diff --git a/internal/base/internal.go b/internal/base/internal.go
index 7d7a12d2af..c168396bb0 100644
--- a/internal/base/internal.go
+++ b/internal/base/internal.go
@@ -247,6 +247,12 @@ func (t InternalKeyTrailer) Kind() InternalKeyKind {
 	return InternalKeyKind(t & 0xff)
 }
 
+// IsExclusiveSentinel returns true if the trailer is a sentinel for an
+// exclusive boundary.
+func (t InternalKeyTrailer) IsExclusiveSentinel() bool {
+	return t.SeqNum() == SeqNumMax
+}
+
 // InternalKey is a key used for the in-memory and on-disk partial DBs that
 // make up a pebble DB.
 //
diff --git a/internal/manifest/bench_test.go b/internal/manifest/bench_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f32b5ed945
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/manifest/bench_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Copyright 2025 The LevelDB-Go and Pebble Authors. All rights reserved. Use
+// of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be found in
+// the LICENSE file.
+
+package manifest_test
+
+import (
+	"math/rand/v2"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/pebble/cockroachkvs"
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/pebble/internal/base"
+	"github.com/cockroachdb/pebble/internal/manifest"
+)
+
+func BenchmarkLevelIteratorSeekGE(b *testing.B) {
+	const countTables = 10_000
+	fileAlloc := make([]manifest.TableMetadata, countTables)
+	files := make([]*manifest.TableMetadata, countTables)
+	rng := rand.New(rand.NewPCG(0, uint64(time.Now().UnixNano())))
+	keys, _ := cockroachkvs.RandomKVs(rng, 2*countTables, cockroachkvs.KeyGenConfig{
+		PrefixAlphabetLen:  26,
+		PrefixLenShared:    2,
+		RoachKeyLen:        16,
+		AvgKeysPerPrefix:   1,
+		BaseWallTime:       uint64(time.Now().UnixNano()),
+		PercentLogical:     0,
+		PercentEmptySuffix: 0,
+		PercentLockSuffix:  0,
+	}, 0)
+	for i := 0; i < countTables; i++ {
+		fileAlloc[i] = manifest.TableMetadata{
+			FileNum: base.FileNum(i),
+		}
+		fileAlloc[i].ExtendPointKeyBounds(cockroachkvs.Compare,
+			base.MakeInternalKey(keys[i*2], base.SeqNum(i), base.InternalKeyKindSet),
+			base.MakeInternalKey(keys[i*2+1], base.SeqNum(i), base.InternalKeyKindSet))
+		fileAlloc[i].InitPhysicalBacking()
+		files[i] = &fileAlloc[i]
+	}
+
+	lm := manifest.MakeLevelMetadata(cockroachkvs.Compare, 0, files)
+	iter := lm.Iter()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		_ = iter.SeekGE(cockroachkvs.Compare, keys[i%len(keys)])
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/manifest/btree.go b/internal/manifest/btree.go
index d6c452a7ea..8a630b17ad 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/btree.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/btree.go
@@ -1095,31 +1095,101 @@ func (i *iterator) ascend() {
 	i.pos = f.pos
 }
 
-// seek repositions the iterator over the first file for which fn returns
-// true, mirroring the semantics of the standard library's sort.Search
-// function.  Like sort.Search, seek requires the iterator's B-Tree to be
-// ordered such that fn returns false for some (possibly empty) prefix of the
-// tree's files, and then true for the (possibly empty) remainder.
-func (i *iterator) seek(fn func(*TableMetadata) bool) {
+// seekSeqNumL0 seeks an iterator over L0 files (ordered by sequence number) to
+// the provided table metadata if it exists.
+func (i *iterator) seekSeqNumL0(m *TableMetadata) {
 	i.reset()
 	if i.r == nil {
 		return
 	}
-
 	for {
 		// Logic copied from sort.Search.
+		//
+		// INVARIANT A: items[j-1].cmpSeqNum(m) < 0
+		// INVARIANT B: items[k].cmpSeqNum(m) >= 0
 		j, k := 0, int(i.n.count)
 		for j < k {
 			h := int(uint(j+k) >> 1) // avoid overflow when computing h
+			// j ≤ h < k
+			if i.n.items[h].cmpSeqNum(m) < 0 {
+				j = h + 1 // preserves INVARIANT A
+			} else {
+				k = h // preserves INVARIANT B
+			}
+		}
+		i.pos = int16(j)
+		if i.n.leaf {
+			if i.pos == i.n.count {
+				i.next()
+			}
+			return
+		}
+		i.descend(i.n, i.pos)
+	}
+}
 
+// seekLargest repositions the iterator over the first table whose largest key
+// is an upper bound for the given user key. seekLargest requires the iterator's
+// B-Tree to be ordered by user keys (i.e, L1+ or a single sublevel of L0).
+func (i *iterator) seekLargest(cmp base.Compare, userKey []byte) {
+	i.reset()
+	if i.r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	for {
+		// Logic copied from sort.Search.
+		//
+		// INVARIANT A: items[j-1].Largest().IsUpperBoundFor(cmp, userKey) == false
+		// INVARIANT B: items[k].Largest().IsUpperBoundFor(cmp, userKey) == true
+		j, k := 0, int(i.n.count)
+		for j < k {
+			h := int(uint(j+k) >> 1) // avoid overflow when computing h
 			// j ≤ h < k
-			if !fn(i.n.items[h]) {
-				j = h + 1 // preserves f(j-1) == false
+			ik := &i.n.items[h].PointKeyBounds
+			if i.n.items[h].boundTypeLargest == boundTypeRangeKey {
+				ik = i.n.items[h].RangeKeyBounds
+			}
+			c := cmp(userKey, ik.LargestUserKey())
+			if c > 0 || (c == 0 && ik.largestTrailer.IsExclusiveSentinel()) {
+				j = h + 1 // preserves INVARIANT A
 			} else {
-				k = h // preserves f(k) == true
+				k = h // preserves INVARIANT B
 			}
 		}
+		i.pos = int16(j)
+		if i.n.leaf {
+			if i.pos == i.n.count {
+				i.next()
+			}
+			return
+		}
+		i.descend(i.n, i.pos)
+	}
+}
 
