diff --git a/ui/components/add-provider-model-dialog.tsx b/ui/components/add-provider-model-dialog.tsx
index 9407d39f..c9f6984d 100644
--- a/ui/components/add-provider-model-dialog.tsx
+++ b/ui/components/add-provider-model-dialog.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use client';
 
-import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
 import { z } from 'zod';
 import { zodResolver } from '@hookform/resolvers/zod';
diff --git a/ui/components/app-page-shell.tsx b/ui/components/app-page-shell.tsx
index 0f2e7026..29b97736 100644
--- a/ui/components/app-page-shell.tsx
+++ b/ui/components/app-page-shell.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { adminLogout } from '@/lib/api/services/auth';
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
 import { CurrencyToggle } from '@/components/currency-toggle';
 import { ThemeToggle } from '@/components/theme-toggle';
+import { VersionStatus } from '@/components/version-status';
 import {
   Sheet,
   SheetClose,
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ export function AppPageShell({
                   <h1 className='truncate text-lg font-semibold tracking-tight whitespace-nowrap'>
                     Routstr Node
                   </h1>
+                  <VersionStatus className='mt-0.5' />
                 </div>
               </div>
               <Button
@@ -279,9 +281,12 @@ export function AppPageShell({
                     height={24}
                     className='rounded-sm'
                   />
-                  <p className='truncate text-base font-medium tracking-tight'>
-                    Routstr Node
-                  </p>
+                  <div className='min-w-0'>
+                    <p className='truncate text-base font-medium tracking-tight'>
+                      Routstr Node
+                    </p>
+                    <VersionStatus className='mt-0.5' />
+                  </div>
                 </div>
                 <SheetClose asChild>
                   <Button
diff --git a/ui/components/version-status.tsx b/ui/components/version-status.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5151c11f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/components/version-status.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,282 @@
+'use client';
+
+import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';
+import {
+  AlertTriangleIcon,
+  CheckCircle2Icon,
+  ExternalLinkIcon,
+  InfoIcon,
+  Loader2Icon,
+  RefreshCwIcon,
+} from 'lucide-react';
+import { ConfigurationService } from '@/lib/api/services/configuration';
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
+import {
+  Popover,
+  PopoverContent,
+  PopoverTrigger,
+} from '@/components/ui/popover';
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
+import {
+  deriveStatus,
+  formatReleaseDate,
+  formatVersionLabel,
+  parseVersion,
+  type StatusKind,
+} from '@/lib/utils/version';
+
+interface NodeInfo {
+  version?: string;
+}
+
+interface GithubRelease {
+  tag_name: string;
+  name?: string;
+  html_url: string;
+  published_at?: string;
+  body?: string;
+}
+
+const NODE_QUERY_KEY = ['node-version'] as const;
+const RELEASE_QUERY_KEY = ['routstr-latest-release'] as const;
+const THIRTY_MINUTES = 30 * 60 * 1000;
+
+const GITHUB_RELEASES_URL = `https://api.github.com/repos/Routstr/routstr-core/releases/latest`;
+const RELEASES_PAGE_URL = `https://github.com/Routstr/routstr-core/releases`;
+
+async function fetchNodeInfo(): Promise<NodeInfo> {
+  const baseUrl = ConfigurationService.getLocalBaseUrl().replace(/\/+$/, '');
+  const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/v1/info`, {
+    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+  });
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    throw new Error('Unable to load node info');
+  }
+  return (await response.json()) as NodeInfo;
+}
+
+async function fetchLatestRelease(): Promise<GithubRelease | null> {
+  const response = await fetch(GITHUB_RELEASES_URL, {
+    headers: { Accept: 'application/vnd.github+json' },
+  });
+  if (response.status === 403 || response.status === 404) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    throw new Error(`GitHub responded ${response.status}`);
+  }
+  return (await response.json()) as GithubRelease;
+}
+
+function pickColorClass(status: StatusKind): string {
+  if (status === 'outdated') return 'text-amber-600 dark:text-amber-400';
+  if (status === 'unknown') return 'text-muted-foreground';
+  if (status === 'ahead' || status === 'commit-drift') {
+    return 'text-sky-600 dark:text-sky-400';
+  }
+  return 'text-emerald-600 dark:text-emerald-400';
+}
+
+function renderStatusIcon(status: StatusKind, className: string) {
+  if (status === 'outdated') {
+    return <AlertTriangleIcon className={className} />;
+  }
+  if (status === 'commit-drift' || status === 'ahead' || status === 'unknown') {
+    return <InfoIcon className={className} />;
+  }
+  return <CheckCircle2Icon className={className} />;
+}
+
+function describeStatus(status: StatusKind): string {
+  if (status === 'outdated') return 'A newer release is available.';
+  if (status === 'commit-drift') {
+    return 'Running release version on a non-release commit.';
+  }
+  if (status === 'ahead') {
+    return 'Running ahead of the latest published release.';
+  }
+  if (status === 'current') return 'Up to date with the latest release.';
+  return 'Version status unavailable.';
+}
+
+interface VersionStatusProps {
+  variant?: 'expanded' | 'compact';
+  className?: string;
+}
+
+export function VersionStatus({
+  variant = 'expanded',
+  className,
+}: VersionStatusProps) {
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
+
+  const nodeQuery = useQuery({
+    queryKey: NODE_QUERY_KEY,
+    queryFn: fetchNodeInfo,
+    staleTime: THIRTY_MINUTES,
+    retry: 1,
+  });
+
+  const releaseQuery = useQuery({
+    queryKey: RELEASE_QUERY_KEY,
+    queryFn: fetchLatestRelease,
+    staleTime: THIRTY_MINUTES,
+    refetchInterval: THIRTY_MINUTES,
+    refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
+    retry: 1,
+  });
+
+  const currentVersion = parseVersion(nodeQuery.data?.version);
+  const latestVersion = parseVersion(releaseQuery.data?.tag_name);
+  const status = deriveStatus(currentVersion, latestVersion);
+
+  const isRefreshing = releaseQuery.isFetching || nodeQuery.isFetching;
+
+  const handleRefresh = async (): Promise<void> => {
+    await Promise.all([
+      queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: NODE_QUERY_KEY }),
+      queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: RELEASE_QUERY_KEY }),
+    ]);
+  };
+
+  const colorClass = pickColorClass(status);
+  const versionLabel = currentVersion
+    ? formatVersionLabel(currentVersion)
+    : nodeQuery.isLoading
+      ? '…'
+      : 'unknown';
+
+  if (!nodeQuery.data && nodeQuery.isLoading && variant === 'expanded') {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const statusDescription = describeStatus(status);
+  const ariaLabel = `Node version ${versionLabel}. ${statusDescription} Click for details.`;
+
+  const releaseRateLimited = releaseQuery.data === null;
+
+  return (
+    <Popover>
+      <PopoverTrigger asChild>
+        <button
+          type='button'
+          onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+          className={cn(
+            'hover:bg-accent/40 inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-md px-1 py-0.5 font-mono text-[10px] leading-tight transition-colors',
+            colorClass,
+            className
+          )}
+          title='View version details'
+          aria-label={ariaLabel}
+        >
+          {renderStatusIcon(status, 'h-3 w-3 shrink-0')}
+          <span className='truncate'>{versionLabel}</span>
+        </button>
+      </PopoverTrigger>
+      <PopoverContent
+        side='bottom'
+        align='start'
+        sideOffset={6}
+        className='w-72 p-3'
+      >
+        <div className='flex items-start justify-between gap-2'>
+          <div className='min-w-0 space-y-0.5'>
+            <div className='flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-medium'>
+              {renderStatusIcon(status, cn('h-4 w-4 shrink-0', colorClass))}
+              Node Version
+            </div>
+            <p className='text-muted-foreground text-xs leading-snug'>
+              {statusDescription}
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          <Button
+            type='button'
+            variant='outline'
+            size='icon'
+            className='h-7 w-7 shrink-0'
+            onClick={handleRefresh}
+            disabled={isRefreshing}
+            title='Check for latest release'
+          >
+            {isRefreshing ? (
+              <Loader2Icon className='h-3.5 w-3.5 animate-spin' />
+            ) : (
+              <RefreshCwIcon className='h-3.5 w-3.5' />
+            )}
+            <span className='sr-only'>Check for latest release</span>
+          </Button>
+        </div>
+
+        <div className='mt-3 space-y-2'>
+          <div className='border-border/60 bg-card/30 grid gap-1.5 rounded-md border p-2'>
+            <div className='flex items-center justify-between gap-3'>
+              <span className='text-muted-foreground text-[10px] tracking-wide uppercase'>
+                Current
+              </span>
+              <span className='font-mono text-xs'>{versionLabel}</span>
+            </div>
