diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/admin/addon/components/admin-badges.gjs b/app/assets/javascripts/admin/addon/components/admin-badges.gjs
index 385bedad4fbec..9680c7c0227fd 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/admin/addon/components/admin-badges.gjs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/admin/addon/components/admin-badges.gjs
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ export default class AdminBadges extends Component {
           <NavItem
             @route="adminBadges.index"
             @label="admin.config.badges.title"
+            @currentWhen="adminBadges.show adminBadges.index"
             class="admin-badges-tabs__index"
           />
         </:tabs>
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/nav-item.gjs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/nav-item.gjs
index bbe77b49d3698..6847c544d0a7f 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/nav-item.gjs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/components/nav-item.gjs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import Component from "@glimmer/component";
 import { LinkTo } from "@ember/routing";
 import { service } from "@ember/service";
 import { htmlSafe } from "@ember/template";
+import { isPresent } from "@ember/utils";
 import concatClass from "discourse/helpers/concat-class";
 import getURL from "discourse/lib/get-url";
 import { iconHTML } from "discourse/lib/icon-library";
@@ -24,6 +25,19 @@ export default class NavItem extends Component {
       return;
     }
 
+    if (isPresent(this.args.currentWhen)) {
+      const currentWhen = this.args.currentWhen;
+      if (typeof currentWhen === "boolean") {
+        return currentWhen;
+      } else if (typeof currentWhen === "string") {
+        return currentWhen
+          .split(" ")
+          .some((route) => route === this.router.currentRoute.name);
+      } else {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+
     if (this.args.routeParam) {
       // This is needed because the setting route is underneath /admin/plugins/:plugin_id,
       // but is not a child route of the plugin routes themselves. E.g. discourse-ai
@@ -58,7 +72,10 @@ export default class NavItem extends Component {
           @current-when={{this.active}}
         >{{this.contents}}</LinkTo>
       {{else if @route}}
-        <LinkTo @route={{@route}}>{{this.contents}}</LinkTo>
+        <LinkTo
+          @route={{@route}}
+          @current-when={{this.active}}
+        >{{this.contents}}</LinkTo>
       {{else}}
         <a href={{getURL @path}} data-auto-route="true">{{this.contents}}</a>
       {{/if}}