diff --git a/.github/workflows/copilot-build-backend.yml b/.github/workflows/copilot-build-backend.yml
index 0eed8fb3f..e82da790e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/copilot-build-backend.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/copilot-build-backend.yml
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ name: copilot-build-backend
 on:
   pull_request:
     branches: ["main"]
-  merge_group:
-    branches: ["main"]
+    paths:
+      - "webapi/**"
   workflow_call:
     outputs:
       artifact:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/copilot-build-frontend.yml b/.github/workflows/copilot-build-frontend.yml
index c74e7e4cf..7c8fb46ce 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/copilot-build-frontend.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/copilot-build-frontend.yml
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ on:
   workflow_dispatch:
   pull_request:
     branches: ["main"]
+    paths:
+      - "webapp/**"
 
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/deploy-azure.sh b/scripts/deploy/deploy-azure.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.ps1 b/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.ps1
index e17dfc0f3..a47cbe27f 100644
--- a/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.ps1
+++ b/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.ps1
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ Write-Host "webapiScope: $webapiScope"
 # Set ASCII as default encoding for Out-File
 $PSDefaultParameterValues['Out-File:Encoding'] = 'ascii'
 
-$envFilePath = "$PSScriptRoot/../webapp/.env"
+$envFilePath = "$PSScriptRoot/../../webapp/.env"
 Write-Host "Writing environment variables to '$envFilePath'..."
 "REACT_APP_BACKEND_URI=https://$webapiUrl/" | Out-File -FilePath $envFilePath
 "REACT_APP_AUTH_TYPE=AzureAd" | Out-File -FilePath $envFilePath -Append
@@ -72,16 +72,16 @@ Write-Host "Writing environment variables to '$envFilePath'..."
 "REACT_APP_AAD_API_SCOPE=api://$webapiClientId/$webapiScope" | Out-File -FilePath $envFilePath -Append
 
 Write-Host "Generating SWA config..."
-$swaConfig = $(Get-Content "$PSScriptRoot/../webapp/template.swa-cli.config.json" -Raw)
+$swaConfig = $(Get-Content "$PSScriptRoot/../../webapp/template.swa-cli.config.json" -Raw)
 $swaConfig = $swaConfig.Replace("{{appDevserverUrl}}", "https://$webappUrl")
 $swaConfig = $swaConfig.Replace("{{appName}}", "$webappName")
 $swaConfig = $swaConfig.Replace("{{resourceGroup}}", "$ResourceGroupName")
 $swaConfig = $swaConfig.Replace("{{subscription-id}}", "$Subscription")
 
-$swaConfig | Out-File -FilePath "$PSScriptRoot/../webapp/swa-cli.config.json"
-Write-Host $(Get-Content "$PSScriptRoot/../webapp/swa-cli.config.json" -Raw)
+$swaConfig | Out-File -FilePath "$PSScriptRoot/../../webapp/swa-cli.config.json"
+Write-Host $(Get-Content "$PSScriptRoot/../../webapp/swa-cli.config.json" -Raw)
 
-Push-Location -Path "$PSScriptRoot/../webapp"
+Push-Location -Path "$PSScriptRoot/../../webapp"
 Write-Host "Installing yarn dependencies..."
 yarn install
 if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.sh b/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 783d2bbf4..fcbb87730
--- a/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.sh
+++ b/scripts/deploy/deploy-webapp.sh
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ echo "WEB_API_CLIENT_ID: $WEB_API_CLIENT_ID"
 eval WEB_API_SCOPE=$(az webapp config appsettings list --name $WEB_API_NAME --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP | jq '.[] | select(.name=="Authentication:AzureAd:Scopes").value')
 echo "WEB_API_SCOPE: $WEB_API_SCOPE"
 
-ENV_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../webapp/.env"
+ENV_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../../webapp/.env"
 echo "Writing environment variables to '$ENV_FILE_PATH'..."
 echo "REACT_APP_BACKEND_URI=https://$WEB_API_URL/" > $ENV_FILE_PATH
 echo "REACT_APP_AUTH_TYPE=AzureAd" >> $ENV_FILE_PATH
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ echo "REACT_APP_AAD_CLIENT_ID=$APPLICATION_ID" >> $ENV_FILE_PATH
 echo "REACT_APP_AAD_API_SCOPE=api://$WEB_API_CLIENT_ID/$WEB_API_SCOPE" >> $ENV_FILE_PATH
 