+            {currentVersion?.commit ? (
+              <div className='flex items-center justify-between gap-3'>
+                <span className='text-muted-foreground text-[10px] tracking-wide uppercase'>
+                  Commit
+                </span>
+                <code className='font-mono text-[11px]'>
+                  {currentVersion.commit}
+                </code>
+              </div>
+            ) : null}
+          </div>
+
+          <div className='border-border/60 bg-card/30 grid gap-1.5 rounded-md border p-2'>
+            <div className='flex items-center justify-between gap-3'>
+              <span className='text-muted-foreground text-[10px] tracking-wide uppercase'>
+                Latest release
+              </span>
+              <span className='font-mono text-xs'>
+                {releaseQuery.isLoading
+                  ? 'loading…'
+                  : releaseQuery.isError
+                    ? 'unavailable'
+                    : releaseRateLimited
+                      ? 'rate-limited'
+                      : (releaseQuery.data?.tag_name ?? 'unknown')}
+              </span>
+            </div>
+            {releaseQuery.data?.published_at ? (
+              <div className='flex items-center justify-between gap-3'>
+                <span className='text-muted-foreground text-[10px] tracking-wide uppercase'>
+                  Published
+                </span>
+                <span className='text-[11px]'>
+                  {formatReleaseDate(releaseQuery.data.published_at)}
+                </span>
+              </div>
+            ) : null}
+          </div>
+
+          {releaseQuery.isError ? (
+            <p className='text-muted-foreground text-[11px]'>
+              Failed to fetch latest release from GitHub.
+            </p>
+          ) : releaseRateLimited ? (
+            <p className='text-muted-foreground text-[11px]'>
+              GitHub rate limit reached. Try again later.
+            </p>
+          ) : null}
+        </div>
+
+        <div className='border-border/60 mt-3 border-t pt-2'>
+          <a
+            href={releaseQuery.data?.html_url ?? RELEASES_PAGE_URL}
+            target='_blank'
+            rel='noopener noreferrer'
+            className='text-primary inline-flex items-center gap-1 text-xs hover:underline'
+          >
+            View release changelog
+            <ExternalLinkIcon className='h-3 w-3' />
+          </a>
+        </div>
+      </PopoverContent>
+    </Popover>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/ui/lib/utils/version.ts b/ui/lib/utils/version.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..66b8c25d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/lib/utils/version.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+export interface ParsedVersion {
+  raw: string;
+  base: string;
+  parts: readonly number[];
+  commit: string | null;
+}
+
+export type StatusKind =
+  | 'unknown'
+  | 'outdated'
+  | 'ahead'
+  | 'commit-drift'
+  | 'current';
+
+export function parseVersion(
+  raw: string | undefined | null
+): ParsedVersion | null {
+  if (!raw) return null;
+  const trimmed = raw.trim().replace(/^v/i, '');
+  if (!trimmed) return null;
+  const [base, commitPart] = trimmed.split('+', 2);
+  const parts = (base ?? '')
+    .split('.')
+    .map((segment) => Number.parseInt(segment, 10))
+    .filter((value) => Number.isFinite(value));
+  if (parts.length === 0) return null;
+  return {
+    raw,
+    base: base ?? '',
+    parts,
+    commit: commitPart ?? null,
+  };
+}
+
+export function compareVersionParts(
+  a: readonly number[],
+  b: readonly number[]
+): number {
+  const length = Math.max(a.length, b.length);
+  for (let i = 0; i < length; i += 1) {
+    const diff = (a[i] ?? 0) - (b[i] ?? 0);
+    if (diff !== 0) return diff;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+export function deriveStatus(
+  current: ParsedVersion | null,
+  latest: ParsedVersion | null
+): StatusKind {
+  if (!current || !latest) return 'unknown';
+  const cmp = compareVersionParts(current.parts, latest.parts);
+  if (cmp < 0) return 'outdated';
+  if (cmp > 0) return 'ahead';
+  return current.commit ? 'commit-drift' : 'current';
+}
+
+export function formatReleaseDate(iso: string | undefined): string | null {
+  if (!iso) return null;
+  const date = new Date(iso);
+  if (Number.isNaN(date.getTime())) return null;
+  return date.toLocaleDateString(undefined, {
+    year: 'numeric',
+    month: 'short',
+    day: 'numeric',
+  });
+}
+
+export function formatVersionLabel(version: ParsedVersion | null): string {
+  if (!version) return 'unknown';
+  return version.raw.startsWith('v') ? version.raw : `v${version.raw}`;
+}