diff --git a/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue b/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
index 4b73ea8..b072c9a 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
+++ b/vue/src/components/AppNav.vue
@@ -10,6 +10,24 @@ const { sync, showModal, viewMode, toggleViewMode, layout, toggleLayout, markAll
 
 const headerRef = ref(null)
 
+// Native <select>/<option> has no "is open" state — the closed box just shows
+// the selected option's text verbatim, so per-option unread counts can only be
+// toggled based on focus, since the popup is only ever shown while focused.
+// @focus ~ opening (shows counts); @change (picking an option closes the
+// popup but keeps focus, so no blur fires) and @blur (focus left without
+// picking) ~ closed (counts hidden, so the closed box just shows the name).
+const filterOpen = ref(false)
+
+function onFilterFocus() {
+  filterOpen.value = true
+  refreshUnreadDisplay()
+}
+
+function onFilterChange(event) {
+  setFeedFilter(event.target.value || null)
+  filterOpen.value = false
+}
+
 // Scroll-driven show/hide: the header slides out of view on scroll-down and
 // back in on scroll-up. This is show/hide via `transform` (not the old
 // resize behaviour) — the header is position:fixed, so translating it never
@@ -165,11 +183,12 @@ function handleToggleLayout() {
         class="app-nav__filter"
         :value="feedFilter ?? ''"
         aria-label="Filter by feed"
-        @focus="refreshUnreadDisplay"
-        @change="setFeedFilter($event.target.value || null)"
+        @focus="onFilterFocus"
+        @change="onFilterChange"
+        @blur="filterOpen = false"
       >
         <option value="">All feeds</option>
-        <option v-for="title in feedTitles" :key="title" :value="title">{{ title }} ({{ displayedFeedUnreadCounts[title] ?? 0 }})</option>
+        <option v-for="title in feedTitles" :key="title" :value="title">{{ title }}<template v-if="filterOpen"> ({{ displayedFeedUnreadCounts[title] ?? 0 }})</template></option>
       </select>
       <button
         class="app-nav__hamburger"
diff --git a/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js b/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
index 5217029..19e8056 100644
--- a/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
+++ b/vue/src/components/__tests__/AppNav.spec.js
@@ -239,13 +239,36 @@ describe('AppNav', () => {
 
     const wrapper = mountNav()
     await flushPromises()
+    const select = wrapper.find('.app-nav__filter')
 
-    const options = wrapper.find('.app-nav__filter').findAll('option').map(o => o.text())
+    // Counts only show while the dropdown is open (focused) — see AppNav.vue.
+    await select.trigger('focus')
+
+    const options = select.findAll('option').map(o => o.text())
     // "All feeds" first, then distinct titles sorted alphabetically, each with
     // its unread count.
     expect(options).toEqual(['All feeds', 'Feed A (2)', 'Feed B (1)'])
   })
 
+  it('hides the per-option unread count once the feed filter is closed', async () => {
+    const { allItems } = useFeeds()
+    allItems.value = [
+      { id: 1, feedTitle: 'Feed A', title: 'a', url: 'https://example.test/1', timestamp: '2026-01-01' },
+      { id: 2, feedTitle: 'Feed A', title: 'b', url: 'https://example.test/2', timestamp: '2026-01-02' },
+    ]
+
+    const wrapper = mountNav()
+    await flushPromises()
+    const select = wrapper.find('.app-nav__filter')
+
+    await select.trigger('focus')
+    await select.setValue('Feed A') // fires change, which closes the popup but keeps focus
+    await flushPromises()
+
+    const feedAOption = select.findAll('option').find(o => o.element.value === 'Feed A')
+    expect(feedAOption.text()).toBe('Feed A')
+  })
+
   it('does not render the feed filter when there are no feeds', async () => {
     const wrapper = mountNav()
     await flushPromises()