diff --git a/.changeset/strict-mode-stop-no-goal.md b/.changeset/strict-mode-stop-no-goal.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ad3832b51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/strict-mode-stop-no-goal.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@react-spring/core': patch
+---
+
+fix(SpringValue): `stop()` no longer establishes a goal on a spring that never had one. The previous implementation always called `_focus(this.get())` to snap `animation.to` to the current value — useful for freezing a live animation, but wrong for a paused or never-started spring whose underlying value was seeded by `_prepareNode` via `from`. The bug became observable under React.StrictMode, whose simulated unmount fires `useSprings`'s cleanup (`ctrl.stop(true)`) on a freshly-mounted, paused spring, leaving `t.goal` equal to the `from` value instead of `undefined`.
diff --git a/.changeset/strict-mode-trail-chaining.md b/.changeset/strict-mode-trail-chaining.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..990209f9c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/strict-mode-trail-chaining.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@react-spring/core': patch
+---
+
+fix(useTrail): chaining no longer breaks under React.StrictMode. The `reverse` and `passedRef` accumulators inside the `useSprings` wrapper relied on the wrapper being invoked at least once per render. Under StrictMode's second render pass, `useSprings`'s internal `useMemo` caches and the wrapper is skipped, leaving the accumulators at their initial values and reversing the trail direction. For the object-form props the values are now derived directly from the shared props. Fixes #1991.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/SpringContext.test.tsx b/packages/core/src/SpringContext.test.tsx
index 55e3aceb84..8060582f78 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/SpringContext.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/SpringContext.test.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,17 @@ describe('SpringContext', () => {
     }
 
     const elem = render(getRoot())
-    expectUpdates([{ onProps, to: { x: 0 } }])
+    // React.StrictMode runs the layout effect twice on initial mount
+    // (mount → simulated unmount → remount). Both passes apply the
+    // user update, and the second pass also re-broadcasts the default-
+    // context update — because `defaultProps.onProps` was set by the
+    // first pass's user update, so the otherwise-quiet default merge
+    // now reaches the spy. Subsequent rerenders are not affected.
+    expectUpdates([
+      { onProps, to: { x: 0 } },
+      { default: { pause: false, immediate: false } },
+      { onProps, to: { x: 0 } },
+    ])
 
     context.pause = true
     elem.rerender(getRoot())
diff --git a/packages/core/src/SpringValue.ts b/packages/core/src/SpringValue.ts
index 4918348c0e..caa7a985bb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/SpringValue.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/SpringValue.ts
@@ -477,8 +477,16 @@ export class SpringValue<T = any> extends FrameValue<T> {
   stop(cancel?: boolean) {
     const { to } = this.animation
 
-    // The current value becomes the goal value.
-    this._focus(this.get())
+    // The current value becomes the goal value — but only if a goal
+    // ever existed. Otherwise we'd be establishing one where none was
+    // set (matters for paused/uninitialised springs whose underlying
+    // value was seeded via `from` during `_prepareNode`). This becomes
+    // observable under React.StrictMode, whose simulated unmount fires
+    // the useSprings cleanup `ctrl.stop(true)` on springs that never
+    // got a chance to start.
+    if (!is.und(to)) {
+      this._focus(this.get())
+    }
 
     stopAsync(this._state, cancel && this._lastCallId)
     raf.batchedUpdates(() => this._stop(to, cancel))
diff --git a/packages/core/src/hooks/useSprings.test.tsx b/packages/core/src/hooks/useSprings.test.tsx
index a35bf8e88f..646b15d4bd 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/hooks/useSprings.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/src/hooks/useSprings.test.tsx
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ import { SpringValue } from '../SpringValue'
 import { useSprings } from './useSprings'
 
 describe('useSprings', () => {
-  const isStrictMode = true
-  const strictModeFunctionCallMultiplier = isStrictMode ? 2 : 1
+  // StrictMode is enabled globally via configure() in test/setup.ts, so
+  // props functions are invoked twice per render.
+  const strictModeFunctionCallMultiplier = 2
   let springs: Lookup<SpringValue>[]
   let ref: SpringRef
 
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ describe('useSprings', () => {
       ref = undefined as any
     }
     return null
-  }, isStrictMode)
+  })
 
   describe('when only a props function is passed', () => {
     it('should reach final value in strict mode', async () => {
@@ -174,8 +175,7 @@ describe('useSprings', () => {
 })
 
 function createUpdater(
-  Component: React.ComponentType<{ args: [any, any, any?] }>,
-  isStrictMode: boolean
+  Component: React.ComponentType<{ args: [any, any, any?] }>
 ) {
   let result: ReturnType<typeof render> | undefined
   afterEach(() => {
@@ -184,12 +184,7 @@ function createUpdater(
 
   type Args = [number, any[] | ((i: number) => any), any[]?]
   return (...args: Args) => {
-    const component = <Component args={args} />
-    const elem = isStrictMode ? (
-      <React.StrictMode>{component}</React.StrictMode>
-    ) : (
-      component
-    )
+    const elem = <Component args={args} />
     if (result) result.rerender(elem)
     else result = render(elem)
     return result
diff --git a/packages/core/src/hooks/useTrail.ts b/packages/core/src/hooks/useTrail.ts
index 8477c9f2ab..0227ef8c74 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/hooks/useTrail.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/hooks/useTrail.ts
@@ -88,15 +88,30 @@ export function useTrail(
   if (propsFn && !deps) deps = []
 
   // The trail is reversed when every render-based update is reversed.
-  let reverse = true
+  // For the object-form props, derive reverse and ref directly from the
+  // shared props — every spring receives the same props, so accumulating
+  // them via the useSprings wrapper is unnecessary and unsafe: under
+  // React.StrictMode the wrapper is not invoked on the second render
+  // pass (useSprings caches via useMemo with [length] deps), which would
+  // leave the accumulator stuck at its initial value.
+  let reverse: boolean | undefined
   let passedRef: SpringRef | undefined = undefined
 
+  if (!propsFn) {
+    reverse = (propsArg as UseTrailProps).reverse
+    passedRef = (propsArg as UseTrailProps).ref
+  } else {
+    reverse = true
+  }
+
   const result = useSprings(
     length,
     (i, ctrl) => {
       const props = propsFn ? propsFn(i, ctrl) : propsArg
-      passedRef = props.ref
-      reverse = reverse && props.reverse
+      if (propsFn) {
+        passedRef = props.ref
+        reverse = reverse && props.reverse
+      }
 
       return props
     },
diff --git a/packages/core/test/setup.ts b/packages/core/test/setup.ts
index 367183f50b..0152bb9715 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/setup.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/setup.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 import { beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { act } from 'react'
+import { configure } from 'vitest-browser-react/pure'
 import createMockRaf, { MockRaf } from '@react-spring/mock-raf'
 import { flushMicroTasks } from 'flush-microtasks'
 import {
@@ -52,6 +53,10 @@ declare global {
 // from interfering with the debugger.
 vi.setConfig({ testTimeout: 6e8 })
 
+// Run every render/renderHook under React.StrictMode. If a test passes
+// here it passes without StrictMode; the inverse hides real bugs.
+configure({ reactStrictMode: true })
+
 let isRunning = false
 let frameCache: WeakMap<any, any[]>