 echo "Writing swa-cli.config.json..."
-SWA_CONFIG_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../webapp/swa-cli.config.json"
-SWA_CONFIG_TEMPLATE_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../webapp/template.swa-cli.config.json"
+SWA_CONFIG_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../../webapp/swa-cli.config.json"
+SWA_CONFIG_TEMPLATE_FILE_PATH="$SCRIPT_ROOT/../../webapp/template.swa-cli.config.json"
 swaConfig=`cat $SWA_CONFIG_TEMPLATE_FILE_PATH`
 swaConfig=$(echo $swaConfig | sed "s/{{appDevserverUrl}}/https:\/\/${WEB_APP_URL}/")
 swaConfig=$(echo $swaConfig | sed "s/{{appName}}/$WEB_API_NAME/")
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ swaConfig=$(echo $swaConfig | sed "s/{{resourceGroup}}/$RESOURCE_GROUP/")
 swaConfig=$(echo $swaConfig | sed "s/{{subscription-id}}/$SUBSCRIPTION/")
 echo $swaConfig > $SWA_CONFIG_FILE_PATH
 
-pushd "$SCRIPT_ROOT/../webapp"
+pushd "$SCRIPT_ROOT/../../webapp"
 
 echo "Installing yarn dependencies..."
 yarn install
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/main.bicep b/scripts/deploy/main.bicep
index 1b7b7e09a..bba6c650e 100644
--- a/scripts/deploy/main.bicep
+++ b/scripts/deploy/main.bicep
@@ -244,27 +244,27 @@ resource appServiceWebConfig 'Microsoft.Web/sites/config@2022-09-01' = {
         value: deployCosmosDB ? cosmosAccount.listConnectionStrings().connectionStrings[0].connectionString : ''
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:Type'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:Type'
         value: memoryStore
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Host'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:Qdrant:Host'
         value: memoryStore == 'Qdrant' ? 'https://${appServiceQdrant.properties.defaultHostName}' : ''
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Port'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:Qdrant:Port'
         value: '443'
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:UseVectorSearch'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:UseVectorSearch'
         value: 'true'
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Endpoint'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Endpoint'
         value: memoryStore == 'AzureCognitiveSearch' ? 'https://${azureCognitiveSearch.name}.search.windows.net' : ''
       }
       {
-        name: 'MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key'
+        name: 'MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key'
         value: memoryStore == 'AzureCognitiveSearch' ? azureCognitiveSearch.listAdminKeys().primaryKey : ''
       }
       {
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/main.json b/scripts/deploy/main.json
index 97b9f129a..1f02a82e8 100644
--- a/scripts/deploy/main.json
+++ b/scripts/deploy/main.json
@@ -362,27 +362,27 @@
             "value": "[if(parameters('deployCosmosDB'), listConnectionStrings(resourceId('Microsoft.DocumentDB/databaseAccounts', toLower(format('cosmos-{0}', variables('uniqueName')))), '2023-04-15').connectionStrings[0].connectionString, '')]"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:Type",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:Type",
             "value": "[parameters('memoryStore')]"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Host",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:Qdrant:Host",
             "value": "[if(equals(parameters('memoryStore'), 'Qdrant'), format('https://{0}', reference(resourceId('Microsoft.Web/sites', format('app-{0}-qdrant', variables('uniqueName'))), '2022-09-01').defaultHostName), '')]"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Port",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:Qdrant:Port",
             "value": "443"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:UseVectorSearch",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:UseVectorSearch",
             "value": "true"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Endpoint",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Endpoint",
             "value": "[if(equals(parameters('memoryStore'), 'AzureCognitiveSearch'), format('https://{0}.search.windows.net', format('acs-{0}', variables('uniqueName'))), '')]"
           },
           {
-            "name": "MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key",
+            "name": "MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key",
             "value": "[if(equals(parameters('memoryStore'), 'AzureCognitiveSearch'), listAdminKeys(resourceId('Microsoft.Search/searchServices', format('acs-{0}', variables('uniqueName'))), '2022-09-01').primaryKey, '')]"
           },
           {
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/package-webapi.ps1 b/scripts/deploy/package-webapi.ps1
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/webapi/Controllers/ServiceOptionsController.cs b/webapi/Controllers/ServiceOptionsController.cs
index 3e67a86e6..e4f71e2e9 100644
--- a/webapi/Controllers/ServiceOptionsController.cs
+++ b/webapi/Controllers/ServiceOptionsController.cs
@@ -18,14 +18,14 @@ public class ServiceOptionsController : ControllerBase
 {
     private readonly ILogger<ServiceOptionsController> _logger;
 
-    private readonly MemoriesStoreOptions _memoriesStoreOptions;
+    private readonly MemoryStoreOptions _memoryStoreOptions;
 
     public ServiceOptionsController(
         ILogger<ServiceOptionsController> logger,
-        IOptions<MemoriesStoreOptions> memoriesStoreOptions)
+        IOptions<MemoryStoreOptions> memoryStoreOptions)
     {
         this._logger = logger;
-        this._memoriesStoreOptions = memoriesStoreOptions.Value;
+        this._memoryStoreOptions = memoryStoreOptions.Value;
     }
 
     // TODO: [Issue #95] Include all service options in a single response.
@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ public IActionResult GetServiceOptions()
         return this.Ok(
             new ServiceOptionsResponse()
             {
-                MemoriesStore = new MemoriesStoreOptionResponse()
+                MemoryStore = new MemoryStoreOptionResponse()
                 {
-                    Types = Enum.GetNames(typeof(MemoriesStoreOptions.MemoriesStoreType)),
-                    SelectedType = this._memoriesStoreOptions.Type.ToString()
+                    Types = Enum.GetNames(typeof(MemoryStoreOptions.MemoryStoreType)),
+                    SelectedType = this._memoryStoreOptions.Type.ToString()
                 }
             }
         );
diff --git a/webapi/CopilotChatWebApi.csproj b/webapi/CopilotChatWebApi.csproj
index e966e2c47..3386af3be 100644
--- a/webapi/CopilotChatWebApi.csproj
+++ b/webapi/CopilotChatWebApi.csproj
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     <PackageReference Include="Azure.AI.FormRecognizer" Version="4.0.0" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos" Version="3.35.2" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel" Version="0.19.230804.2-preview" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Planning.StepwisePlanner" Version="0.19.230804.2-preview" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.AI.OpenAI" Version="0.19.230804.2-preview" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.Memory.AzureCognitiveSearch" Version="0.19.230804.2-preview" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Connectors.Memory.Chroma" Version="0.19.230804.2-preview" />
diff --git a/webapi/Extensions/SemanticKernelExtensions.cs b/webapi/Extensions/SemanticKernelExtensions.cs
index 82fce1721..034968784 100644
--- a/webapi/Extensions/SemanticKernelExtensions.cs
+++ b/webapi/Extensions/SemanticKernelExtensions.cs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Orchestration;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Skills.Core;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.TemplateEngine;
-using static CopilotChat.WebApi.Options.MemoriesStoreOptions;
+using static CopilotChat.WebApi.Options.MemoryStoreOptions;
 
 namespace CopilotChat.WebApi.Extensions;
 
@@ -155,18 +155,18 @@ private static Task RegisterSkillsAsync(IServiceProvider sp, IKernel kernel)
     /// </summary>
     private static void AddSemanticTextMemory(this IServiceCollection services)
     {
-        MemoriesStoreOptions config = services.BuildServiceProvider().GetRequiredService<IOptions<MemoriesStoreOptions>>().Value;
+        MemoryStoreOptions config = services.BuildServiceProvider().GetRequiredService<IOptions<MemoryStoreOptions>>().Value;
 
         switch (config.Type)
         {
-            case MemoriesStoreType.Volatile:
+            case MemoryStoreType.Volatile:
                 services.AddSingleton<IMemoryStore, VolatileMemoryStore>();
                 break;
 
-            case MemoriesStoreType.Qdrant:
+            case MemoryStoreType.Qdrant:
                 if (config.Qdrant == null)
                 {
-                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoriesStore type is Qdrant and Qdrant configuration is null.");
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoryStore type is Qdrant and Qdrant configuration is null.");
                 }
 
                 services.AddSingleton<IMemoryStore>(sp =>
@@ -189,10 +189,10 @@ private static void AddSemanticTextMemory(this IServiceCollection services)
                 });
                 break;
 
-            case MemoriesStoreType.AzureCognitiveSearch:
+            case MemoryStoreType.AzureCognitiveSearch:
                 if (config.AzureCognitiveSearch == null)
                 {
-                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoriesStore type is AzureCognitiveSearch and AzureCognitiveSearch configuration is null.");
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoryStore type is AzureCognitiveSearch and AzureCognitiveSearch configuration is null.");
                 }
 
                 services.AddSingleton<IMemoryStore>(sp =>
@@ -201,10 +201,10 @@ private static void AddSemanticTextMemory(this IServiceCollection services)
                 });
                 break;
 
