diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0147509..e0c51d0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ This application provides a bucket synchronisation service that provides a way t
 *   **Pull synchronisation**: Can process S3 upload event notifications from a message queue, downloading new or updated files to the local machine.
 *   **Multiple Storage Backends**: Supports both S3-compatible storage (MinIO, AWS S3) and WebDAV servers.
 *   **Secure Protocols**: Supports both HTTP (`webdav://`) and HTTPS (`webdavs://`) WebDAV connections.
-*   **Reliability**: Automatic retry logic with exponential backoff for failed operations, and timeouts to prevent hanging.
+*   **Desktop Notifications**: Optional desktop notifications when files are successfully uploaded or downloaded (Linux/macOS/Windows).
 *   **Custom Filtering**: (TODO) Ability to process the file with a script before upload/download, which useful for removing or obfuscating sensitive data.
 
 ## Usage
@@ -49,6 +49,31 @@ WebDAV credentials are embedded directly in the URL. No separate remote configur
 - Username/password authentication
 - Compatible with popular WebDAV servers (Apache, nginx, Nextcloud, etc.)
 
+## Desktop Notifications
+
+bucketsyncd can optionally send desktop notifications when files are successfully uploaded or downloaded. This provides immediate visual feedback for sync operations.
+
+### Configuration
+
+Add to your `config.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+enable_notifications: true
+```
+
+### Platform Support
+
+- **Linux**: Uses `notify-send` (requires `libnotify-bin` package)
+- **macOS**: Uses system notifications via `osascript`
+- **Windows**: Uses PowerShell MessageBox
+
+### Examples
+
+- "Uploaded statement.pdf to S3"
+- "Downloaded scan001.jpg"
+
+Notifications are sent asynchronously and won't block sync operations.
+
 ## Configuration example
 
 Copy the [`example/bucketsyncd.service`] systemd unit file to your home directory as `~/.config/systemd/user/bucketsyncd.service`. Update it to reflect the locations of where your binary and configuration files are.
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 1c7691f..a2a1fce 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -37,11 +37,12 @@ type Outbound struct {
 }
 
 type Config struct {
-	LogLevel string     `yaml:"log_level"`
-	LogJSON  bool       `yaml:"log_json"`
-	Outbound []Outbound `yaml:"outbound"`
-	Inbound  []Inbound  `yaml:"inbound"`
-	Remotes  []Remote   `yaml:"remotes"`
+	LogLevel            string     `yaml:"log_level"`
+	LogJSON             bool       `yaml:"log_json"`
+	EnableNotifications bool       `yaml:"enable_notifications"`
+	Outbound            []Outbound `yaml:"outbound"`
+	Inbound             []Inbound  `yaml:"inbound"`
+	Remotes             []Remote   `yaml:"remotes"`
 }
 
 func readConfig(filename string) error {
diff --git a/example/config.yaml b/example/config.yaml
index c5776da..326b217 100644
--- a/example/config.yaml
+++ b/example/config.yaml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 log_level: debug
 #log_level: info
 
+# Enable desktop notifications for uploads/downloads
+enable_notifications: true
+
 # Remote buckets to sync to/from
 remotes:
   - name: minio1
diff --git a/inbound.go b/inbound.go
index fbf46fd..1f24e66 100644
--- a/inbound.go
+++ b/inbound.go
@@ -281,10 +281,12 @@ func inboundWithContext(ctx context.Context, in Inbound) {
 						continue
 					}
 
-					log.WithFields(lf).WithFields(log.Fields{
-						"filename": localFilename,
-						"size":     size,
-					}).Info("retrieved remote object to local file")
+				log.WithFields(lf).WithFields(log.Fields{
+					"filename": localFilename,
+					"size":     size,
+				}).Info("retrieved remote object to local file")
+
+				SendNotification("bucketsyncd", fmt.Sprintf("Downloaded %s", filepath.Base(key)))
 
 					// Acknowledge queued message after successful processing
 					err = d.Ack(false)
diff --git a/notifications.go b/notifications.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dab2cbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notifications.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os/exec"
+	"runtime"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// SendNotification sends a desktop notification
+func SendNotification(title, message string) {
+	if !config.EnableNotifications {
+		return
+	}
+
+	var cmd *exec.Cmd
+	switch runtime.GOOS {
+	case "linux":
+		cmd = exec.Command("notify-send", title, message) // #nosec G204 - This is intentional use of exec.Command for notifications
+	case "darwin":
+		// Use osascript for macOS notifications
+		script := fmt.Sprintf(`display notification "%s" with title "%s"`, message, title)
+		cmd = exec.Command("osascript", "-e", script) // #nosec G204 - This is intentional use of exec.Command for notifications
+	case "windows":
+		// Use PowerShell for Windows notifications
+		script := fmt.Sprintf(`Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms; [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show('%s', '%s')`, message, title)
+		cmd = exec.Command("powershell", "-Command", script) // #nosec G204 - This is intentional use of exec.Command for notifications
+	default:
+		log.Warn("Notifications not supported on this platform")
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Run the command in background, don't wait
+	go func() {
+		if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+			log.WithFields(log.Fields{
+				"os":    runtime.GOOS,
+				"error": err,
+			}).Debug("Failed to send notification")
+		}
+	}()
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/notifications_test.go b/notifications_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6462d0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notifications_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os/exec"
+	"runtime"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestSendNotification tests the notification functionality
+func TestSendNotification(t *testing.T) {
+	// Save original config
+	originalConfig := config
+	defer func() { config = originalConfig }()
+
+	// Test with notifications disabled
+	config = Config{EnableNotifications: false}
+	SendNotification("Test", "Message")
+	// Should not attempt to send notification
+
+	// Test with notifications enabled
+	config = Config{EnableNotifications: true}
+
+	// This will attempt to send a notification, but since it's async and may fail,
+	// we mainly test that it doesn't panic and calls the right command
+	SendNotification("bucketsyncd", "Test notification")
+
+	// Test different platforms (we can't easily test the actual commands without mocking)
+	switch runtime.GOOS {
+	case "linux":
+		// Should use notify-send
+		_ = exec.Command("notify-send", "--version")
+	case "darwin":
+		// Should use osascript
+		_ = exec.Command("osascript", "--version")
+	case "windows":
+		// Should use powershell
+		_ = exec.Command("powershell", "-Command", "Get-Host")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNotificationConfig tests that the config option works
+func TestNotificationConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test parsing config with notifications
+	config = Config{}
+	// The config is parsed in readConfig, but for this test we can just set it
+	config.EnableNotifications = true
+
+	if !config.EnableNotifications {
+		t.Error("EnableNotifications should be true")
+	}
+
+	config.EnableNotifications = false
+	if config.EnableNotifications {
+		t.Error("EnableNotifications should be false")
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/outbound.go b/outbound.go
index 1e52fa3..8cca24e 100644
--- a/outbound.go
+++ b/outbound.go
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ func outbound(o Outbound) {
 						"remote_path": remotePath,
 					}).Info("successfully uploaded file to WebDAV")
 
+					SendNotification("bucketsyncd", fmt.Sprintf("Uploaded %s to WebDAV", filename))
+
 				} else {
 					// Handle S3 upload (existing logic)
 					endpoint := u.Hostname()
@@ -239,6 +241,8 @@ func outbound(o Outbound) {
 						"awsFileKey": awsFileKey,
 						"size":       fs.Size(),
 					}).Info("uploaded to S3")
+
+					SendNotification("bucketsyncd", fmt.Sprintf("Uploaded %s to S3", filename))
 				}
 
 			case err, ok := <-watcher.Errors: