diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 1eb05d2..0cf90b8 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 2025-12-29 - 3.9.0 - feat(dees-appui-mainmenu)
+add status badges to main menu items with theme-aware styling
+
+- Introduce .badge element and layout (min-width, height, padding, font-size, weight, border-radius) to display counts/status on menu items.
+- Add four badge variants: default, success, warning, error, using cssManager.bdTheme for light/dark color pairs.
+- Render the badge element conditionally in the menu item template when tabArg.badge is provided; hide badges when host has [collapsed] attribute.
+
 ## 2025-12-29 - 3.8.0 - feat(dees-appui-base)
 add interactive demo controls to manipulate appui via view activation context
 
diff --git a/ts_web/00_commitinfo_data.ts b/ts_web/00_commitinfo_data.ts
index 490d99e..25baeaa 100644
--- a/ts_web/00_commitinfo_data.ts
+++ b/ts_web/00_commitinfo_data.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
  */
 export const commitinfo = {
   name: '@design.estate/dees-catalog',
-  version: '3.8.0',
+  version: '3.9.0',
   description: 'A comprehensive library that provides dynamic web components for building sophisticated and modern web applications using JavaScript and TypeScript.'
 }
diff --git a/ts_web/elements/00group-appui/dees-appui-mainmenu/dees-appui-mainmenu.ts b/ts_web/elements/00group-appui/dees-appui-mainmenu/dees-appui-mainmenu.ts
index 5e75a95..eb09738 100644
--- a/ts_web/elements/00group-appui/dees-appui-mainmenu/dees-appui-mainmenu.ts
+++ b/ts_web/elements/00group-appui/dees-appui-mainmenu/dees-appui-mainmenu.ts
@@ -336,6 +336,44 @@ export class DeesAppuiMainmenu extends DeesElement {
         transition-delay: 1s;
       }
 
+      /* Badge styles */
+      .badge {
+        display: inline-flex;
+        align-items: center;
+        justify-content: center;
+        min-width: 18px;
+        height: 18px;
+        padding: 0 6px;
+        font-size: 11px;
+        font-weight: 600;
+        border-radius: 9px;
+        margin-left: auto;
+      }
+
+      .badge.default {
+        background: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#f4f4f5', '#27272a')};
+        color: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#3f3f46', '#a1a1aa')};
+      }
+
+      .badge.success {
+        background: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#dcfce7', '#14532d')};
+        color: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#166534', '#4ade80')};
+      }
+
+      .badge.warning {
+        background: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#fef3c7', '#451a03')};
+        color: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#92400e', '#fbbf24')};
+      }
+
+      .badge.error {
+        background: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#fee2e2', '#450a0a')};
+        color: ${cssManager.bdTheme('#991b1b', '#f87171')};
+      }
+
+      :host([collapsed]) .badge {
+        display: none;
+      }
+
       /* Bottom Section */
       .bottomSection {
         flex-shrink: 0;
@@ -420,6 +458,9 @@ export class DeesAppuiMainmenu extends DeesElement {
       >
         <dees-icon .icon="${tabArg.iconName || ''}"></dees-icon>
         <span class="tabLabel">${tabArg.key}</span>
+        ${tabArg.badge !== undefined ? html`
+          <span class="badge ${tabArg.badgeVariant || 'default'}">${tabArg.badge}</span>
+        ` : ''}
         <span class="tab-tooltip">${tabArg.key}</span>
       </div>
     `;