-            case MemoriesStoreOptions.MemoriesStoreType.Chroma:
+            case MemoryStoreOptions.MemoryStoreType.Chroma:
                 if (config.Chroma == null)
                 {
-                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoriesStore type is Chroma and Chroma configuration is null.");
+                    throw new InvalidOperationException("MemoryStore type is Chroma and Chroma configuration is null.");
                 }
 
                 services.AddSingleton<IMemoryStore>(sp =>
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ private static void AddSemanticTextMemory(this IServiceCollection services)
                 break;
 
             default:
-                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Invalid 'MemoriesStore' type '{config.Type}'.");
+                throw new InvalidOperationException($"Invalid 'MemoryStore' type '{config.Type}'.");
         }
 
         services.AddScoped<ISemanticTextMemory>(sp => new SemanticTextMemory(
diff --git a/webapi/Extensions/ServiceExtensions.cs b/webapi/Extensions/ServiceExtensions.cs
index 3f9fcb897..2c3a94e46 100644
--- a/webapi/Extensions/ServiceExtensions.cs
+++ b/webapi/Extensions/ServiceExtensions.cs
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ public static IServiceCollection AddOptions(this IServiceCollection services, Co
             .PostConfigure(TrimStringProperties);
 
         // Memory store configuration
-        services.AddOptions<MemoriesStoreOptions>()
-            .Bind(configuration.GetSection(MemoriesStoreOptions.PropertyName))
+        services.AddOptions<MemoryStoreOptions>()
+            .Bind(configuration.GetSection(MemoryStoreOptions.PropertyName))
             .ValidateDataAnnotations()
             .ValidateOnStart()
             .PostConfigure(TrimStringProperties);
diff --git a/webapi/Models/Response/ProposedPlan.cs b/webapi/Models/Response/ProposedPlan.cs
index c8e580936..a2070e68b 100644
--- a/webapi/Models/Response/ProposedPlan.cs
+++ b/webapi/Models/Response/ProposedPlan.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ public enum PlanType
 {
     Action, // single-step
     Sequential, // multi-step
+    Stepwise, // MRKL style planning
 }
 
 // State of Plan
diff --git a/webapi/Models/Response/ServiceOptionsResponse.cs b/webapi/Models/Response/ServiceOptionsResponse.cs
index e6a124409..d5eda9cba 100644
--- a/webapi/Models/Response/ServiceOptionsResponse.cs
+++ b/webapi/Models/Response/ServiceOptionsResponse.cs
@@ -9,25 +9,25 @@ namespace CopilotChat.WebApi.Models.Response;
 public class ServiceOptionsResponse
 {
     /// <summary>
-    /// The memories store that is configured.
+    /// Configured memory store.
     /// </summary>
-    [JsonPropertyName("memoriesStore")]
-    public MemoriesStoreOptionResponse MemoriesStore { get; set; } = new MemoriesStoreOptionResponse();
+    [JsonPropertyName("memoryStore")]
+    public MemoryStoreOptionResponse MemoryStore { get; set; } = new MemoryStoreOptionResponse();
 }
 
