diff --git a/src/components/LocationProvider/LocationProvider.tsx b/src/components/LocationProvider/LocationProvider.tsx
index bd729298..7243a183 100644
--- a/src/components/LocationProvider/LocationProvider.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LocationProvider/LocationProvider.tsx
@@ -83,7 +83,13 @@ export function LocationProvider({ children }: ILocationProviderProps) {
         section,
         split: resolvedSplit,
       }));
-      handleSetLocationParams({ version, search, section, split: resolvedSplit });
+      // Redirect to the canonical URL, but keep ?search/?section so the second
+      // hashchange (triggered by the rewrite) doesn't wipe state before the
+      // Search input and Outline scroll have a chance to consume them.
+      const redirectHash = locationParamsToHash({ version, search, section, split: resolvedSplit }, metadata, {
+        includeSearchSection: true,
+      });
+      window.location.hash = redirectHash;
       return;
     }
 
@@ -101,7 +107,10 @@ export function LocationProvider({ children }: ILocationProviderProps) {
         section,
         split: resolvedSplit,
       }));
-      handleSetLocationParams({ version, search, section, split: resolvedSplit });
+      const redirectHash = locationParamsToHash({ version, search, section, split: resolvedSplit }, metadata, {
+        includeSearchSection: true,
+      });
+      window.location.hash = redirectHash;
       return;
     }
 
@@ -143,7 +152,7 @@ export function LocationProvider({ children }: ILocationProviderProps) {
       }
       return params;
     });
-  }, [handleSetLocationParams, metadata, resolveFullVersion]);
+  }, [metadata, resolveFullVersion]);
 
   const synctexBlocksToSelectionParams: ILocationContext["synctexBlocksToSelectionParams"] = useCallback((blocks) => {
     const blockIds = blocks.map((block) => ({ pageNumber: block.pageNumber, index: block.index }));
diff --git a/src/components/LocationProvider/utils/locationParamsToHash.ts b/src/components/LocationProvider/utils/locationParamsToHash.ts
index 74f7506d..4a1b0b75 100644
--- a/src/components/LocationProvider/utils/locationParamsToHash.ts
+++ b/src/components/LocationProvider/utils/locationParamsToHash.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ import {
 } from "./constants";
 import { encodePageNumberAndIndex } from "./encodePageNumberAndIndex";
 
-export const locationParamsToHash = (params: ILocationParams, metadata: IMetadataContext["metadata"]) => {
+export const locationParamsToHash = (
+  params: ILocationParams,
+  metadata: IMetadataContext["metadata"],
+  options: { includeSearchSection?: boolean } = {},
+) => {
   const fullVersion = params.version;
   const version = fullVersion
     ? fullVersion.substring(0, SHORT_COMMIT_HASH_LENGTH)
@@ -29,13 +33,20 @@ export const locationParamsToHash = (params: ILocationParams, metadata: IMetadat
     ].join("");
   }
 
-  // we never put search/section to the URL,
-  // yet we keep them in `locationParams`.
+  // search/section are URL-only "intents" consumed by Search input and Outline scroll.
+  // They are normally dropped from the serialized URL once consumed; the redirect path
+  // (when the URL had no resolvable version) opts in via `includeSearchSection` so the
+  // pre-consumption values survive the rewrite.
   const finalParamsToSerialize: SearchParams = {
     v: versionName,
     rest: `${SEGMENT_SEPARATOR}${stringifiedParams.join(SEGMENT_SEPARATOR)}`,
   };
 
+  if (options.includeSearchSection) {
+    if (params.search) finalParamsToSerialize.search = params.search;
+    if (params.section) finalParamsToSerialize.section = params.section;
+  }
+
   if (params.split) {
     const splitName =
       metadata.versions[params.split]?.name ?? (params.split === metadata.nightly?.hash ? "nightly" : null);
diff --git a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-options-menu-dark-mode-linux.png b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-options-menu-dark-mode-linux.png
index f0767c2e..132c51d9 100644
Binary files a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-options-menu-dark-mode-linux.png and b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-options-menu-dark-mode-linux.png differ
diff --git a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-version-dropdown-light-mode-linux.png b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-version-dropdown-light-mode-linux.png
index 007bca10..17177e57 100644
Binary files a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-version-dropdown-light-mode-linux.png and b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-header-version-dropdown-light-mode-linux.png differ
diff --git a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-closed-dark-mode-linux.png b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-closed-dark-mode-linux.png
index 2308ad95..6492616c 100644
Binary files a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-closed-dark-mode-linux.png and b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-closed-dark-mode-linux.png differ
diff --git a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-dark-mode-linux.png b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-dark-mode-linux.png
index d44fdcba..78ed4a62 100644
Binary files a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-dark-mode-linux.png and b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/split-screen.spec.ts-snapshots/split-sidebar-overlay-dark-mode-linux.png differ
diff --git a/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/url-params.spec.ts b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/url-params.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..746eccbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/snapshot-tests/tests/url-params.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
+import { waitForPdfReady } from "./utils/wait-for-pdf";
+
+const port = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_PORT || "5173";
+const host = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_HOST || "localhost";
+const origin = `http://${host}:${port}`;
+
+const SEARCH_INPUT = 'input[placeholder*="search"]';
+const PDF_SCROLL_CONTAINER = ".pdfViewer";
+
+async function getScrollTop(page: import("@playwright/test").Page) {
+  return await page.evaluate(() => {
+    const viewer = document.querySelector(".pdfViewer");
+    return viewer?.parentElement?.scrollTop ?? 0;
+  });
+}
+
+test.describe("URL ?search and ?section parsing", () => {
+  test("fills search input when URL has ?search (no version segment)", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${origin}/#/?search=protocol`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+    await waitForPdfReady(page);
+
+    const input = page.locator(SEARCH_INPUT).first();
+    await expect(input).toHaveValue("protocol");
+  });
+
+  test("fills search input when URL has ?search with a version segment", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${origin}/#/0.7.2?search=protocol`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+    await waitForPdfReady(page);
+
+    const input = page.locator(SEARCH_INPUT).first();
+    await expect(input).toHaveValue("protocol");
+  });
+
+  test("scrolls to section when URL has ?section (no version segment)", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${origin}/#/?section=Header`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+    await waitForPdfReady(page);
+    await page.locator(PDF_SCROLL_CONTAINER).waitFor({ state: "visible" });
+
+    await expect.poll(() => getScrollTop(page), { timeout: 8_000, intervals: [200] }).toBeGreaterThan(1_000);
+  });
+
+  test("scrolls to section AND fills search when URL has both", async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.goto(`${origin}/#/?search=hash&section=Header`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+    await waitForPdfReady(page);
+
+    const input = page.locator(SEARCH_INPUT).first();
+    await expect(input).toHaveValue("hash");
+
+    await expect.poll(() => getScrollTop(page), { timeout: 8_000, intervals: [200] }).toBeGreaterThan(1_000);
+  });
+
+  test("subsequent navigation drops ?search/?section from the URL", async ({ page }) => {
+    // Open with search/section so they end up in URL after the redirect.
+    await page.goto(`${origin}/#/?search=protocol&section=Header`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+    await waitForPdfReady(page);
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/[?&]search=protocol/);
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/[?&]section=Header/);
+
+    // Simulate the user navigating to a "plain" URL within the same SPA session
+    // (e.g. version change from the UI). The next URL must not retain search/section.
+    await page.evaluate(() => {
+      window.location.hash = "#/0.7.2?v=0.7.2";
+    });
+
+    await expect(page).not.toHaveURL(/[?&]search=/);
+    await expect(page).not.toHaveURL(/[?&]section=/);
+  });
+});