diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7b1d7cc..357a19a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -98,8 +98,10 @@ Run `:checkhealth shepherd` to verify the binary is found.
 
 `require("shepherd").status()` returns a short string — the open count, plus an
 overdue suffix — or `""` when there's nothing open or the count hasn't loaded
-yet. Counts refresh after any add/done/rm you make and on `FocusGained`; call
-`require("shepherd").refresh()` to force it.
+yet. Counts refresh live on every board change — yours, the board TUI's, or
+another process's — plus on `FocusGained`; call
+`require("shepherd").refresh()` to force it. Set `watch = false` (see
+[configuration](#configuration)) to drop back to `FocusGained` only.
 
 lualine:
 
@@ -140,6 +142,7 @@ require("shepherd").setup({
 	board = nil,             -- string | fun():string | nil — passed as --board
 	float = { width = 0.8, height = 0.8, border = "rounded" },
 	status = { icon = "" },  -- prefix for status(); e.g. a nerd-font glyph
+	watch = true,            -- stream `shepherd watch` to keep the statusline live
 })
 ```
 
@@ -153,6 +156,12 @@ require("shepherd").setup({
 - `float` — fractions of the editor size, and the window border.
 - `status.icon` — prefix for `status()`. With an icon it renders `<icon> 3`;
   empty renders `3 todo`.
+- `watch` — streams `shepherd watch` in the background and refreshes the
+  statusline counts on every board change (from the TUI or another process), not
+  just on `FocusGained`. Re-scopes to the active board on switch, and stops on
+  exit. One extra process per Neovim, polling the board file once a second; set
+  it to `false` to skip that. Needs shepherd ≥ 0.16 (the `watch` verb); with no
+  `shepherd` on `$PATH` it simply doesn't start.
 
 ## development
 
diff --git a/lua/shepherd/init.lua b/lua/shepherd/init.lua
index 9728bb9..8ae80fe 100644
--- a/lua/shepherd/init.lua
+++ b/lua/shepherd/init.lua
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ local defaults = {
 	board = nil, -- string | fun():string | nil
 	float = { width = 0.8, height = 0.8, border = "rounded" },
 	status = { icon = "" }, -- prefix for M.status(), e.g. a nerd-font glyph
+	watch = true, -- stream `shepherd watch` to keep the statusline live
 }
 
 local config = vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", {}, defaults)
@@ -14,6 +15,10 @@ local config = vim.tbl_deep_extend("force", {}, defaults)
 -- it wins over config.board; "default" means the unscoped default board.
 local active_board = nil
 
+-- watch state, forward-declared so set_active_board (below) can restart the
+-- stream; defined near M.status.
+local watch_job, watch_start, watch_stop
+
 -- binary returns the configured shepherd command (used by the health check).
 function M.binary()
 	return config.cmd
@@ -23,6 +28,9 @@ end
 -- config.board until changed again.
 function M.set_active_board(name)
 	active_board = name
+	if watch_job then
+		watch_start() -- re-scope the stream to the new board
+	end
 end
 
 -- with_board appends "--board <name>" to cmd when one is in effect: the
@@ -300,6 +308,57 @@ function M.refresh()
 	end)
 end
 
+-- watch streams `shepherd watch` (NDJSON, board-scoped) and refreshes counts on
+-- every change, so edits from the board TUI or another process update the
+-- statusline without waiting for FocusGained. Opt-in via config.watch.
+-- watch_job/watch_start/watch_stop are forward-declared near the top.
+function watch_stop()
+	if watch_job then
+		pcall(function()
+			watch_job:kill(15)
+		end)
+		watch_job = nil
+	end
+end
+
+function watch_start()
+	watch_stop()
+	-- on by default, so a missing binary must stay a checkhealth problem rather
+	-- than an ENOENT thrown out of setup() on every startup
+	if vim.fn.executable(config.cmd) ~= 1 then
+		return
+	end
+	local cmd = with_board({ config.cmd, "watch" })
+	local job
+	job = vim.system(cmd, {
+		text = true,
+		stdout = function(_, data)
+			if data and data ~= "" then
+				vim.schedule(M.refresh)
+			end
+		end,
+	}, function(r)
+		-- a restart's kill lands after the replacement is live, so only the
+		-- current job may clear the handle — and only its death is worth
+		-- reporting: a killed predecessor is expected, a live stream dying
+		-- (no `watch` verb on an older binary) would otherwise fail silently
+		if watch_job ~= job then
+			return
+		end
+		watch_job = nil
+		if r.code ~= 0 then
+			local why = (r.stderr or ""):gsub("%s+$", "")
+			vim.schedule(function()
+				vim.notify(
+					"shepherd: watch stopped — " .. (why ~= "" and why or "exit " .. r.code),
+					vim.log.levels.ERROR
+				)
+			end)
+		end
+	end)
+	watch_job = job
+end
+
 -- status returns a statusline string: "" when empty/loading, else the open
 -- count with the configured icon and an overdue suffix.
 function M.status()
@@ -440,12 +499,18 @@ function M.setup(opts)
 	end, { desc = "unarchive an archived board" })
 
 	-- keep statusline counts fresh across external edits / other tabs
+	local group = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup("shepherd", { clear = true })
 	vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("FocusGained", {
-		group = vim.api.nvim_create_augroup("shepherd", { clear = true }),
+		group = group,
 		callback = function()
 			M.refresh()
 		end,
 	})
+
+	if config.watch then
+		watch_start()
+		vim.api.nvim_create_autocmd("VimLeavePre", { group = group, callback = watch_stop })
+	end
 end
 
 -- _run exposes the CLI runner to the board-management submodule