diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-badges.yml b/.github/workflows/update-badges.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63860ce9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-badges.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+name: Update Badges
+
+on:
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Test Suite"]
+    types: [completed]
+    branches: [main]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  update-badges:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success'
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10 # v6.0.3
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          fetch-depth: 2
+
+      - name: Check if last commit was a badge update
+        id: skip-check
+        run: |
+          LAST_MSG=$(git log -1 --pretty=%B)
+          if echo "$LAST_MSG" | grep -qiE '^(ci|chore)\(.*badge\)|^\[skip badges\]|^chore: update badge'; then
+            echo "skip=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "Skipping: last commit was a badge update ($LAST_MSG)"
+          else
+            echo "skip=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Count tests
+        id: count
+        if: steps.skip-check.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        run: |
+          TEST_COUNT=$(grep -rE '^\s*@test\s' tests/unit/ tests/integration/ | wc -l)
+          TEST_FILES=$(find tests/unit/ tests/integration/ -name "*.bats" | wc -l)
+          echo "TEST_COUNT=$TEST_COUNT" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "TEST_FILES=$TEST_FILES" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "test_count=$TEST_COUNT" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "test_files=$TEST_FILES" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "Tests: $TEST_COUNT across $TEST_FILES files"
+
+      - name: Update README.md test badge
+        if: steps.skip-check.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        run: |
+          sed -i "s|https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-[0-9]*%20passing|https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-${TEST_COUNT}%20passing|g" README.md
+          sed -i "s|tests-[0-9]*%20passing|tests-${TEST_COUNT}%20passing|g" README.md
+          sed -i "s/\*\*Test Coverage\*\*: [0-9]* tests/\*\*Test Coverage\*\*: ${TEST_COUNT} tests/g" README.md
+          sed -i "s/\*\*[0-9]* tests\*\* across/\*\*${TEST_COUNT} tests\*\* across/g" README.md
+
+      - name: Update CLAUDE.md test references
+        if: steps.skip-check.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        run: |
+          # Update any test count text in CLAUDE.md (if present)
+          sed -i "s/\*\*Test Coverage\*\*: [0-9]* tests/\*\*Test Coverage\*\*: ${TEST_COUNT} tests/g" CLAUDE.md || true
+          sed -i "s/[0-9]* tests, 100% pass rate/${TEST_COUNT} tests, 100% pass rate/g" CLAUDE.md || true
+
+      - name: Check for changes
+        id: changes
+        if: steps.skip-check.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        run: |
+          if git diff --quiet; then
+            echo "changed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "No badge changes needed."
+          else
+            echo "changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            git diff
+          fi
+
+      - name: Commit and push changes
+        if: steps.skip-check.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.changes.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+          git add README.md CLAUDE.md
+          git commit -m "ci(badge): update test count to ${TEST_COUNT} (${TEST_FILES} files)"
+          git push
diff --git a/tasks/todo.md b/tasks/todo.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d170695
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/todo.md
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Issue #138: feat: automate version and test count badges via GitHub Actions
+
+## Plan
+
+## Problem
+
+Version badges in README.md and CLAUDE.md require manual updates, leading to drift between actual state and documented state. This was caught during PR #137 review where badges showed `v0.10.1` and `310 tests` instead of `v0.11.2` and `440 tests`.
+
+## Proposed Solution
+
+Implement a GitHub Actions workflow that automatically updates badges after:
+1. Test suite runs (update test count)
+2. Releases are published (update version)
+
+### Implementation Plan
+
+**Phase 1: Test Count Automation**
+
+Create `.github/workflows/update-badges.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+name: Update Badges
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["CI"]
+    types: [completed]
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  update-badges:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' || github.event_name == 'push'
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20'
+          
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: npm ci
+      
+      - name: Get test count
+        run: |
+          TEST_COUNT=$(npm test 2>&1 | grep -c "^ok " || echo "0")
+          echo "TEST_COUNT=$TEST_COUNT" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          
+      - name: Update badges if changed
+        run: |
+          # Update README.md test badge
+          sed -i "s/tests-[0-9]*%20passing/tests-${TEST_COUNT}%20passing/" README.md
+          
+          # Update CLAUDE.md test count
+          sed -i "s/Tests\*\*: [0-9]* passing/Tests**: ${TEST_COUNT} passing/" CLAUDE.md
+          
+      - name: Check for changes
+        id: changes
+        run: |
+          if git diff --quiet; then
+            echo "changed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+          
+      - name: Commit changes
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+          git add README.md CLAUDE.md
+          git commit -m "chore: update test count badge to ${TEST_COUNT}"
+          git push
+```
+
+**Phase 2: Version Automation (Future)**
+
+When GitHub Releases are adopted:
+- Trigger on `release: [published]`
+- Extract version from release tag
+- Update version badges in README.md, CLAUDE.md
+- Consider using shields.io dynamic badges: `![Version](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/frankbria/ralph-claude-code)`
+
+### Files to Update
+
+| File | Badge Type | Current Format |
+|------|-----------|----------------|
+| README.md | Version | `![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-X.X.X-blue)` |
+| README.md | Tests | `![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-XXX%20passing-green)` |
+| CLAUDE.md | Both | `**Version**: vX.X.X \| **Tests**: XXX passing` |
+
+### Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [ ] Workflow runs after successful CI on main branch
+- [ ] Test count badge updates automatically
+- [ ] No workflow runs on badge-only commits (prevent infinite loop)
+- [ ] Commit messages follow conventional commit format
+
+### Future Enhancements
+
+- [ ] Integrate with GitHub Releases for version automation
+- [ ] Consider switching to dynamic shields.io badges
+- [ ] Add badge for code coverage percentage
+
+## Related
+
+- PR #137 - Manual badge update that prompted this issue
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- [ ] Workflow runs after successful CI on main branch
+- [ ] Test count badge updates automatically
+- [ ] No workflow runs on badge-only commits (prevent infinite loop)
+- [ ] Commit messages follow conventional commit format