+// seekSmallest repositions the iterator over the first table whose smallest key
+// is a lower bound for the given user key. seekSmallest requires the iterator's
+// B-Tree to be ordered by user keys (i.e, L1+ or a single sublevel of L0).
+func (i *iterator) seekSmallest(cmp base.Compare, userKey []byte) {
+	i.reset()
+	if i.r == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	for {
+		// Logic copied from sort.Search.
+		//
+		// INVARIANT A: items[j-1].Smallest().UserKey < userKey
+		// INVARIANT B: items[k].Smallest().UserKey >= 0
+		j, k := 0, int(i.n.count)
+		for j < k {
+			h := int(uint(j+k) >> 1) // avoid overflow when computing h
+			// j ≤ h < k
+			if cmp(i.n.items[h].Smallest().UserKey, userKey) < 0 {
+				j = h + 1 // preserves INVARIANT A
+			} else {
+				k = h // preserves INVARIANT B
+			}
+		}
 		i.pos = int16(j)
 		if i.n.leaf {
 			if i.pos == i.n.count {
diff --git a/internal/manifest/level_metadata.go b/internal/manifest/level_metadata.go
index 9947683373..6168a60dc8 100644
--- a/internal/manifest/level_metadata.go
+++ b/internal/manifest/level_metadata.go
@@ -146,9 +146,8 @@ func (lm *LevelMetadata) Find(cmp base.Compare, m *TableMetadata) LevelSlice {
 	if lm.level == 0 {
 		// We only need to look at the portion of files that are "equal" to m with
 		// respect to the L0 ordering.
-		f := iter.seek(func(f *TableMetadata) bool {
-			return f.cmpSeqNum(m) >= 0
-		})
+		iter.iter.seekSeqNumL0(m)
+		f := iter.constrainToIteratorBounds()
 		for ; f != nil && f.cmpSeqNum(m) == 0; f = iter.Next() {
 			if f == m {
 				return iter.Take().slice
@@ -157,7 +156,7 @@ func (lm *LevelMetadata) Find(cmp base.Compare, m *TableMetadata) LevelSlice {
 	} else {
 		// For levels other than L0, UserKeyBounds in the level are non-overlapping
 		// so we only need to check one file.
-		if f := iter.SeekGE(cmp, m.UserKeyBounds().Start); f == m {
+		if f := iter.SeekGE(cmp, m.Smallest().UserKey); f == m {
 			return iter.Take().slice
 		}
 	}
@@ -572,9 +571,8 @@ func (i *LevelIterator) SeekGE(cmp Compare, userKey []byte) *TableMetadata {
 		return nil
 	}
 	i.assertNotL0Cmp()
-	m := i.seek(func(m *TableMetadata) bool {
-		return m.Largest().IsUpperBoundFor(cmp, userKey)
-	})
+	i.iter.seekLargest(cmp, userKey)
+	m := i.constrainToIteratorBounds()
 	if i.filter != KeyTypePointAndRange && m != nil {
 		b, ok := m.LargestBound(i.filter)
 		if !ok || !b.IsUpperBoundFor(cmp, userKey) {
@@ -598,9 +596,8 @@ func (i *LevelIterator) SeekLT(cmp Compare, userKey []byte) *TableMetadata {
 		return nil
 	}
 	i.assertNotL0Cmp()
-	i.seek(func(m *TableMetadata) bool {
-		return cmp(m.Smallest().UserKey, userKey) >= 0
-	})
+	i.iter.seekSmallest(cmp, userKey)
+	_ = i.constrainToIteratorBounds()
 	m := i.Prev()
 	// Although i.Prev() guarantees that the current file contains keys of the
 	// relevant type, it doesn't guarantee that the keys of the relevant type
@@ -682,16 +679,12 @@ func (i *LevelIterator) skipFilteredBackward(meta *TableMetadata) *TableMetadata
 	return meta
 }
 
-// seek repositions the iterator over the first file for which fn returns true,
-// mirroring the semantics of the standard library's sort.Search function: fn
-// returns false for some (possibly empty) prefix of the tree's files, and then
-// true for the (possibly empty) remainder.
-func (i *LevelIterator) seek(fn func(*TableMetadata) bool) *TableMetadata {
-	i.iter.seek(fn)
-
-	// i.iter.seek seeked in the unbounded underlying B-Tree. If the iterator
-	// has start or end bounds, we may have exceeded them. Reset to the bounds
-	// if necessary.
+// constrainToIteratorBounds adjusts the iterator position to ensure it's
+// positioned within the iterator's bounds.
+func (i *LevelIterator) constrainToIteratorBounds() *TableMetadata {
+	// i.iter.{seekLargest,seekSmallest,seekSeqNumL0} all seek in the unbounded
+	// underlying B-Tree. If the iterator has start or end bounds, we may have
+	// exceeded them. Reset to the bounds if necessary.
 	//
 	// NB: The LevelIterator and LevelSlice semantics require that a bounded
 	// LevelIterator/LevelSlice containing files x0, x1, ..., xn behave