diff --git a/.changeset/warm-tools-smile.md b/.changeset/warm-tools-smile.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..20609cf1020
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/warm-tools-smile.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@primer/react': minor
+---
+
+NavList: Add a `tooltipText` prop to items
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ActionList/Item.tsx b/packages/react/src/ActionList/Item.tsx
index 355dd463494..1606952e3e1 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ActionList/Item.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/ActionList/Item.tsx
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ const UnwrappedItem = <As extends React.ElementType = 'li'>(
     role,
     loading,
     _PrivateItemWrapper,
+    _PrivateTooltipText,
     className,
     groupId: _groupId,
     renderItem: _renderItem,
@@ -333,7 +334,7 @@ const UnwrappedItem = <As extends React.ElementType = 'li'>(
         data-trailing-action-loading={trailingActionRendered && slots.trailingAction?.props.loading ? true : undefined}
         className={clsx(classes.ActionListItem, className)}
       >
-        <ConditionalTooltip ref={forwardedRef} text={truncatedText} enabled={buttonSemantics}>
+        <ConditionalTooltip ref={forwardedRef} text={_PrivateTooltipText ?? truncatedText} enabled={buttonSemantics}>
           <ItemWrapper
             {...wrapperProps}
             className={classes.ActionListContent}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.test.tsx
index f1b53f1d82b..3c2536ab531 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.test.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@ describe('ActionList.LinkItem', () => {
     expect(link.tagName).toBe('A')
   })
 
+  it('forwards its ref to the link when wrapped in a tooltip', () => {
+    const ref = React.createRef<HTMLAnchorElement>()
+
+    render(
+      <ActionList>
+        <ActionList.LinkItem ref={ref} href="#home" _PrivateTooltipText="Go home">
+          Home
+        </ActionList.LinkItem>
+      </ActionList>,
+    )
+
+    expect(ref.current).toBe(screen.getByRole('link', {name: 'Home'}))
+  })
+
   it('calls onClick handler', () => {
     const onClick = vi.fn()
 
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.tsx b/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.tsx
index e1687bbdc22..02cd952ea34 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/ActionList/LinkItem.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import Link from '../Link'
 import {Item} from './Item'
 import type {ActionListItemProps} from './shared'
 import {type PolymorphicProps, fixedForwardRef} from '../utils/modern-polymorphic'
+import {Tooltip} from '../TooltipV2'
 
 // adopted from React.AnchorHTMLAttributes
 type LinkProps = {
@@ -27,11 +28,13 @@ export type ActionListLinkItemProps = Pick<
 > &
   LinkProps
 
-type LinkItemProps<As extends React.ElementType = 'a'> = PolymorphicProps<As, 'a', ActionListLinkItemProps>
+type LinkItemProps<As extends React.ElementType = 'a'> = PolymorphicProps<As, 'a', ActionListLinkItemProps> & {
+  _PrivateTooltipText?: string
+}
 
 const LinkItemComponent = fixedForwardRef(
   <As extends React.ElementType = 'a'>(
-    {active, inactiveText, variant, size, as: Component, className, ...props}: LinkItemProps<As>,
+    {active, inactiveText, variant, size, as: Component, className, _PrivateTooltipText, ...props}: LinkItemProps<As>,
     forwardedRef: ForwardedRef<unknown>,
   ) => {
     return (
@@ -56,11 +59,30 @@ const LinkItemComponent = fixedForwardRef(
           // Link's type so TypeScript doesn't re-check the generic
           // constraint across two polymorphic layers.
           const InternalLink: React.ElementType = Link
-          return (
-            <InternalLink as={Component} {...rest} {...props} onClick={clickHandler} ref={forwardedRef}>
+          const link = (
+            <InternalLink
+              as={Component}
+              {...rest}
+              {...props}
+              onClick={clickHandler}
+              ref={_PrivateTooltipText ? undefined : forwardedRef}
+            >
               {children}
             </InternalLink>
           )
+
+          return _PrivateTooltipText ? (
+            <Tooltip
+              ref={forwardedRef as React.ForwardedRef<HTMLElement>}
+              text={_PrivateTooltipText}
+              direction="e"
+              delay="medium"
+            >
+              {link}
+            </Tooltip>
+          ) : (
+            link
+          )
         }}
       >
         {props.children}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ActionList/shared.ts b/packages/react/src/ActionList/shared.ts
index af98c9cd30a..0d8a1b99866 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ActionList/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/ActionList/shared.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ export type ActionListItemProps<As extends React.ElementType = 'li'> = ExcludeSe
    * Private API for use internally only. Used by LinkItem to wrap contents in an anchor
    */
   _PrivateItemWrapper?: React.FC<React.PropsWithChildren<MenuItemProps>>
+  /**
+   * Private API for use internally only. Adds a tooltip to the interactive item.
+   */
+  _PrivateTooltipText?: string
   className?: string
   groupId?: string
   renderItem?: (item: React.FC<React.PropsWithChildren<MenuItemProps>>) => React.ReactNode
diff --git a/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.test.tsx
index f65e20151d9..6fd762ea3f4 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.test.tsx
@@ -78,6 +78,52 @@ describe('NavList', () => {
 
