Wait for TabNavigator mount before resolving waitForProtectedRoutes

src/libs/Navigation/Navigation.ts

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import {isFullScreenName, isOnboardingFlowName, isSplitNavigatorName} from './he
 import isReportOpenInRHP from './helpers/isReportOpenInRHP';
 import isReportTopmostSplitNavigator from './helpers/isReportTopmostSplitNavigator';
 import isSideModalNavigator from './helpers/isSideModalNavigator';
+import isTabNavigatorReady from './helpers/isTabNavigatorReady';
 import linkTo from './helpers/linkTo';
 import getMinimalAction from './helpers/linkTo/getMinimalAction';
 import type {LinkToOptions} from './helpers/linkTo/types';
@@ -698,8 +699,16 @@ function navContainsProtectedRoutes(state: State | undefined): boolean {
         return false;
     }
 
-    // If one protected screen is in the routeNames then other screens are there as well.
-    return state?.routeNames.includes(PROTECTED_SCREENS.CONCIERGE);
+    if (!state.routeNames.includes(PROTECTED_SCREENS.CONCIERGE)) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    // routeNames only tells us screens are declared on the root navigator.
+    // We also need TabNavigator to be mounted (its child router has run
+    // useNavigationBuilder and produced a non-stale nested state), otherwise a
+    // deferred NAVIGATE targeting a screen inside TabNavigator will be dispatched
+    // before any child router is registered to handle it.
+    return isTabNavigatorReady(state);
 }
 
 /**

src/libs/Navigation/helpers/isTabNavigatorReady.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import type {NavigationState, PartialState} from '@react-navigation/native';
+import NAVIGATORS from '@src/NAVIGATORS';
+
+/**
+ * Checks whether TabNavigator's child router has mounted and produced a
+ * non-stale nested state. Until `useNavigationBuilder` runs inside
+ * TabNavigator, the route's nested state stays `stale: true` and React
+ * Navigation cannot handle NAVIGATE actions targeting screens inside it.
+ */
+function isTabNavigatorReady(state: NavigationState | PartialState<NavigationState> | undefined): boolean {
+    const tabRoute = state?.routes?.find((route) => route.name === NAVIGATORS.TAB_NAVIGATOR);
+    return tabRoute?.state?.stale === false;
+}
+
+export default isTabNavigatorReady;

src/libs/Navigation/linkingConfig/subscribe.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import type {LinkingOptions} from '@react-navigation/native';
 import {findFocusedRoute} from '@react-navigation/native';
 import {Linking} from 'react-native';
 import continuePlaidOAuth from '@libs/continuePlaidOAuth';
+import isTabNavigatorReady from '@libs/Navigation/helpers/isTabNavigatorReady';
 import navigationRef from '@libs/Navigation/navigationRef';
 import type {RootNavigatorParamList} from '@libs/Navigation/types';
 import CONST from '@src/CONST';
@@ -31,6 +32,16 @@ const subscribe: LinkingOptions<RootNavigatorParamList>['subscribe'] = (listener
             continuePlaidOAuth(url);
             return;
         }
+        // Skip forwarding URLs while TabNavigator is mounting — its child
+        // router hasn't run useNavigationBuilder yet, so React Navigation
+        // can't handle nested NAVIGATE actions and throws an unhandled-action
+        // error. Protected-screen deep links will be handled separately by
+        // openReportFromDeepLink via waitForProtectedRoutes().
+        const state = navigationRef.current?.getRootState();
+        if (!isTabNavigatorReady(state)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         listener(url);
     });
     return () => subscription.remove();