diff --git a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index d11cdd907dd9dc..8838ba97ba0914 100644
--- a/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.3-all.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.4-all.zip
 networkTimeout=10000
 validateDistributionUrl=true
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
diff --git a/gradlew b/gradlew
index fcb6fca147c0cd..1aa94a42690741 100755
--- a/gradlew
+++ b/gradlew
@@ -83,7 +83,8 @@ done
 # This is normally unused
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 APP_BASE_NAME=${0##*/}
-APP_HOME=$( cd "${APP_HOME:-./}" && pwd -P ) || exit
+# Discard cd standard output in case $CDPATH is set (https://github.com/gradle/gradle/issues/25036)
+APP_HOME=$( cd "${APP_HOME:-./}" > /dev/null && pwd -P ) || exit
 
 # Use the maximum available, or set MAX_FD != -1 to use that value.
 MAX_FD=maximum
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
     case $MAX_FD in #(
       max*)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -H is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         MAX_FD=$( ulimit -H -n ) ||
             warn "Could not query maximum file descriptor limit"
     esac
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
       '' | soft) :;; #(
       *)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -n is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         ulimit -n "$MAX_FD" ||
             warn "Could not set maximum file descriptor limit to $MAX_FD"
     esac
@@ -201,11 +202,11 @@ fi
 # Add default JVM options here. You can also use JAVA_OPTS and GRADLE_OPTS to pass JVM options to this script.
 DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS='"-Xmx64m" "-Xms64m"'
 
-# Collect all arguments for the java command;
-#   * $DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, $JAVA_OPTS, and $GRADLE_OPTS can contain fragments of
-#     shell script including quotes and variable substitutions, so put them in
-#     double quotes to make sure that they get re-expanded; and
-#   * put everything else in single quotes, so that it's not re-expanded.
+# Collect all arguments for the java command:
+#   * DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, and optsEnvironmentVar are not allowed to contain shell fragments,
+#     and any embedded shellness will be escaped.
+#   * For example: A user cannot expect ${Hostname} to be expanded, as it is an environment variable and will be
+#     treated as '${Hostname}' itself on the command line.
 
 set -- \
         "-Dorg.gradle.appname=$APP_BASE_NAME" \
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
index 8934f0f30ba3e4..c4a31beb010e19 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
     apiVersion = "1.5"
     // See comment above on JDK 11 support
     jvmTarget = "11"
+    allWarningsAsErrors = true
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index d11cdd907dd9dc..8838ba97ba0914 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.3-all.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.4-all.zip
 networkTimeout=10000
 validateDistributionUrl=true
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradlew b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradlew
index 0adc8e1a53214b..1aa94a42690741 100755
--- a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradlew
+++ b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/gradlew
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
     case $MAX_FD in #(
       max*)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -H is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         MAX_FD=$( ulimit -H -n ) ||
             warn "Could not query maximum file descriptor limit"
     esac
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
       '' | soft) :;; #(
       *)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -n is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         ulimit -n "$MAX_FD" ||
             warn "Could not set maximum file descriptor limit to $MAX_FD"
     esac
@@ -202,11 +202,11 @@ fi
 # Add default JVM options here. You can also use JAVA_OPTS and GRADLE_OPTS to pass JVM options to this script.
 DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS='"-Xmx64m" "-Xms64m"'
 
-# Collect all arguments for the java command;
-#   * $DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, $JAVA_OPTS, and $GRADLE_OPTS can contain fragments of
-#     shell script including quotes and variable substitutions, so put them in
-#     double quotes to make sure that they get re-expanded; and
-#   * put everything else in single quotes, so that it's not re-expanded.
+# Collect all arguments for the java command:
+#   * DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, and optsEnvironmentVar are not allowed to contain shell fragments,
+#     and any embedded shellness will be escaped.
+#   * For example: A user cannot expect ${Hostname} to be expanded, as it is an environment variable and will be
+#     treated as '${Hostname}' itself on the command line.
 
