diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index db38a3b..db488f7 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 2025-03-17 - 5.6.0 - feat(tap)
+Add explicit fail method to the Tap class for better test failure handling
+
+- Introduced fail() method that throws a custom error message to explicitly mark test failures
+- Improves clarity in test flow by giving developers a direct way to trigger error states
+
 ## 2025-03-08 - 5.5.10 - fix(node)
 Removed unused jest dependency from project.
 
diff --git a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
index 3027d59..3ea9df1 100644
--- a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
+++ b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
  */
 export const commitinfo = {
   name: '@push.rocks/tapbundle',
-  version: '5.5.10',
+  version: '5.6.0',
   description: 'A comprehensive testing automation library that provides a wide range of utilities and tools for TAP (Test Anything Protocol) based testing, especially suitable for projects using tapbuffer.'
 }
diff --git a/ts/tapbundle.classes.tap.ts b/ts/tapbundle.classes.tap.ts
index 05ddc4b..f124a2d 100644
--- a/ts/tapbundle.classes.tap.ts
+++ b/ts/tapbundle.classes.tap.ts
@@ -160,6 +160,14 @@ export class Tap<T> {
   public threw(err: Error) {
     console.log(err);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Explicitly fail the current test with a custom message
+   * @param message - The failure message to display
+   */
+  public fail(message: string = 'Test failed'): never {
+    throw new Error(message);
+  }
 }
 
 export let tap = new Tap();