 /// <summary>
-/// Response to memoriesStoreType request.
+/// Response to memoryStoreType request.
 /// </summary>
-public class MemoriesStoreOptionResponse
+public class MemoryStoreOptionResponse
 {
     /// <summary>
-    /// All the available memories store types.
+    /// All the available memory store types.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("types")]
     public IEnumerable<string> Types { get; set; } = Enumerable.Empty<string>();
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// The selected memories store type.
+    /// The selected memory store type.
     /// </summary>
     [JsonPropertyName("selectedType")]
     public string SelectedType { get; set; } = string.Empty;
diff --git a/webapi/Options/MemoriesStoreOptions.cs b/webapi/Options/MemoriesStoreOptions.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 7486b4cba..000000000
--- a/webapi/Options/MemoriesStoreOptions.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
-
-namespace CopilotChat.WebApi.Options;
-
-/// <summary>
-/// Configuration settings for the memories store.
-/// </summary>
-public class MemoriesStoreOptions
-{
-    public const string PropertyName = "MemoriesStore";
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// The type of memories store to use.
-    /// </summary>
-    public enum MemoriesStoreType
-    {
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Non-persistent memories store.
-        /// </summary>
-        Volatile,
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Qdrant based persistent memories store.
-        /// </summary>
-        Qdrant,
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Azure Cognitive Search persistent memories store.
-        /// </summary>
-        AzureCognitiveSearch,
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Chroma DB persistent memories store.
-        /// </summary>
-        Chroma
-    }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets or sets the type of memories store to use.
-    /// </summary>
-    public MemoriesStoreType Type { get; set; } = MemoriesStoreType.Volatile;
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Qdrant memories store.
-    /// </summary>
-    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoriesStoreType.Qdrant)]
-    public QdrantOptions? Qdrant { get; set; }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Chroma memories store.
-    /// </summary>
-    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoriesStoreType.Chroma)]
-    public VectorMemoryWebOptions? Chroma { get; set; }
-
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Azure Cognitive Search memories store.
-    /// </summary>
-    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoriesStoreType.AzureCognitiveSearch)]
-    public AzureCognitiveSearchOptions? AzureCognitiveSearch { get; set; }
-}
diff --git a/webapi/Options/MemoryStoreOptions.cs b/webapi/Options/MemoryStoreOptions.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a55da230a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapi/Options/MemoryStoreOptions.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
+
+namespace CopilotChat.WebApi.Options;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Configuration settings for the memory store.
+/// </summary>
+public class MemoryStoreOptions
+{
+    public const string PropertyName = "MemoryStore";
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The type of memory store to use.
+    /// </summary>
+    public enum MemoryStoreType
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Non-persistent memory store.
+        /// </summary>
+        Volatile,
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Qdrant based persistent memory store.
+        /// </summary>
+        Qdrant,
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Azure Cognitive Search persistent memory store.
+        /// </summary>
+        AzureCognitiveSearch,
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Chroma DB persistent memory store.
+        /// </summary>
+        Chroma
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the type of memory store to use.
+    /// </summary>
+    public MemoryStoreType Type { get; set; } = MemoryStoreType.Volatile;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Qdrant memory store.
+    /// </summary>
+    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoryStoreType.Qdrant)]
+    public QdrantOptions? Qdrant { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Chroma memory store.
+    /// </summary>
+    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoryStoreType.Chroma)]
+    public VectorMemoryWebOptions? Chroma { get; set; }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets or sets the configuration for the Azure Cognitive Search memory store.
+    /// </summary>
+    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), MemoryStoreType.AzureCognitiveSearch)]
+    public AzureCognitiveSearchOptions? AzureCognitiveSearch { get; set; }
+}
diff --git a/webapi/Options/PlannerOptions.cs b/webapi/Options/PlannerOptions.cs
index 0e24cdbc6..7d9c79d3f 100644
--- a/webapi/Options/PlannerOptions.cs
+++ b/webapi/Options/PlannerOptions.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
 using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;
 using CopilotChat.WebApi.Models.Response;
+using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Planning.Stepwise;
 
 namespace CopilotChat.WebApi.Options;
 
