diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 573dbc3..1dcb9cb 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased](https://github.com/TanklesXL/glint/compare/v1.1.0...HEAD)
 
+- captured each flag's configured default value in the help data
+  (`help.Flag.default`) and added the `glint.show_flag_defaults` builder
+  to opt in to rendering `(default: <value>)` in `--help` output
+
 # v1
 
 ## [1.3.0](https://github.com/TanklesXL/glint/compare/v1.2.1...v1.3.0)
diff --git a/src/glint.gleam b/src/glint.gleam
index 5ba3494..cd8beab 100644
--- a/src/glint.gleam
+++ b/src/glint.gleam
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ type Config {
     max_output_width: Int,
     min_first_column_width: Int,
     column_gap: Int,
+    show_flag_defaults: Bool,
   )
 }
 
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ const default_config = Config(
   max_output_width: 80,
   min_first_column_width: 20,
   column_gap: 2,
+  show_flag_defaults: False,
 )
 
 // -- CONFIGURATION: FUNCTIONS --
@@ -127,6 +129,15 @@ pub fn with_column_gap(glint: Glint(a), column_gap: Int) -> Glint(a) {
   Glint(..glint, config: Config(..glint.config, column_gap:))
 }
 
+/// Enable rendering of flag default values in `--help` output. When enabled,
+/// each flag with a configured default has `(default: <value>)` appended to
+/// its description.
+///
+/// Disabled by default to preserve existing help text formatting.
+pub fn show_flag_defaults(glint: Glint(a), enabled: Bool) -> Glint(a) {
+  Glint(..glint, config: Config(..glint.config, show_flag_defaults: enabled))
+}
+
 // --- CORE ---
 
 // -- CORE: TYPES --
@@ -682,6 +693,7 @@ fn build_help_config(config: Config) -> help.Config {
     column_gap: config.column_gap,
     flag_prefix: flag_prefix,
     flag_delimiter: flag_delimiter,
+    show_flag_defaults: config.show_flag_defaults,
   )
 }
 
@@ -729,6 +741,29 @@ fn flag_type_info(flag: FlagEntry) {
   }
 }
 
+fn flag_default_info(flag: FlagEntry) -> Option(String) {
+  case flag.value {
+    I(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(int.to_string(v))
+    F(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(float.to_string(v))
+    S(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(v)
+    B(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) ->
+      Some(case v {
+        True -> "true"
+        False -> "false"
+      })
+    LI(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(join_csv(v, int.to_string))
+    LF(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(join_csv(v, float.to_string))
+    LS(FlagInternals(value: Some(v), ..)) -> Some(string.join(v, ","))
+    _ -> None
+  }
+}
+
+/// stringify each item and join with commas, for list-flag defaults.
+///
+fn join_csv(items: List(a), to_string: fn(a) -> String) -> String {
+  items |> list.map(to_string) |> string.join(",")
+}
+
 /// build the help representation for a list of flags
 ///
 fn build_flags_help(flags: Flags) -> List(help.Flag) {
@@ -737,6 +772,7 @@ fn build_flags_help(flags: Flags) -> List(help.Flag) {
     help.Flag(
       meta: help.Metadata(name: name, description: flag.description),
       type_: flag_type_info(flag),
+      default: flag_default_info(flag),
     ),
     ..acc
   ]
diff --git a/src/glint/internal/help.gleam b/src/glint/internal/help.gleam
index f1ec672..c8a5015 100644
--- a/src/glint/internal/help.gleam
+++ b/src/glint/internal/help.gleam
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ fn heading_style(heading: String, colour: Colour) -> String {
 
 // --- HELP: CONSTANTS ---
 //
-pub const help_flag = Flag(Metadata("help", "Print help information"), "")
+pub const help_flag = Flag(Metadata("help", "Print help information"), "", None)
 
 const flags_heading = "FLAGS:"
 
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ pub type Config {
     column_gap: Int,
     flag_prefix: String,
     flag_delimiter: String,
+    show_flag_defaults: Bool,
   )
 }
 
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ pub type Metadata {
 /// Help type for flag metadata
 ///
 pub type Flag {
-  Flag(meta: Metadata, type_: String)
+  Flag(meta: Metadata, type_: String, default: Option(String))
 }
 
 /// Help type for command metadata
@@ -208,7 +209,15 @@ fn flags_help_to_string(help: List(Flag), config: Config) -> String {
   let content =
     to_spaced_indented_string(
       [help_flag, ..help],
-      fn(help) { #(flag_help_to_string(help, config), help.meta.description) },
+      fn(help) {
+        let description = case config.show_flag_defaults, help.default {
+          True, Some(default) ->
+            help.meta.description <> " (default: " <> default <> ")"
+          _, _ -> help.meta.description
+        }
+
+        #(flag_help_to_string(help, config), description)
+      },
       longest_flag_length,
       config,
     )
diff --git a/test/glint/show_flag_defaults_test.gleam b/test/glint/show_flag_defaults_test.gleam
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da1e439
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/glint/show_flag_defaults_test.gleam
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import gleam/string
+import gleeunit/should
+import glint.{Help}
+
+fn cli(show_defaults: Bool) -> glint.Glint(Nil) {
+  let count =
+    glint.int_flag("count")
+    |> glint.flag_default(3)
+    |> glint.flag_help("How many times")
+
+  glint.new()
+  |> glint.show_flag_defaults(show_defaults)
+  |> glint.add(at: [], do: {
+    use _count <- glint.flag(count)
+    glint.command(fn(_, _, _) { Nil })
+  })
+}
+
+fn help_text(g: glint.Glint(Nil)) -> String {
+  let assert Ok(Help(help)) = glint.execute(g, ["--help"])
+  help
+}
+
+pub fn enabled_renders_default_test() {
+  cli(True)
+  |> help_text
+  |> string.contains("(default: 3)")
+  |> should.be_true
+}
+
+pub fn disabled_omits_default_test() {
+  cli(False)
+  |> help_text
+  |> string.contains("(default:")
+  |> should.be_false
+}