diff --git a/src/maxtext/common/checkpointing.py b/src/maxtext/common/checkpointing.py
index ad7618868a..1cb80e2ae7 100644
--- a/src/maxtext/common/checkpointing.py
+++ b/src/maxtext/common/checkpointing.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 from flax import nnx
 from flax.training import train_state
 import jax
+import jax.numpy as jnp
 from maxtext.utils.globals import DEFAULT_OCDBT_TARGET_DATA_FILE_SIZE
 from maxtext.input_pipeline.multihost_dataloading import MultiHostDataLoadIterator
 from maxtext.input_pipeline.multihost_dataloading import RemoteIteratorWrapper
@@ -165,6 +166,167 @@ class GrainCheckpointRestore(ocp.args.CheckpointArgs):
   process_count: Optional[int] = None
 
 
+_NNX_RNG_STATE_KEYS = ("rngs", "dropout")
+
+
+def _strip_nnx_rng_state(tree):
+  """Removes 'rngs' and 'dropout' subtrees that NNX has but Linen doesn't."""
+  if not isinstance(tree, dict):
+    return tree
+  return {k: _strip_nnx_rng_state(v) for k, v in tree.items() if k not in _NNX_RNG_STATE_KEYS}
+
+
+def _wrap_mu_nu_with_params(state):
+  """Wraps mu/nu in a state dict with an inner 'params' key (Linen collection)."""
+  if not isinstance(state, dict):
+    return state
+  return {k: {"params": v} if k in ("mu", "nu") and isinstance(v, dict) else v for k, v in state.items()}
+
+
+def _strip_mu_nu_params(state):
+  """Strips the inner 'params' wrapping from mu/nu in a state dict."""
+  if not isinstance(state, dict):
+    return state
+  return {k: v["params"] if k in ("mu", "nu") and isinstance(v, dict) and "params" in v else v for k, v in state.items()}
+
+
+def _translate_nnx_opt_state_to_linen(nnx_opt_state):
+  """Reshapes NNX opt_state (int-keyed chain dict) to Linen on-disk layout (flat or list)."""
+  if not isinstance(nnx_opt_state, dict):
+    return nnx_opt_state
+  keys = list(nnx_opt_state.keys())
+  is_chain = bool(keys) and all(isinstance(k, str) and k.isdigit() for k in keys)
+  if not is_chain:
+    return _wrap_mu_nu_with_params(nnx_opt_state)
+  sorted_keys = sorted(keys, key=int)
+  if len(sorted_keys) == 1:
+    return _wrap_mu_nu_with_params(nnx_opt_state[sorted_keys[0]])
+  return [_wrap_mu_nu_with_params(nnx_opt_state[k]) for k in sorted_keys]
+
+
+def _translate_linen_opt_state_to_nnx(linen_opt_state, nnx_abstract_opt_state):
+  """Reshapes restored Linen opt_state back to the NNX abstract's layout."""
+  is_nnx_chain = (
+      isinstance(nnx_abstract_opt_state, dict)
+      and bool(nnx_abstract_opt_state)
+      and all(isinstance(k, str) and k.isdigit() for k in nnx_abstract_opt_state.keys())
+  )
+  if isinstance(linen_opt_state, list):
+    return {str(i): _strip_mu_nu_params(el) for i, el in enumerate(linen_opt_state)}
+  stripped = _strip_mu_nu_params(linen_opt_state)
+  return {"0": stripped} if is_nnx_chain else stripped
+
+
+def _replace_values_in_abstract_nnx_state(abstract_nnx_state, concrete_pure_dict):
+  """Rebuilds an nnx.State by injecting concrete values into abstract Variables, by path lookup.
+
+  Paths missing from `concrete_pure_dict` get a default: jnp.zeros for
+  plain dtypes, jax.random.key(0) for typed RNG keys.
+  """
+
+  def _key_to_str(k):
+    for attr in ("key", "name", "idx"):
+      if hasattr(k, attr):
+        return getattr(k, attr)
+    return str(k)
+
+  def _navigate(tree, keys):
+    cur = tree
+    for k in keys:
+      if not isinstance(cur, dict):
+        return None
+      if k in cur:
+        cur = cur[k]
+      elif str(k) in cur:
+        cur = cur[str(k)]
+      else:
+        return None
+    return cur
+
+  def _default_for(sds):
+    if not (hasattr(sds, "dtype") and hasattr(sds, "shape")):
+      return sds
+    if "key" not in str(sds.dtype):
+      return jnp.zeros(sds.shape, dtype=sds.dtype)
+    base = jax.random.key(0)
+    if sds.shape == ():
+      return base
+    return jax.random.split(base, int(np.prod(sds.shape))).reshape(sds.shape)
+
+  abs_paths_vars, treedef = jax.tree_util.tree_flatten_with_path(
+      abstract_nnx_state, is_leaf=lambda x: isinstance(x, nnx.Variable)
+  )
+  new_leaves = []
+  for path, var in abs_paths_vars:
+    concrete = _navigate(concrete_pure_dict, [_key_to_str(k) for k in path])
+    if isinstance(var, nnx.Variable):
+      new_leaves.append(var.replace(value=concrete if concrete is not None else _default_for(var.value)))
+    else:
+      new_leaves.append(concrete if concrete is not None else var)
+  return jax.tree_util.tree_unflatten(treedef, new_leaves)
+
+
+def _load_linen_full_state_into_nnx(path, abstract_nnx_state, checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+  """Loads a Linen full-state checkpoint into an NNX nnx.State abstract.
