diff --git a/extension/package.nls.json b/extension/package.nls.json
index 293799ef081..e5eb3ee8891 100644
--- a/extension/package.nls.json
+++ b/extension/package.nls.json
@@ -99,6 +99,15 @@
   "aspire-vscode.strings.dismissLabel": "Dismiss",
   "aspire-vscode.strings.selectDirectoryTitle": "Select directory",
   "aspire-vscode.strings.selectFileTitle": "Select file",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarStopped": "Aspire: Stopped",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarError": "Aspire: Error",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarRunning": "Aspire: {0}/{1} running",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarRunningNoResourcesSingular": "Aspire: {0} apphost",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarRunningNoResourcesPlural": "Aspire: {0} apphosts",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarTooltipStopped": "No Aspire apphosts running. Click to open the Aspire panel.",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarTooltipError": "Error fetching Aspire apphost status. Click to open the Aspire panel.",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarTooltipRunningSingular": "{0} Aspire apphost running. Click to open the Aspire panel.",
+  "aspire-vscode.strings.statusBarTooltipRunningPlural": "{0} Aspire apphosts running. Click to open the Aspire panel.",
   "viewsContainers.aspirePanel.title": "Aspire",
   "views.runningAppHosts.name": "Running apphosts",
   "views.runningAppHosts.welcome": "No running Aspire apphosts found.\n[Run an apphost](command:aspire-vscode.runAppHost)",
diff --git a/extension/src/extension.ts b/extension/src/extension.ts
index 1878b2930a5..2e159fcc92b 100644
--- a/extension/src/extension.ts
+++ b/extension/src/extension.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import { openLocalSettingsCommand, openGlobalSettingsCommand } from './commands/
 import { checkCliAvailableOrRedirect, checkForExistingAppHostPathInWorkspace } from './utils/workspace';
 import { AspireEditorCommandProvider } from './editor/AspireEditorCommandProvider';
 import { AspireAppHostTreeProvider } from './views/AspireAppHostTreeProvider';
+import { AspireStatusBarProvider } from './views/AspireStatusBarProvider';
 
 let aspireExtensionContext = new AspireExtensionContext();
 
@@ -84,21 +85,16 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
   // Set initial context for welcome view
   vscode.commands.executeCommand('setContext', 'aspire.noRunningAppHosts', true);
 
-  // Start polling when the tree view becomes visible, stop when hidden
-  if (appHostTreeView.visible) {
-    appHostTreeProvider.startPolling();
-  }
-
-  appHostTreeView.onDidChangeVisibility(e => {
-    if (e.visible) {
-      appHostTreeProvider.startPolling();
-    } else {
-      appHostTreeProvider.stopPolling();
-    }
-  });
+  // Always poll for app host status — the status bar needs up-to-date data even
+  // when the tree view panel is hidden.
+  appHostTreeProvider.startPolling();
 
   context.subscriptions.push(appHostTreeView, refreshRunningAppHostsRegistration, openDashboardRegistration, stopAppHostRegistration, stopResourceRegistration, startResourceRegistration, restartResourceRegistration, viewResourceLogsRegistration, executeResourceCommandRegistration, { dispose: () => appHostTreeProvider.dispose() });
 
+  // Status bar
+  const statusBarProvider = new AspireStatusBarProvider(appHostTreeProvider);
+  context.subscriptions.push(statusBarProvider);
+
   context.subscriptions.push(cliAddCommandRegistration, cliNewCommandRegistration, cliInitCommandRegistration, cliDeployCommandRegistration, cliPublishCommandRegistration, openTerminalCommandRegistration, configureLaunchJsonCommandRegistration);
   context.subscriptions.push(cliUpdateCommandRegistration, cliUpdateSelfCommandRegistration, settingsCommandRegistration, openLocalSettingsCommandRegistration, openGlobalSettingsCommandRegistration, runAppHostCommandRegistration, debugAppHostCommandRegistration);
 
diff --git a/extension/src/loc/strings.ts b/extension/src/loc/strings.ts
index 03821ecdaca..44d743af0d9 100644
--- a/extension/src/loc/strings.ts
+++ b/extension/src/loc/strings.ts
@@ -85,3 +85,21 @@ export const cliNotAvailable = vscode.l10n.t('Aspire CLI is not available on PAT
 export const cliFoundAtDefaultPath = (path: string) => vscode.l10n.t('Aspire CLI found at {0}. The extension will use this path.', path);
 export const selectDirectoryTitle = vscode.l10n.t('Select directory');
 export const selectFileTitle = vscode.l10n.t('Select file');
+
+// Status bar strings
+export const statusBarStopped = vscode.l10n.t('Aspire: Stopped');
+export const statusBarError = vscode.l10n.t('Aspire: Error');
+export function statusBarRunning(appHostCount: number, runningResources: number, totalResources: number): string {
+    if (totalResources === 0) {
+        return appHostCount === 1
+            ? vscode.l10n.t('Aspire: {0} apphost', appHostCount)
+            : vscode.l10n.t('Aspire: {0} apphosts', appHostCount);
+    }
+    return vscode.l10n.t('Aspire: {0}/{1} running', runningResources, totalResources);
+}
+export const statusBarTooltipStopped = vscode.l10n.t('No Aspire apphosts running. Click to open the Aspire panel.');
+export const statusBarTooltipError = vscode.l10n.t('Error fetching Aspire apphost status. Click to open the Aspire panel.');
+export const statusBarTooltipRunning = (appHostCount: number) =>
+    appHostCount === 1
+        ? vscode.l10n.t('{0} Aspire apphost running. Click to open the Aspire panel.', appHostCount)
+        : vscode.l10n.t('{0} Aspire apphosts running. Click to open the Aspire panel.', appHostCount);
diff --git a/extension/src/views/AspireAppHostTreeProvider.ts b/extension/src/views/AspireAppHostTreeProvider.ts
index 863656293d4..5178b99e7bc 100644
--- a/extension/src/views/AspireAppHostTreeProvider.ts
+++ b/extension/src/views/AspireAppHostTreeProvider.ts
@@ -14,18 +14,18 @@ import {
     selectCommandPlaceholder,
 } from '../loc/strings';
 
