diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/ReactRootView.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/ReactRootView.java
index 6219ab08075..bbf8b5db68d 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/ReactRootView.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/ReactRootView.java
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ public class ReactRootView extends FrameLayout implements RootView, ReactRoot {
   private @Nullable String mInitialUITemplate;
   private @Nullable CustomGlobalLayoutListener mCustomGlobalLayoutListener;
   private @Nullable ReactRootViewEventListener mRootViewEventListener;
-  private int mRootViewTag;
+  private int mRootViewTag =
+      0; /* This should be View.NO_ID, but for legacy reasons we haven't migrated yet */
   private boolean mIsAttachedToInstance;
   private boolean mShouldLogContentAppeared;
   private @Nullable JSTouchDispatcher mJSTouchDispatcher;
@@ -451,6 +452,14 @@ public class ReactRootView extends FrameLayout implements RootView, ReactRoot {
       FLog.w(TAG, "Unable to update root layout specs for uninitialized ReactInstanceManager");
       return;
     }
+    // In Fabric we cannot call `updateRootLayoutSpecs` until a SurfaceId has been set.
+    // Sometimes,
+    if (getUIManagerType() == FABRIC && !isRootViewTagSet()) {
+      ReactMarker.logMarker(ReactMarkerConstants.ROOT_VIEW_UPDATE_LAYOUT_SPECS_END);
+      FLog.e(TAG, "Unable to update root layout specs for ReactRootView: no rootViewTag set yet");
+      return;
+    }
+
     final ReactContext reactApplicationContext = mReactInstanceManager.getCurrentReactContext();
 
     if (reactApplicationContext != null) {
@@ -572,7 +581,7 @@ public class ReactRootView extends FrameLayout implements RootView, ReactRoot {
   public void setAppProperties(@Nullable Bundle appProperties) {
     UiThreadUtil.assertOnUiThread();
     mAppProperties = appProperties;
-    if (getRootViewTag() != 0) {
+    if (isRootViewTagSet()) {
       runApplication();
     }
   }
@@ -667,6 +676,10 @@ public class ReactRootView extends FrameLayout implements RootView, ReactRoot {
     return mRootViewTag;
   }
 
+  private boolean isRootViewTagSet() {
+    return mRootViewTag != 0 && mRootViewTag != NO_ID;
+  }
+
   public void setRootViewTag(int rootViewTag) {
     mRootViewTag = rootViewTag;
   }
diff --git a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
index c5aef40652d..51fa1b80c1e 100644
--- a/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
+++ b/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/fabric/FabricUIManager.java
@@ -869,11 +869,20 @@ public class FabricUIManager implements UIManager, LifecycleEventListener {
       final int offsetY) {
 
     if (ENABLE_FABRIC_LOGS) {
-      FLog.d(TAG, "Updating Root Layout Specs");
+      FLog.d(TAG, "Updating Root Layout Specs for [%d]", surfaceId);
+    }
+
+    SurfaceMountingManager surfaceMountingManager = mMountingManager.getSurfaceManager(surfaceId);
+
+    // TODO T83615646: make this a hard-crash in the future.
+    if (surfaceMountingManager == null) {
+      ReactSoftException.logSoftException(
+          TAG,
+          new IllegalViewOperationException(
+              "Cannot updateRootLayoutSpecs on surfaceId that does not exist: " + surfaceId));
+      return;
     }
 
-    SurfaceMountingManager surfaceMountingManager =
-        mMountingManager.getSurfaceManagerEnforced(surfaceId, "updateRootLayoutSpecs");
     ThemedReactContext reactContext = surfaceMountingManager.getContext();
     boolean isRTL = false;
     boolean doLeftAndRightSwapInRTL = false;