 describe('NavList.Item', () => {
   implementsClassName(NavList.Item)
+
+  it('renders a tooltip inside a link item when tooltipText is provided', () => {
+    const ref = React.createRef<HTMLAnchorElement>()
+    const {container, getByRole} = render(
+      <NavList>
+        <NavList.Item ref={ref} href="#" tooltipText="Tooltip for item 1">
+          Item 1
+        </NavList.Item>
+        <NavList.Item href="#">Item 2</NavList.Item>
+      </NavList>,
+    )
+
+    const link = getByRole('link', {name: 'Item 1'})
+    const tooltip = container.querySelector('[data-component="Tooltip"]')
+    const list = container.querySelector('[data-component="ActionList"]')
+
+    expect(tooltip).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(ref.current).toBe(link)
+    expect(link).toHaveAttribute('aria-describedby', (tooltip as HTMLElement).id)
+    expect(tooltip).toHaveTextContent('Tooltip for item 1')
+    expect(tooltip?.closest('li')).toBe(link.closest('li'))
+    expect(list?.children).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(container.querySelectorAll('[data-component="Tooltip"]')).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+
+  it('renders a tooltip inside an expandable item when tooltipText is provided', () => {
+    const {container, getByRole} = render(
+      <NavList>
+        <NavList.Item tooltipText="Tooltip for parent item">
+          Parent item
+          <NavList.SubNav>
+            <NavList.Item href="#">Child item</NavList.Item>
+          </NavList.SubNav>
+        </NavList.Item>
+      </NavList>,
+    )
+
+    const button = getByRole('button', {name: 'Parent item'})
+    const tooltip = container.querySelector('[data-component="Tooltip"]')
+
+    expect(tooltip).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(button).toHaveAttribute('aria-describedby', (tooltip as HTMLElement).id)
+    expect(tooltip).toHaveTextContent('Tooltip for parent item')
+    expect(tooltip?.closest('li')).toBe(button.closest('li'))
+  })
+
   it('passes aria-current prop to the underlying link', () => {
     const {getByRole} = render(
       <NavList>
diff --git a/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.tsx b/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.tsx
index 6ca385849ef..db954644f45 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/NavList/NavList.tsx
@@ -137,12 +137,13 @@ export type NavListItemProps<As extends React.ElementType = React.ElementType> =
     href?: string
     'aria-current'?: 'page' | 'step' | 'location' | 'date' | 'time' | 'true' | 'false' | boolean
     inactiveText?: string
+    tooltipText?: string
   }
 >
 
 const ItemComponent = fixedForwardRef(
   <As extends React.ElementType = 'a'>(
-    {'aria-current': ariaCurrent, children, defaultOpen, as: Component, ...props}: NavListItemProps<As>,
+    {'aria-current': ariaCurrent, children, defaultOpen, tooltipText, as: Component, ...props}: NavListItemProps<As>,
     ref: React.ForwardedRef<unknown>,
   ) => {
     const {depth} = React.useContext(SubNavContext)
@@ -165,6 +166,7 @@ const ItemComponent = fixedForwardRef(
           subNav={subNav}
           depth={depth}
           defaultOpen={defaultOpen}
+          tooltipText={tooltipText}
           style={{'--subitem-depth': depth} as React.CSSProperties}
         >
           {childrenWithoutSubNavOrTrailingAction}
@@ -185,6 +187,7 @@ const ItemComponent = fixedForwardRef(
         active={Boolean(ariaCurrent) && ariaCurrent !== 'false'}
         style={{'--subitem-depth': depth} as React.CSSProperties}
         data-component="NavList.Item"
+        _PrivateTooltipText={tooltipText}
         {...props}
       >
         {children}
@@ -203,6 +206,7 @@ type ItemWithSubNavProps = {
   subNav: React.ReactNode
   depth: number
   defaultOpen?: boolean
+  tooltipText?: string
   style: React.CSSProperties
 }
 
@@ -234,7 +238,7 @@ function hasCurrentNavItem(node: React.ReactNode): boolean {
   return React.Children.toArray(node.props.children).some(hasCurrentNavItem)
 }
 
-function ItemWithSubNav({children, subNav, depth: _depth, defaultOpen, style}: ItemWithSubNavProps) {
+function ItemWithSubNav({children, subNav, depth: _depth, defaultOpen, tooltipText, style}: ItemWithSubNavProps) {
   const buttonId = useId()
   const subNavId = useId()
 
@@ -268,6 +272,7 @@ function ItemWithSubNav({children, subNav, depth: _depth, defaultOpen, style}: I
         onSelect={() => setIsOpen(open => !open)}
         style={style}
         data-component="NavList.Item"
+        _PrivateTooltipText={tooltipText}
       >
         {children}
         {/* What happens if the user provides a TrailingVisual? */}