diff --git a/opensearch/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequest.java b/opensearch/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequest.java
index c6a3e6197db..7a5bc830d05 100644
--- a/opensearch/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequest.java
+++ b/opensearch/src/main/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequest.java
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 import static org.opensearch.core.xcontent.DeprecationHandler.IGNORE_DEPRECATIONS;
 import static org.opensearch.search.sort.FieldSortBuilder.DOC_FIELD_NAME;
 import static org.opensearch.search.sort.SortOrder.ASC;
-import static org.opensearch.sql.opensearch.storage.OpenSearchIndex.METADATA_FIELD_ID;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -31,6 +30,9 @@
 import org.opensearch.search.SearchModule;
 import org.opensearch.search.builder.PointInTimeBuilder;
 import org.opensearch.search.builder.SearchSourceBuilder;
+import org.opensearch.search.sort.FieldSortBuilder;
+import org.opensearch.search.sort.ShardDocSortBuilder;
+import org.opensearch.search.sort.SortBuilders;
 import org.opensearch.sql.opensearch.data.value.OpenSearchExprValueFactory;
 import org.opensearch.sql.opensearch.response.OpenSearchResponse;
 import org.opensearch.sql.opensearch.storage.OpenSearchIndex;
@@ -51,7 +53,7 @@ public class OpenSearchQueryRequest implements OpenSearchRequest {
   private final IndexName indexName;
 
   /** Search request source builder. */
-  private SearchSourceBuilder sourceBuilder;
+  private final SearchSourceBuilder sourceBuilder;
 
   /** OpenSearchExprValueFactory. */
   @EqualsAndHashCode.Exclude @ToString.Exclude
@@ -203,12 +205,23 @@ public OpenSearchResponse searchWithPIT(Function<SearchRequest, SearchResponse>
       if (searchAfter != null) {
         this.sourceBuilder.searchAfter(searchAfter);
       }
-      // Set sort field for search_after
-      if (this.sourceBuilder.sorts() == null) {
+      // Add sort tiebreaker for PIT search.
+      // We cannot remove it since `_shard_doc` is not added implicitly in PIT now.
+      // Ref https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/pull/18924#issuecomment-3342365950
+      if (this.sourceBuilder.sorts() == null || this.sourceBuilder.sorts().isEmpty()) {
+        // If no sort field specified, sort by `_doc` + `_shard_doc`to get better performance
         this.sourceBuilder.sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC);
-        // Workaround to preserve sort location more exactly,
-        // see https://github.com/opensearch-project/sql/pull/3061
-        this.sourceBuilder.sort(METADATA_FIELD_ID, ASC);
+        this.sourceBuilder.sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort());
+      } else {
+        // If sort fields specified, sort by `fields` + `_doc` + `_shard_doc`.
+        if (this.sourceBuilder.sorts().stream()
+            .noneMatch(
+                b -> b instanceof FieldSortBuilder f && f.fieldName().equals(DOC_FIELD_NAME))) {
+          this.sourceBuilder.sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC);
+        }
+        if (this.sourceBuilder.sorts().stream().noneMatch(ShardDocSortBuilder.class::isInstance)) {
+          this.sourceBuilder.sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort());
+        }
       }
       SearchRequest searchRequest =
           new SearchRequest().indices(indexName.getIndexNames()).source(this.sourceBuilder);
diff --git a/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequestTest.java b/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequestTest.java
index 52c208da156..5ce83c66ff8 100644
--- a/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequestTest.java
+++ b/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchQueryRequestTest.java
@@ -184,7 +184,6 @@ void search_with_pit() {
     when(searchResponse.getHits()).thenReturn(searchHits);
     when(searchHits.getHits()).thenReturn(new SearchHit[] {searchHit});
     when(searchHit.getSortValues()).thenReturn(new String[] {"sortedValue"});
-    when(sourceBuilder.sorts()).thenReturn(null);
 
     OpenSearchResponse openSearchResponse = request.searchWithPIT(searchAction);
     assertFalse(openSearchResponse.isEmpty());
@@ -215,7 +214,6 @@ void search_with_pit_hits_null() {
     when(searchAction.apply(any())).thenReturn(searchResponse);
     when(searchResponse.getHits()).thenReturn(searchHits);
     when(searchHits.getHits()).thenReturn(new SearchHit[] {searchHit});
-    when(sourceBuilder.sorts()).thenReturn(null);
 
     OpenSearchResponse openSearchResponse = request.searchWithPIT(searchAction);
     assertFalse(openSearchResponse.isEmpty());
@@ -237,7 +235,6 @@ void search_with_pit_hits_empty() {
     when(searchAction.apply(any())).thenReturn(searchResponse);
     when(searchResponse.getHits()).thenReturn(searchHits);
     when(searchHits.getHits()).thenReturn(new SearchHit[] {});
-    when(sourceBuilder.sorts()).thenReturn(null);
 
     OpenSearchResponse openSearchResponse = request.searchWithPIT(searchAction);
     assertTrue(openSearchResponse.isEmpty());
diff --git a/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchRequestBuilderTest.java b/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchRequestBuilderTest.java
index e4c7220a39f..0f8b298732e 100644
--- a/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchRequestBuilderTest.java
+++ b/opensearch/src/test/java/org/opensearch/sql/opensearch/request/OpenSearchRequestBuilderTest.java
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 import static org.opensearch.search.sort.SortOrder.ASC;
 import static org.opensearch.sql.data.type.ExprCoreType.INTEGER;
 import static org.opensearch.sql.data.type.ExprCoreType.STRING;
-import static org.opensearch.sql.opensearch.storage.OpenSearchIndex.METADATA_FIELD_ID;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -408,7 +407,7 @@ void test_push_down_project() {
             .size(MAX_RESULT_WINDOW)
             .timeout(DEFAULT_QUERY_TIMEOUT)
             .sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC)
-            .sort(METADATA_FIELD_ID, ASC)
+            .sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort())
             .pointInTimeBuilder(new PointInTimeBuilder("samplePITId"))
             .fetchSource(new String[] {"intA"}, new String[0]),
         requestBuilder);
@@ -421,7 +420,7 @@ void test_push_down_project() {
                 .size(MAX_RESULT_WINDOW)
                 .timeout(DEFAULT_QUERY_TIMEOUT)
                 .sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC)
-                .sort(METADATA_FIELD_ID, ASC)
+                .sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort())
                 .pointInTimeBuilder(new PointInTimeBuilder("samplePITId"))
                 .fetchSource("intA", null),
             exprValueFactory,
@@ -536,7 +535,7 @@ void test_push_down_project_with_alias_type() {
             .size(MAX_RESULT_WINDOW)
             .timeout(DEFAULT_QUERY_TIMEOUT)
             .sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC)
-            .sort(METADATA_FIELD_ID, ASC)
+            .sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort())
             .pointInTimeBuilder(new PointInTimeBuilder("samplePITId"))
             .fetchSource(new String[] {"intA"}, new String[0]),
         requestBuilder);
@@ -549,7 +548,7 @@ void test_push_down_project_with_alias_type() {
                 .size(MAX_RESULT_WINDOW)
                 .timeout(DEFAULT_QUERY_TIMEOUT)
                 .sort(DOC_FIELD_NAME, ASC)
-                .sort(METADATA_FIELD_ID, ASC)
+                .sort(SortBuilders.shardDocSort())
                 .pointInTimeBuilder(new PointInTimeBuilder("samplePITId"))
                 .fetchSource("intA", null),
             exprValueFactory,