diff --git a/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/thread.cpp b/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/thread.cpp
index cbae2f7ed8d4e8..fe65344da8f791 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/thread.cpp
+++ b/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/thread.cpp
@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@ void Thread::WaitForGC(PInvokeTransitionFrame* pTransitionFrame)
         ClearState(TSF_Redirected);
 #endif //FEATURE_SUSPEND_REDIRECTION
 
+        // make sure this is cleared - in case a signal is lost or somehow we did not act on it
+        SetActivationPending(false);
+
         GCHeapUtilities::GetGCHeap()->WaitUntilGCComplete();
 
         // must be in cooperative mode when checking the trap flag
diff --git a/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/unix/PalUnix.cpp b/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/unix/PalUnix.cpp
index 873ae69c28ddf5..476633637ce2a4 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/unix/PalUnix.cpp
+++ b/src/coreclr/nativeaot/Runtime/unix/PalUnix.cpp
@@ -1088,6 +1088,11 @@ HijackFunc* PalGetHijackTarget(HijackFunc* defaultHijackTarget)
 
 void PalHijack(Thread* pThreadToHijack)
 {
+    if (pThreadToHijack->IsActivationPending())
+    {
+        return;
+    }
+
     pThreadToHijack->SetActivationPending(true);
 
     int status = pthread_kill(pThreadToHijack->GetOSThreadHandle(), INJECT_ACTIVATION_SIGNAL);