diff --git a/src/components/messages/MessageViewer.vue b/src/components/messages/MessageViewer.vue
index f9e0336..d15865c 100644
--- a/src/components/messages/MessageViewer.vue
+++ b/src/components/messages/MessageViewer.vue
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ export default {
     data() {
         return {
 
+            isActive: false,
             messages: [],
             messagesSubscription: null,
 
@@ -148,10 +149,15 @@ export default {
     },
     activated() {
 
+        this.isActive = true;
+
         // update read state when coming back to message viewer
-        Database.NodeMessagesReadState.touch(this.nodeId);
+        this.updateMessagesLastReadAt();
 
     },
+    deactivated() {
+        this.isActive = false;
+    },
     methods: {
         async sendMessage() {
 
@@ -229,7 +235,7 @@ export default {
                 this.scrollMessagesToBottom();
 
                 // update read state since we auto scrolled to bottom of new messages
-                Database.NodeMessagesReadState.touch(this.nodeId);
+                this.updateMessagesLastReadAt();
 
             }
 
@@ -255,7 +261,7 @@ export default {
 
             // update read state since we scrolled to bottom
             if(isAtBottom){
-                Database.NodeMessagesReadState.touch(this.nodeId);
+                this.updateMessagesLastReadAt();
             }
 
         },
@@ -265,6 +271,17 @@ export default {
                 container.scrollTop = container.scrollHeight;
             });
         },
+        updateMessagesLastReadAt() {
+
+            // do nothing if route is not active
+            if(!this.isActive){
+                return;
+            }
+
+            // update last read at
+            Database.NodeMessagesReadState.touch(this.nodeId);
+
+        },
     },
     computed: {
         Protobuf() {
diff --git a/src/components/nodes/NodeListItem.vue b/src/components/nodes/NodeListItem.vue
index 15d280b..97921d2 100644
--- a/src/components/nodes/NodeListItem.vue
+++ b/src/components/nodes/NodeListItem.vue
@@ -44,6 +44,14 @@
             </div>
         </div>
 
+        <!-- unread messages count -->
+        <div v-if="unreadMessagesCount > 0" class="my-auto">
+            <div class="inline-flex items-center justify-center w-6 h-6 text-xs font-bold text-white bg-red-500 rounded-full shadow">
+                <span v-if="unreadMessagesCount >= 100">99</span>
+                <span>{{ unreadMessagesCount }}</span>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+
         <!-- our node battery level -->
         <div v-if="node.num === GlobalState.myNodeId && node.deviceMetrics && node.deviceMetrics.batteryLevel != null" class="ml-1 my-auto flex text-gray-500">
             <div class="my-auto text-sm">
@@ -110,6 +118,8 @@ import NodeDropDownMenu from "./NodeDropDownMenu.vue";
 import GlobalState from "../../js/GlobalState.js";
 import TimeUtils from "../../js/TimeUtils.js";
 import moment from "moment";
+import Database from "../../js/Database.js";
+import Connection from "../../js/Connection.js";
 
 export default {
     name: 'NodeListItem',
@@ -120,6 +130,22 @@ export default {
     props: {
         node: Object,
     },
+    data() {
+        return {
+            unreadMessagesCount: 0,
+            nodeMessagesReadStateSubscription: null,
+        };
+    },
+    mounted() {
+        Connection.addMessageListener(this.onMessage);
+        this.nodeMessagesReadStateSubscription = Database.NodeMessagesReadState.get(this.node.num).$.subscribe(async (nodeMessagesReadState) => {
+            await this.onNodeMessagesReadStateChange(nodeMessagesReadState);
+        });
+    },
+    unmounted() {
+        Connection.removeMessageListener(this.onMessage);
+        this.nodeMessagesReadStateSubscription?.unsubscribe();
+    },
     methods: {
         getNodeLongName: (nodeId) => NodeUtils.getNodeLongName(nodeId),
         formatUnixSecondsAgo(unixSeconds) {
@@ -132,6 +158,17 @@ export default {
             return "Unknown";
 
         },
+        async onMessage() {
+            const nodeMessagesReadState = await Database.NodeMessagesReadState.get(this.node.num).exec();
+            await this.onNodeMessagesReadStateChange(nodeMessagesReadState);
+        },
+        async updateUnreadMessagesCount(lastReadTimestamp) {
+            this.unreadMessagesCount = await Database.Message.getNodeMessagesUnreadCount(this.node.num, lastReadTimestamp).exec();
+        },
+        async onNodeMessagesReadStateChange(nodeMessagesReadState) {
+            const messagesLastReadTimestamp = nodeMessagesReadState?.timestamp ?? 0;
+            await this.updateUnreadMessagesCount(messagesLastReadTimestamp);
+        },
     },
     computed: {
         GlobalState() {
diff --git a/src/js/Connection.js b/src/js/Connection.js
index 3743128..3bf5463 100644
--- a/src/js/Connection.js
+++ b/src/js/Connection.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import Database from "./Database.js";
 class Connection {
 
     static clientNotificationListeners = [];
+    static messageListeners = [];
     static traceRouteListeners = [];
 
     static addClientNotificationListener(listener) {
@@ -17,6 +18,16 @@ class Connection {
         });
     }
 
+    static addMessageListener(listener) {
+        this.messageListeners.push(listener);
+    }
+
+    static removeMessageListener(listenerToRemove) {
+        this.messageListeners = this.messageListeners.filter((listener) => {
+            return listener !== listenerToRemove;
+        });
+    }
+
     static addTraceRouteListener(listener) {
         this.traceRouteListeners.push(listener);
     }
@@ -231,6 +242,11 @@ class Connection {
         connection.events.onMessagePacket.subscribe(async (data) => {
             console.log("onMessagePacket", data);
             await Database.Message.insert(data);
+            for(const messageListener of this.messageListeners){
+                try {
+                    messageListener(data);
+                } catch(e){}
+            }
         });
 
         // listen for device status changes
diff --git a/src/js/Database.js b/src/js/Database.js
index 6aff864..7b83ba8 100644
--- a/src/js/Database.js
+++ b/src/js/Database.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ async function initDatabase(nodeId) {
     database = await createRxDatabase({
         name: `meshtxt_db_node_${nodeId}`,
         storage: getRxStorageDexie(),
+        allowSlowCount: true, // fixme: figure out why rxdb complains about indexes when they existed during testing...
     });
 
     // add database schemas
@@ -265,6 +266,23 @@ class Message {
         });
     }
 
+    // get unread direct messages count for the provided node id
+    static getNodeMessagesUnreadCount(nodeId, messagesLastReadTimestamp) {
+        return database.messages.count({
+            selector: {
+                timestamp: {
+                    $gt: messagesLastReadTimestamp,
+                },
+                from: {
+                    $eq: nodeId,
+                },
+                to: {
+                    $eq: GlobalState.myNodeId,
+                },
+            },
+        });
+    }
+
 }
 
 class TraceRoute {
@@ -340,6 +358,17 @@ class NodeMessagesReadState {
         });
     }
 
+    // get the read state of messages for the provided node id
+    static get(nodeId) {
+        return database.node_messages_read_state.findOne({
+            selector: {
+                id: {
+                    $eq: nodeId.toString(),
+                },
+            },
+        });
+    }
+
 }
 
 export default {