diff --git a/app/components/Chat/index.tsx b/app/components/Chat/index.tsx
index 90fe11701..5179f3209 100644
--- a/app/components/Chat/index.tsx
+++ b/app/components/Chat/index.tsx
@@ -23,10 +23,11 @@ export function Chat({
     inputRef,
     actionFetcher,
     isOpen,
-    setIsOpen,
+    toggleOpen,
+    unreadCount,
   } = useChat(id);
 
-  if (!user) return null;
+  if (!user || !messages) return null;
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -76,13 +77,16 @@ export function Chat({
           </actionFetcher.Form>
         </div>
       )}
-      <button className="chat__fab" onClick={() => setIsOpen(() => !isOpen)}>
+      <button className="chat__fab" onClick={toggleOpen}>
         {isOpen ? (
           <CrossIcon className="chat__fab__icon" />
         ) : (
           <SpeechBubbleIcon className="chat__fab__icon" />
         )}
       </button>
+      {unreadCount > 0 && (
+        <div className="chat__fab__unread">{unreadCount}</div>
+      )}
     </>
   );
 }
diff --git a/app/components/Chat/useChat.ts b/app/components/Chat/useChat.ts
index 7d35076bb..f3eab9437 100644
--- a/app/components/Chat/useChat.ts
+++ b/app/components/Chat/useChat.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export default function useChat(id: string) {
   const [messagesAfterLoad, setMessagesAfterLoad] = React.useState<
     ChatLoaderData["messages"]
   >([]);
+  const [unreadCount, setUnreadCount] = React.useState(0);
   const loaderFetcher = useFetcher<ChatLoaderData>();
   const actionFetcher = useFetcher<ChatActionData>();
   const containerRef = React.useRef<HTMLUListElement>(null);
@@ -21,16 +22,33 @@ export default function useChat(id: string) {
   const user = useUser();
   invariant(user, "!user");
 
-  useSocketEvent(`chat-${id}`, (data: Unpacked<ChatLoaderData["messages"]>) => {
-    if (data.sender.id === user.id) return;
-    setMessagesAfterLoad((messages) => [...messages, data]);
-    setIsOpen(true);
-  });
+  const eventHandler = React.useCallback(
+    (data: Unpacked<ChatLoaderData["messages"]>) => {
+      if (data.sender.id === user.id) return;
+      setMessagesAfterLoad((messages) => [...messages, data]);
+      if (!isOpen) {
+        setUnreadCount((count) => count + 1);
+      }
+    },
+    [isOpen]
+  );
+
+  useSocketEvent(`chat-${id}`, eventHandler);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     loaderFetcher.load(chatRoute([id]));
   }, []);
 
+  // open chat on data load if there are messages
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!loaderFetcher.data) return;
+
+    if (loaderFetcher.data.messages.length > 0) {
+      setIsOpen(true);
+    }
+  }, [loaderFetcher.data]);
+
+  // after sending message reset and refocus input so user can keep typing
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (actionFetcher.submission) {
       formRef.current?.reset();
@@ -69,6 +87,17 @@ export default function useChat(id: string) {
     return newMessageContent;
   }, [actionFetcher]);
 
+  const toggleOpen = React.useCallback(() => {
+    setIsOpen((open) => {
+      if (!open) {
+        setUnreadCount(0);
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      return false;
+    });
+  }, []);
+
   React.useEffect(() => {
     if (!containerRef.current) return;
     containerRef.current.scrollTop = containerRef.current.scrollHeight;
@@ -82,6 +111,7 @@ export default function useChat(id: string) {
     inputRef,
     actionFetcher,
     isOpen,
-    setIsOpen,
+    toggleOpen,
+    unreadCount,
   };
 }
diff --git a/app/hooks/useSocketEvent.ts b/app/hooks/useSocketEvent.ts
index a05ab32f9..2af9d4d30 100644
--- a/app/hooks/useSocketEvent.ts
+++ b/app/hooks/useSocketEvent.ts
@@ -11,5 +11,5 @@ export function useSocketEvent(event: string, handler: (data: any) => void) {
     return () => {
       socket.close();
     };
-  }, []);
+  }, [handler]);
 }
diff --git a/app/styles/global.css b/app/styles/global.css
index 8845c80f7..e9c5f0823 100644
--- a/app/styles/global.css
+++ b/app/styles/global.css
@@ -588,6 +588,23 @@ hr {
   width: 28px;
 }
 
+.chat__fab__unread {
+  position: fixed;
+  z-index: 70;
+  bottom: 60px;
+  left: 50.9%;
+  display: flex;
+  width: 1rem;
+  height: 1rem;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  background-color: var(--theme-warning);
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  color: var(--button-text);
+  font-size: var(--fonts-xs);
+  font-weight: var(--bold);
+}
+
 .chat__window {
   position: fixed;
   z-index: 50;
@@ -620,6 +637,10 @@ hr {
   .chat__window {
     left: 85%;
   }
+
+  .chat__fab__unread {
+    left: 85.9%;
+  }
 }
 
 .chat__messages {