diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
index 581b7f85a6..69381aecf5 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/react/buildHooks.ts
@@ -2103,6 +2103,16 @@ export function buildHooks<Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions>({
 
       const trigger: LazyInfiniteQueryTrigger<any> = useCallback(
         function (arg: unknown, direction: 'forward' | 'backward') {
+          // If the query is skipped (`arg` is `skipToken`), we must not start a
+          // request. Unsubscribe from any previous promise and bail out, so that
+          // e.g. calling `fetchNextPage()` on a skipped hook is a no-op instead
+          // of firing a request with `skipToken` as the query arg.
+          if (arg === skipToken) {
+            unsubscribePromiseRef(promiseRef)
+            promiseRef.current = undefined
+            return promiseRef.current as unknown as InfiniteQueryActionCreatorResult<any>
+          }
+
           let promise: InfiniteQueryActionCreatorResult<any>
 
           batch(() => {
diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/buildHooks.test.tsx b/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/buildHooks.test.tsx
index 6cf025b901..fb61e73766 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/buildHooks.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/tests/buildHooks.test.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@ import {
   createListenerMiddleware,
   createSlice,
 } from '@reduxjs/toolkit'
-import type { SubscriptionOptions } from '@reduxjs/toolkit/query/react'
+import type {
+  SkipToken,
+  SubscriptionOptions,
+} from '@reduxjs/toolkit/query/react'
 import {
   QueryStatus,
   createApi,
@@ -2543,6 +2546,50 @@ describe('hooks tests', () => {
       },
     )
 
+    test.each<[string, string | SkipToken, boolean | undefined]>([
+      ['skip token', skipToken, undefined],
+      ['skip option', 'fire', true],
+    ])(
+      'useInfiniteQuery does not fetch when `fetchNextPage`/`fetchPreviousPage` are called while skipped via %s',
+      async (_, arg, skip) => {
+        const storeRef = setupApiStore(pokemonApi, undefined, {
+          withoutTestLifecycles: true,
+        })
+
+        function Pokemon() {
+          const { isFetching, fetchNextPage, fetchPreviousPage } =
+            pokemonApi.useGetInfinitePokemonInfiniteQuery(arg, { skip })
+
+          return (
+            <div>
+              <div data-testid="isFetching">{String(isFetching)}</div>
+              <button onClick={() => fetchNextPage()}>next</button>
+              <button onClick={() => fetchPreviousPage()}>previous</button>
+            </div>
+          )
+        }
+
+        render(<Pokemon />, { wrapper: storeRef.wrapper })
+
+        expect(screen.getByTestId('isFetching').textContent).toBe('false')
+
+        fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('next'))
+        fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('previous'))
+
+        // Give any (incorrectly) dispatched request a chance to start
+        await act(async () => {
+          await delay(10)
+        })
+
+        // A skipped infinite query must not fetch, so no cache entry
+        // should have been created and `isFetching` should stay `false`.
+        expect(
+          Object.keys(storeRef.store.getState().api.queries),
+        ).toHaveLength(0)
+        expect(screen.getByTestId('isFetching').textContent).toBe('false')
+      },
+    )
+
     test('useInfiniteQuery hook option refetchCachedPages: false only refetches first page', async () => {
       const storeRef = setupApiStore(pokemonApi, undefined, {
         withoutTestLifecycles: true,