 set -- \
         "-Dorg.gradle.appname=$APP_BASE_NAME" \
diff --git a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/src/main/kotlin/com/facebook/react/TaskConfiguration.kt b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/src/main/kotlin/com/facebook/react/TaskConfiguration.kt
index ed5551d0987f3f..e839e5c37ba3b7 100644
--- a/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/src/main/kotlin/com/facebook/react/TaskConfiguration.kt
+++ b/packages/react-native-gradle-plugin/src/main/kotlin/com/facebook/react/TaskConfiguration.kt
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ internal fun Project.configureReactTasks(variant: Variant, config: ReactExtensio
   val targetName = variant.name.capitalizeCompat()
   val targetPath = variant.name
 
+  val buildDir = this.layout.buildDirectory.get().asFile
   // Resources: generated/assets/react/<variant>/index.android.bundle
   val resourcesDir = File(buildDir, "generated/res/react/$targetPath")
   // Bundle: generated/assets/react/<variant>/index.android.bundle
diff --git a/packages/react-native/gradle/libs.versions.toml b/packages/react-native/gradle/libs.versions.toml
index 0aee78ce3d93a7..5a71347d3b113e 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/gradle/libs.versions.toml
+++ b/packages/react-native/gradle/libs.versions.toml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ targetSdk = "34"
 compileSdk = "34"
 buildTools = "34.0.0"
 # Dependencies versions
-agp = "8.2.0-beta06"
+agp = "8.1.2"
 androidx-annotation = "1.6.0"
 androidx-appcompat = "1.6.1"
 androidx-autofill = "1.1.0"
diff --git a/packages/react-native/template/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties b/packages/react-native/template/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
index d11cdd907dd9dc..8838ba97ba0914 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/template/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
+++ b/packages/react-native/template/android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 distributionBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
 distributionPath=wrapper/dists
-distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.3-all.zip
+distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-8.4-all.zip
 networkTimeout=10000
 validateDistributionUrl=true
 zipStoreBase=GRADLE_USER_HOME
diff --git a/packages/react-native/template/android/gradlew b/packages/react-native/template/android/gradlew
index 0adc8e1a53214b..1aa94a42690741 100755
--- a/packages/react-native/template/android/gradlew
+++ b/packages/react-native/template/android/gradlew
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
     case $MAX_FD in #(
       max*)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -H is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         MAX_FD=$( ulimit -H -n ) ||
             warn "Could not query maximum file descriptor limit"
     esac
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ if ! "$cygwin" && ! "$darwin" && ! "$nonstop" ; then
       '' | soft) :;; #(
       *)
         # In POSIX sh, ulimit -n is undefined. That's why the result is checked to see if it worked.
-        # shellcheck disable=SC3045
+        # shellcheck disable=SC2039,SC3045
         ulimit -n "$MAX_FD" ||
             warn "Could not set maximum file descriptor limit to $MAX_FD"
     esac
@@ -202,11 +202,11 @@ fi
 # Add default JVM options here. You can also use JAVA_OPTS and GRADLE_OPTS to pass JVM options to this script.
 DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS='"-Xmx64m" "-Xms64m"'
 
-# Collect all arguments for the java command;
-#   * $DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, $JAVA_OPTS, and $GRADLE_OPTS can contain fragments of
-#     shell script including quotes and variable substitutions, so put them in
-#     double quotes to make sure that they get re-expanded; and
-#   * put everything else in single quotes, so that it's not re-expanded.
+# Collect all arguments for the java command:
+#   * DEFAULT_JVM_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, JAVA_OPTS, and optsEnvironmentVar are not allowed to contain shell fragments,
+#     and any embedded shellness will be escaped.
+#   * For example: A user cannot expect ${Hostname} to be expanded, as it is an environment variable and will be
+#     treated as '${Hostname}' itself on the command line.
 
 set -- \
         "-Dorg.gradle.appname=$APP_BASE_NAME" \