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ public class MissingFunctionErrorOptions
     public const string PropertyName = "Planner";
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Define if the planner must be Sequential or not.
+    /// The type of planner to used to create plan.
     /// </summary>
     [Required]
     public PlanType Type { get; set; } = PlanType.Action;
@@ -52,4 +53,10 @@ public class MissingFunctionErrorOptions
     /// Whether to retry plan creation if LLM returned response that doesn't contain valid plan (e.g., invalid XML or JSON, contains missing function, etc.).
     /// </summary>
     public bool AllowRetriesOnInvalidPlan { get; set; } = true;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The configuration for the stepwise planner.
+    /// </summary>
+    [RequiredOnPropertyValue(nameof(Type), PlanType.Stepwise)]
+    public StepwisePlannerConfig StepwisePlannerConfig { get; set; } = new StepwisePlannerConfig();
 }
diff --git a/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/CopilotChatPlanner.cs b/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/CopilotChatPlanner.cs
index 17d8abf00..4841e0d55 100644
--- a/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/CopilotChatPlanner.cs
+++ b/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/CopilotChatPlanner.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Diagnostics;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@
 using CopilotChat.WebApi.Options;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel;
+using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Orchestration;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Planning;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Planning.Sequential;
 using Microsoft.SemanticKernel.SkillDefinition;
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ public class CopilotChatPlanner
     /// Flag to indicate that a variable is unknown and needs to be filled in by the user.
     /// This is used to flag any inputs that had dependencies from removed steps.
     /// </summary>
-    private const string UNKNOWN_VARIABLE_FLAG = "$???";
+    private const string UnknownVariableFlag = "$???";
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Regex to match variable names from plan parameters.
@@ -47,7 +49,13 @@ public class CopilotChatPlanner
     /// Matches: $variableName, $variable_name, $variable-name, $some_variable_Name, $variableName123, $variableName_123, $variableName-123
     /// Does not match: $123variableName, $100 $200
     /// </summary>
-    private const string VARIABLE_REGEX = @"\$([A-Za-z]+[_-]*[\w]+)";
+    private const string VariableRegex = @"\$([A-Za-z]+[_-]*[\w]+)";
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Supplemental text to add to the plan goal if PlannerOptions.Type is set to Stepwise.
+    /// Helps the planner know when to bail out to request additional user input.
+    /// </summary>
+    private const string StepwisePlannerSupplement = "If you need more information to fulfill this request, return with a request for additional user input.";
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="CopilotChatPlanner"/> class.
@@ -74,8 +82,12 @@ public async Task<Plan> CreatePlanAsync(string goal, ILogger logger)
             return new Plan(goal);
         }
 
-        Plan plan = this._plannerOptions?.Type == PlanType.Sequential
-               ? await new SequentialPlanner(
+        Plan plan;
+
+        switch (this._plannerOptions?.Type)
+        {
+            case PlanType.Sequential:
+                plan = await new SequentialPlanner(
                     this.Kernel,
                     new SequentialPlannerConfig
                     {
@@ -83,12 +95,52 @@ public async Task<Plan> CreatePlanAsync(string goal, ILogger logger)
                         // Allow plan to be created with missing functions
                         AllowMissingFunctions = this._plannerOptions?.MissingFunctionError.AllowRetries ?? false
                     }
-                ).CreatePlanAsync(goal)
-               : await new ActionPlanner(this.Kernel).CreatePlanAsync(goal);
+                ).CreatePlanAsync(goal);
+                break;
+            default:
+                plan = await new ActionPlanner(this.Kernel).CreatePlanAsync(goal);
+                break;
+        }
 
         return this._plannerOptions!.MissingFunctionError.AllowRetries ? this.SanitizePlan(plan, plannerFunctionsView, logger) : plan;
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Run the stepwise planner.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="goal">The goal containing user intent and ask context.</param>
+    /// <param name="context">The context to run the plan in.</param>
+    public async Task<SKContext> RunStepwisePlannerAsync(string goal, SKContext context)
+    {
+        var config = new Microsoft.SemanticKernel.Planning.Stepwise.StepwisePlannerConfig()
+        {
+            MaxTokens = this._plannerOptions?.StepwisePlannerConfig.MaxTokens ?? 2048,
+            MaxIterations = this._plannerOptions?.StepwisePlannerConfig.MaxIterations ?? 15,
+            MinIterationTimeMs = this._plannerOptions?.StepwisePlannerConfig.MinIterationTimeMs ?? 1500
+        };
+
+        Stopwatch sw = new();
+        sw.Start();
+
+        try
+        {
+            var plan = new StepwisePlanner(
+                this.Kernel,
+                config
+            ).CreatePlan(string.Join("\n", goal, StepwisePlannerSupplement));
+            var result = await plan.InvokeAsync(context);
+
+            sw.Stop();
+            result.Variables.Set("timeTaken", sw.Elapsed.ToString());
+            return result;
+        }
+        catch (Exception e)
+        {
+            context.Logger.LogError(e, "Error running stepwise planner");
+            throw;
+        }
+    }
+
     #region Private
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -112,7 +164,7 @@ private Plan SanitizePlan(Plan plan, FunctionsView availableFunctions, ILogger l
                 availableOutputs.AddRange(step.Outputs);
 
                 // Regex to match variable names
-                Regex variableRegEx = new(VARIABLE_REGEX, RegexOptions.Singleline);
+                Regex variableRegEx = new(VariableRegex, RegexOptions.Singleline);
 