-interface ResourceUrlJson {
+export interface ResourceUrlJson {
     name: string | null;
     displayName: string | null;
     url: string;
     isInternal: boolean;
 }
 
-interface ResourceCommandJson {
+export interface ResourceCommandJson {
     description: string | null;
 }
 
-interface ResourceJson {
+export interface ResourceJson {
     name: string;
     displayName: string | null;
     resourceType: string;
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ interface ResourceJson {
     commands: Record<string, ResourceCommandJson> | null;
 }
 
-interface AppHostDisplayInfo {
+export interface AppHostDisplayInfo {
     appHostPath: string;
     appHostPid: number;
     cliPid: number | null;
@@ -153,6 +153,14 @@ export class AspireAppHostTreeProvider implements vscode.TreeDataProvider<TreeEl
 
     constructor(private readonly _terminalProvider: AspireTerminalProvider) {}
 
+    get appHosts(): readonly AppHostDisplayInfo[] {
+        return this._appHosts;
+    }
+
+    get hasError(): boolean {
+        return this._errorMessage !== undefined;
+    }
+
     refresh(): void {
         this._fetchAppHosts();
     }
diff --git a/extension/src/views/AspireStatusBarProvider.ts b/extension/src/views/AspireStatusBarProvider.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3c840b8e942
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extension/src/views/AspireStatusBarProvider.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import * as vscode from 'vscode';
+import { AspireAppHostTreeProvider, type AppHostDisplayInfo } from './AspireAppHostTreeProvider';
+import {
+    statusBarRunning,
+    statusBarStopped,
+    statusBarError,
+    statusBarTooltipRunning,
+    statusBarTooltipStopped,
+    statusBarTooltipError,
+} from '../loc/strings';
+
+const runningStates = new Set(['Running', 'Active']);
+
+function countResources(appHosts: readonly AppHostDisplayInfo[]): { total: number; running: number } {
+    let total = 0;
+    let running = 0;
+    for (const appHost of appHosts) {
+        if (appHost.resources) {
+            for (const resource of appHost.resources) {
+                total++;
+                if (resource.state !== null && runningStates.has(resource.state)) {
+                    running++;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return { total, running };
+}
+
+function hasUnhealthyResource(appHosts: readonly AppHostDisplayInfo[]): boolean {
+    for (const appHost of appHosts) {
+        if (appHost.resources) {
+            for (const resource of appHost.resources) {
+                if (resource.stateStyle === 'error' || resource.state === 'FailedToStart' || resource.state === 'RuntimeUnhealthy') {
+                    return true;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+export class AspireStatusBarProvider implements vscode.Disposable {
+    private readonly _statusBarItem: vscode.StatusBarItem;
+    private readonly _disposables: vscode.Disposable[] = [];
+
+    constructor(treeProvider: AspireAppHostTreeProvider) {
+        this._statusBarItem = vscode.window.createStatusBarItem(vscode.StatusBarAlignment.Left, 50);
+        this._statusBarItem.name = 'Aspire';
+        this._statusBarItem.command = 'aspire-vscode.runningAppHosts.focus';
+
+        this._disposables.push(
+            treeProvider.onDidChangeTreeData(() => this._update(treeProvider))
+        );
+
+        this._update(treeProvider);
+    }
+
+    private _update(treeProvider: AspireAppHostTreeProvider): void {
+        const appHosts = treeProvider.appHosts;
+
+        if (treeProvider.hasError) {
+            this._statusBarItem.text = `$(error) ${statusBarError}`;
+            this._statusBarItem.tooltip = statusBarTooltipError;
+            this._statusBarItem.backgroundColor = new vscode.ThemeColor('statusBarItem.errorBackground');
+            this._statusBarItem.show();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (appHosts.length === 0) {
+            this._statusBarItem.text = `$(circle-outline) ${statusBarStopped}`;
+            this._statusBarItem.tooltip = statusBarTooltipStopped;
+            this._statusBarItem.backgroundColor = undefined;
+            this._statusBarItem.show();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        const { total, running } = countResources(appHosts);
+        const unhealthy = hasUnhealthyResource(appHosts);
+
+        if (total === 0) {
+            // App host running but no resource info (older CLI without --resources)
+            this._statusBarItem.text = `$(radio-tower) ${statusBarRunning(appHosts.length, 0, 0)}`;
+            this._statusBarItem.tooltip = statusBarTooltipRunning(appHosts.length);
+            this._statusBarItem.backgroundColor = undefined;
+            this._statusBarItem.show();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        const icon = unhealthy ? '$(warning)' : '$(radio-tower)';
+        this._statusBarItem.text = `${icon} ${statusBarRunning(appHosts.length, running, total)}`;
+        this._statusBarItem.tooltip = statusBarTooltipRunning(appHosts.length);
+        this._statusBarItem.backgroundColor = unhealthy
+            ? new vscode.ThemeColor('statusBarItem.warningBackground')
+            : undefined;
+        this._statusBarItem.show();
+    }
+
+    dispose(): void {
+        this._statusBarItem.dispose();
+        for (const d of this._disposables) {
+            d.dispose();
+        }
+    }
+}