+
+  Translates between the two layouts: Linen has params/params, top-level
+  step, and opt_state with inner 'params' wrapping on mu/nu; NNX has model,
+  optimizer.step, and optimizer.opt_state without that wrapping. NNX-only
+  RNG/dropout state (not in Linen) is filled with deterministic defaults
+  (jnp.zeros for plain dtypes, jax.random.key(0) for typed RNG keys).
+
+  Args:
+    path: GCS or local checkpoint directory.
+    abstract_nnx_state: Target nnx.State, whose to_pure_dict() yields
+      {model: ..., optimizer: {step, opt_state}}.
+    checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb: Concurrent GB for byte I/O.
+    use_ocdbt: Whether to use OCDBT format.
+    use_zarr3: Whether to use Zarr3 format.
+
+  Returns:
+    An nnx.State of the same shape as the abstract, with concrete values.
+  """
+  max_logging.log(f"Detected Linen full-state on disk; adapting to NNX abstract at {path}")
+
+  pure = abstract_nnx_state.to_pure_dict()
+  if not (isinstance(pure, dict) and "model" in pure and "optimizer" in pure):
+    raise ValueError(
+        f"Expected NNX abstract with model/optimizer; got top-level keys "
+        f"{list(pure.keys()) if isinstance(pure, dict) else type(pure).__name__}"
+    )
+
+  nnx_opt_state_unboxed = _strip_value_wrappers(pure["optimizer"]["opt_state"])
+  linen_abstract = {
+      "params": {"params": _strip_nnx_rng_state(_strip_value_wrappers(pure["model"]))},
+      "step": _strip_value_wrappers(pure["optimizer"]["step"]),
+      "opt_state": _translate_nnx_opt_state_to_linen(nnx_opt_state_unboxed),
+  }
+
+  ckptr = ocp.Checkpointer(
+      ocp.PyTreeCheckpointHandler(
+          restore_concurrent_gb=checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+          save_concurrent_gb=checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+          use_ocdbt=use_ocdbt,
+          use_zarr3=use_zarr3,
+      )
+  )
+  restore_args = ocp.checkpoint_utils.construct_restore_args(linen_abstract)
+  restored = ckptr.restore(
+      epath.Path(path),
+      item=linen_abstract,
+      restore_args=restore_args,
+  )
+
+  nnx_pure_concrete = {
+      "model": restored["params"]["params"],
+      "optimizer": {
+          "step": restored["step"],
+          "opt_state": _translate_linen_opt_state_to_nnx(restored["opt_state"], nnx_opt_state_unboxed),
+      },
+  }
+  return _replace_values_in_abstract_nnx_state(abstract_nnx_state, nnx_pure_concrete)
+
+
 def _load_full_state_from_path(
     path,
     abstract_unboxed_pre_state,
@@ -216,6 +378,16 @@ def combine_sharding(sds, shardings):
     else:
       raise ocp_v1.errors.InvalidLayoutError(f"Unknown checkpoint layout: {source_checkpoint_layout}")
   else:
+    # Cross-format: NNX target reading a Linen-saved full-state checkpoint.
+    if isinstance(abstract_unboxed_pre_state, nnx.State) and _is_linen_full_state_on_disk(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+      return _load_linen_full_state_into_nnx(
+          path,
+          abstract_unboxed_pre_state,
+          checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+          use_ocdbt,
+          use_zarr3,
+      )
+
     # Original v0 logic.
     p = epath.Path(path)
     handler = ocp.PyTreeCheckpointHandler(
@@ -735,6 +907,123 @@ def setup_checkpoint_logger(config) -> Any | None:  # pytype: disable=attribute-
   return orbax_cloud_logger
 
 
+def _peek_on_disk_tree(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+  """Returns the on-disk pytree metadata at `path`."""
+  ckptr = ocp.Checkpointer(ocp.PyTreeCheckpointHandler(use_ocdbt=use_ocdbt, use_zarr3=use_zarr3))
+  metadata = ckptr.metadata(epath.Path(path))
+  if hasattr(metadata, "item_metadata") and hasattr(metadata.item_metadata, "tree"):
+    return metadata.item_metadata.tree
+  if hasattr(metadata, "tree"):
+    return metadata.tree
+  return metadata
+
+
+def _is_linen_format_on_disk(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+  """Returns True if the on-disk top-level is a Linen params/params/... layout."""
+  try:
+    tree = _peek_on_disk_tree(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3)
+    if isinstance(tree, dict) and "params" in tree:
+      inner = tree["params"]
+      if isinstance(inner, dict) and "params" in inner:
+        max_logging.log(f"format-detect: Linen layout detected at {path}")
+        return True
+  except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=broad-except
+    max_logging.log(f"format-detect: could not peek metadata at {path}: {e}")
+  return False
+
+
+def _is_linen_full_state_on_disk(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+  """Returns True if the on-disk top-level is a Linen full-state layout."""
