diff --git a/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.mts b/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.mts
index 710fc31a65d6..77f67c582ff7 100644
--- a/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.mts
+++ b/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.mts
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ const inventorySchema = z.object({
     .array(
       z.object({
         leaseId: z.string().min(1).max(512),
-        repoRoot: pathSchema,
+        // Crabbox records provider resources not yet attached to a repository
+        // with an empty root, and never clears an attached root without reclaim.
+        repoRoot: z.union([z.literal(""), pathSchema]),
       }),
     )
     .max(10_000),
@@ -304,7 +306,7 @@ export async function verifyNoStagingClaims(params: {
       if (Date.now() >= deadline) {
         throw new ClaimInventoryHold("Native claim inventory exceeded its inspection budget.");
       }
-      if (within(sourceRoot, directoryLocation(claim.repoRoot).directory)) {
+      if (claim.repoRoot && within(sourceRoot, directoryLocation(claim.repoRoot).directory)) {
         matches.add(claim.leaseId);
         if (matches.size === 16) {
           break;
diff --git a/test/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.test.ts b/test/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.test.ts
index 79da2045cf5a..e88b2fd807f6 100644
--- a/test/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/crabbox-staging-claims.test.ts
@@ -172,6 +172,27 @@ it("returns only bounded matching lease IDs for source descendants and canonical
   }
 });
 
+it("ignores native claims not attached to any repository", async () => {
+  const context = fixture();
+  nativeResponse(
+    output([
+      { leaseId: "cbx_unattached", repoRoot: "" },
+      { leaseId: "cbx_neighbor", repoRoot: context.source + "-neighbor" },
+    ]),
+  );
+  expect(await verifyNoStagingClaims(context)).toEqual({ ok: true });
+  nativeResponse(
+    output([
+      { leaseId: "cbx_unattached", repoRoot: "" },
+      { leaseId: "cbx_stage", repoRoot: context.source },
+    ]),
+  );
+  expect(await verifyNoStagingClaims(context)).toMatchObject({
+    ok: false,
+    matchingLeaseIds: ["cbx_stage"],
+  });
+});
+
 it.each([
   ["nonzero partial inventory", output(), 2],
   [