diff --git a/public/sounds/README.md b/public/sounds/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b361d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/sounds/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Notification Sound
+
+Pop-up Sound by BeezleFM -- https://freesound.org/s/512135/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
+
+Place your notification sound file here as:
+
+  `notification.mp3`
+
+The file is served at `/sounds/notification.mp3` and played automatically
+whenever a new in-app notification arrives.
+
+Supported formats: MP3, OGG, WAV — MP3 recommended for broadest browser support.
+Keep the file short (< 2 s) and not too loud.
diff --git a/public/sounds/notification.mp3 b/public/sounds/notification.mp3
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eaff032
Binary files /dev/null and b/public/sounds/notification.mp3 differ
diff --git a/src/contexts/NotificationContext.jsx b/src/contexts/NotificationContext.jsx
index 643ed98..fd8b300 100644
--- a/src/contexts/NotificationContext.jsx
+++ b/src/contexts/NotificationContext.jsx
@@ -3,6 +3,24 @@ import toast from 'react-hot-toast';
 import { useAuth } from './AuthContext';
 import api from '../services/api';
 
+// Lazily created Audio instance — reused across calls to avoid memory churn
+let _audio = null;
+function playNotificationSound() {
+  try {
+    if (!_audio) {
+      _audio = new Audio('/sounds/notification.mp3');
+      _audio.volume = 0.5;
+    }
+    // Reset to start so rapid arrivals always play from beginning
+    _audio.currentTime = 0;
+    _audio.play().catch(() => {
+      // Autoplay blocked (user hasn't interacted yet) or file missing — silent fail
+    });
+  } catch {
+    // Ignore any other errors (e.g. unsupported format)
+  }
+}
+
 const NotificationContext = createContext();
 
 export function NotificationProvider({ children }) {
@@ -30,6 +48,9 @@ export function NotificationProvider({ children }) {
 
       // Subsequent fetches: toast new unread notifications
       const newItems = incoming.filter(n => !n.read && !seenIds.current.has(n.id));
+      if (newItems.length > 0) {
+        playNotificationSound();
+      }
       newItems.forEach(n => {
         seenIds.current.add(n.id);
         const icon = notificationIcon(n.type);