+  try:
+    tree = _peek_on_disk_tree(path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3)
+    if isinstance(tree, dict) and {"step", "params", "opt_state"}.issubset(tree.keys()):
+      inner = tree.get("params")
+      if isinstance(inner, dict) and "params" in inner:
+        max_logging.log(f"format-detect: Linen full-state layout detected at {path}")
+        return True
+  except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=broad-except
+    max_logging.log(f"format-detect: could not peek full-state metadata at {path}: {e}")
+  return False
+
+
+def _strip_value_wrappers(tree):
+  """Unwraps {value: x} -> x recursively for leaf-like x."""
+  if isinstance(tree, dict):
+    if set(tree.keys()) == {"value"} and not isinstance(tree["value"], dict):
+      return tree["value"]
+    return {k: _strip_value_wrappers(v) for k, v in tree.items()}
+  return tree
+
+
+def _wrap_with_value(tree):
+  """Wraps each leaf as {value: leaf} recursively."""
+  if isinstance(tree, dict):
+    return {k: _wrap_with_value(v) for k, v in tree.items()}
+  return {"value": tree}
+
+
+def _load_linen_params_into_nnx(path, nnx_abstract_params, checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3):
+  """Loads a Linen-format params checkpoint into an NNX nnx.State abstract.
+
+  Restores using a Linen-shape abstract built by stripping the NNX
+  {value:} Variable boxing, then rebuilds the target nnx.State by
+  replacing each Variable's .value with the restored array. Sharding
+  metadata survives because it lives on the ShapeDtypeStruct leaves.
+
+  Args:
+    path: GCS or local checkpoint directory.
+    nnx_abstract_params: Target nnx.State (typically the nnx.Param group
+      from nnx.split(model, nnx.Param, ...)).
+    checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb: Concurrent GB for byte I/O.
+    use_ocdbt: Whether to use OCDBT format.
+    use_zarr3: Whether to use Zarr3 format.
+
+  Returns:
+    An nnx.State of the same shape as the abstract, with concrete values.
+  """
+  max_logging.log(f"Detected Linen format on disk; adapting to NNX abstract at {path}")
+
+  pure_dict = nnx_abstract_params.to_pure_dict()
+  linen_shape_abstract = _strip_value_wrappers(pure_dict)
+  inner_wrapped = {"params": linen_shape_abstract}
+
+  ckptr = ocp.Checkpointer(
+      ocp.PyTreeCheckpointHandler(
+          restore_concurrent_gb=checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+          save_concurrent_gb=checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+          use_ocdbt=use_ocdbt,
+          use_zarr3=use_zarr3,
+      )
+  )
+  restore_args = ocp.checkpoint_utils.construct_restore_args(inner_wrapped)
+  restored = ckptr.restore(
+      epath.Path(path),
+      item={"params": inner_wrapped},
+      transforms={},
+      restore_args={"params": restore_args},
+  )
+  linen_restored = restored["params"]["params"]
+
+  abstract_leaves, treedef = jax.tree_util.tree_flatten(
+      nnx_abstract_params,
+      is_leaf=lambda x: isinstance(x, nnx.Variable),
+  )
+  concrete_leaves = jax.tree_util.tree_leaves(linen_restored)
+  if len(abstract_leaves) != len(concrete_leaves):
+    raise ValueError(
+        f"Linen->NNX adapter: leaf count mismatch — "
+        f"{len(abstract_leaves)} abstract Variables vs "
+        f"{len(concrete_leaves)} restored arrays. Trees do not align."
+    )
+  new_leaves = []
+  for var, arr in zip(abstract_leaves, concrete_leaves):
+    if isinstance(var, nnx.Variable):
+      new_leaves.append(var.replace(value=arr))
+    else:
+      new_leaves.append(arr)
+  return jax.tree_util.tree_unflatten(treedef, new_leaves)
+
+
 def load_params_from_path(
     load_parameters_from_path, abstract_unboxed_params, checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb, use_ocdbt=True, use_zarr3=True
 ):
@@ -742,6 +1031,18 @@ def load_params_from_path(
   assert load_parameters_from_path, "load_parameters_from_path is not defined."
   max_logging.log(f"restoring params from {load_parameters_from_path}")
 
+  # Cross-format: NNX target reading a Linen-saved checkpoint.
+  if isinstance(abstract_unboxed_params, nnx.State) and _is_linen_format_on_disk(
+      load_parameters_from_path, use_ocdbt, use_zarr3
+  ):
+    return _load_linen_params_into_nnx(
+        load_parameters_from_path,
+        abstract_unboxed_params,
+        checkpoint_storage_concurrent_gb,
+        use_ocdbt,
+        use_zarr3,
+    )
+
   # *_concurrent_gb should be set for large models, the default is 96.
   max_logging.log(f"Creating checkpoint manager with ocdbt={use_ocdbt} and zarr3={use_zarr3}")
   ckptr = ocp.Checkpointer(