                 // Check for any inputs that may have dependencies from removed steps
                 foreach (var input in step.Parameters)
@@ -133,7 +185,7 @@ private Plan SanitizePlan(Plan plan, FunctionsView availableFunctions, ILogger l
                                     && inputVariableMatch.Groups[1].Captures.Count == 1
                                     && !unavailableOutputs.Any(output => string.Equals(output, inputVariableValue, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                                         ? "$PLAN.RESULT" // TODO: [Issue #2256] Extract constants from Plan class, requires change on kernel team
-                                        : UNKNOWN_VARIABLE_FLAG;
+                                        : UnknownVariableFlag;
                                 step.Parameters.Set(input.Key, Regex.Replace(input.Value, variableRegEx.ToString(), overrideValue));
                             }
                         }
diff --git a/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/ExternalInformationSkill.cs b/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/ExternalInformationSkill.cs
index d08bfd3b0..bfa23b211 100644
--- a/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/ExternalInformationSkill.cs
+++ b/webapi/Skills/ChatSkills/ExternalInformationSkill.cs
@@ -85,6 +85,15 @@ public async Task<string> AcquireExternalInformationAsync(
             return string.Empty;
         }
 
+        var contextString = string.Join("\n", context.Variables.Where(v => v.Key != "userIntent").Select(v => $"{v.Key}: {v.Value}"));
+        var goal = $"Given the following context, accomplish the user intent.\nContext:\n{contextString}\nUser Intent:{userIntent}";
+        if (this._planner.PlannerOptions?.Type == PlanType.Stepwise)
+        {
+            var newPlanContext = context.Clone();
+            newPlanContext = await this._planner.RunStepwisePlannerAsync(goal, context);
+            return $"{PromptPreamble}\n{newPlanContext.Variables.Input.Trim()}\n{PromptPostamble}\n";
+        }
+
         // Check if plan exists in ask's context variables.
         var planExists = context.Variables.TryGetValue("proposedPlan", out string? proposedPlanJson);
         var deserializedPlan = planExists && !string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(proposedPlanJson) ? JsonSerializer.Deserialize<ProposedPlan>(proposedPlanJson) : null;
@@ -127,7 +136,6 @@ public async Task<string> AcquireExternalInformationAsync(
         else
         {
             // Create a plan and set it in context for approval.
-            var contextString = string.Join("\n", context.Variables.Where(v => v.Key != "userIntent").Select(v => $"{v.Key}: {v.Value}"));
             Plan? plan = null;
             // Use default planner options if planner options are null.
             var plannerOptions = this._planner.PlannerOptions ?? new PlannerOptions();
@@ -139,7 +147,7 @@ public async Task<string> AcquireExternalInformationAsync(
             { // TODO: [Issue #2256] Remove InvalidPlan retry logic once Core team stabilizes planner
                 try
                 {
-                    plan = await this._planner.CreatePlanAsync($"Given the following context, accomplish the user intent.\nContext:\n{contextString}\nUser Intent:{userIntent}", context.Logger);
+                    plan = await this._planner.CreatePlanAsync(goal, context.Logger);
                 }
                 catch (Exception e) when (this.IsRetriableError(e))
                 {
diff --git a/webapi/appsettings.json b/webapi/appsettings.json
index 439877dde..b280e838a 100644
--- a/webapi/appsettings.json
+++ b/webapi/appsettings.json
@@ -49,15 +49,18 @@
   //
   // Planner can determine which skill functions, if any, need to be used to fulfill a user's request.
   // https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/semantic-kernel/concepts-sk/planner
-  // - Set Planner:Type to "Action" to use the single-step ActionPlanner (default)
+  // - Set Planner:Type to "Action" to use the single-step ActionPlanner
   // - Set Planner:Type to "Sequential" to enable the multi-step SequentialPlanner
   //     Note: SequentialPlanner works best with `gpt-4`. See the "Enabling Sequential Planner" section in webapi/README.md for configuration instructions.
+  // - Set Planner:Type to "Stepwise" to enable MRKL style planning
   // - Set Planner:RelevancyThreshold to a decimal between 0 and 1.0. 
   //
   "Planner": {
     "Type": "Sequential",
-    // Set RelevancyThreshold to a value >= 0.50 if using the SequentialPlanner with gpt-3.5-turbo. Ignored when Planner:Type is "Action"
-    "RelevancyThreshold": "0.80",
