nowarn_function, init/1}).
-init([]) ->
+init(top) ->
+    SupFlags = #{
+        strategy => one_for_all,
+        intensity => 10,
+        period => 1
+    },
+    {ok, {SupFlags, []}};
+init(workers) ->
     %% TODO: technically, we don't need rocksDB for the alternative
     %% backends. But right now we have any:
-    Children =
-        case mria:rocksdb_backend_available() of
-            true -> [meta(), storage_layer_sup()];
-            false -> []
-        end,
+    Children = [meta(), storage_layer_sup()],
     SupFlags = #{
         strategy => one_for_all,
         intensity => 0,
diff --git a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_durable_storage.app.src b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_durable_storage.app.src
index fd2c56293..f6f757cfd 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_durable_storage.app.src
+++ b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/src/emqx_durable_storage.app.src
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 {application, emqx_durable_storage, [
     {description, "Message persistence and subscription replays for EMQX"},
     % strict semver, bump manually!
-    {vsn, "0.1.9"},
+    {vsn, "0.1.10"},
     {modules, []},
     {registered, []},
     {applications, [kernel, stdlib, rocksdb, gproc, mria, emqx_utils]},
diff --git a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/test/emqx_ds_storage_bitfield_lts_SUITE.erl b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/test/emqx_ds_storage_bitfield_lts_SUITE.erl
index 7b733406d..22fad903e 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_durable_storage/test/emqx_ds_storage_bitfield_lts_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_durable_storage/test/emqx_ds_storage_bitfield_lts_SUITE.erl
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
-%% Copyright (c) 2022-2023 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
+%% Copyright (c) 2022-2024 EMQ Technologies Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 %%--------------------------------------------------------------------
 -module(emqx_ds_storage_bitfield_lts_SUITE).
 
@@ -378,6 +378,7 @@ suite() -> [{timetrap, {seconds, 20}}].
 
 init_per_suite(Config) ->
     {ok, _} = application:ensure_all_started(emqx_durable_storage),
+    emqx_ds_sup:ensure_workers(),
     Config.
 
 end_per_suite(_Config) ->