+    // The minimum relevancy score for a function to be considered.
+    // Set RelevancyThreshold to a value between 0 and 1 if using the SequentialPlanner or Stepwise planner with gpt-3.5-turbo. 
+    // Ignored when Planner:Type is "Action"
+    "RelevancyThreshold": "0.25",
     // Whether to allow missing functions in the plan on creation then sanitize output. Functions are considered missing if they're not available in the planner's kernel's context.
     // If set to true, the plan will be created with missing functions as no-op steps that are filtered from the final proposed plan.
     // If this is set to false, the plan creation will fail if any functions are missing.
@@ -66,7 +69,12 @@
       "MaxRetriesAllowed": "3" // Max retries allowed on MissingFunctionsError. If set to 0, no retries will be attempted.
     },
     // Whether to retry plan creation if LLM returned response with invalid plan.
-    "AllowRetriesOnInvalidPlan": "true"
+    "AllowRetriesOnInvalidPlan": "true",
+    "StepwisePlannerConfig": {
+      "MaxTokens": "2048",
+      "MaxIterations": "15",
+      "MinIterationTimeMs": "1500"
+    }
   },
   //
   // Optional Azure Speech service configuration for providing Azure Speech access tokens.
@@ -116,12 +124,12 @@
   // Memory stores are used for storing new memories and retrieving semantically similar memories.
   // - Supported Types are "volatile", "qdrant", "azurecognitivesearch", or "chroma".
   // - When using Qdrant or Azure Cognitive Search, see ./README.md for deployment instructions.
-  // - Set "MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key" using dotnet's user secrets (see above)
-  //     (i.e. dotnet user-secrets set "MemoriesStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key" "MY_AZCOGSRCH_KEY")
-  // - Set "MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Key" using dotnet's user secrets (see above) if you are using a Qdrant Cloud instance.
-  //     (i.e. dotnet user-secrets set "MemoriesStore:Qdrant:Key" "MY_QDRANTCLOUD_KEY")
+  // - Set "MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key" using dotnet's user secrets (see above)
+  //     (i.e. dotnet user-secrets set "MemoryStore:AzureCognitiveSearch:Key" "MY_AZCOGSRCH_KEY")
+  // - Set "MemoryStore:Qdrant:Key" using dotnet's user secrets (see above) if you are using a Qdrant Cloud instance.
+  //     (i.e. dotnet user-secrets set "MemoryStore:Qdrant:Key" "MY_QDRANTCLOUD_KEY")
   //
-  "MemoriesStore": {
+  "MemoryStore": {
     "Type": "volatile",
     "Qdrant": {
       "Host": "http://localhost",
diff --git a/webapp/src/Constants.ts b/webapp/src/Constants.ts
index 8a3def465..d741c1220 100644
--- a/webapp/src/Constants.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/Constants.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ export const Constants = {
     app: {
         name: 'Copilot',
         updateCheckIntervalSeconds: 60 * 5,
+        CONNECTION_ALERT_ID: 'connection-alert',
     },
     msal: {
         method: 'redirect', // 'redirect' | 'popup'
@@ -49,4 +50,5 @@ export const Constants = {
         MANIFEST_PATH: '/.well-known/ai-plugin.json',
     },
     KEYSTROKE_DEBOUNCE_TIME_MS: 250,
+    STEPWISE_RESULT_NOT_FOUND_REGEX: /(Result not found, review _stepsTaken to see what happened\.)\s+(\[{.*}])/g,
 };
diff --git a/webapp/src/checkEnv.ts b/webapp/src/checkEnv.ts
index 22b31082f..3f46e5f62 100644
--- a/webapp/src/checkEnv.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/checkEnv.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 import { AuthType } from './libs/auth/AuthHelper';
 
+/**
+ * Checks if all required environment variables are defined
+ * @returns {string[]} An array of missing environment variables
+ */
 export const getMissingEnvVariables = () => {
     // Should be aligned with variables defined in .env.example
     const envVariables = ['REACT_APP_BACKEND_URI'];
-
     const missingVariables = [];
 
     for (const variable of envVariables) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/PromptDialog.tsx b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/PromptDialog.tsx
index 454c0fe07..50459ca0b 100644
--- a/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/PromptDialog.tsx
+++ b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/PromptDialog.tsx
@@ -19,10 +19,13 @@ import {
 } from '@fluentui/react-components';
 import { Info16Regular } from '@fluentui/react-icons';
 import React from 'react';
+import { Constants } from '../../../Constants';
 import { BotResponsePrompt, PromptSectionsNameMap } from '../../../libs/models/BotResponsePrompt';
 import { IChatMessage } from '../../../libs/models/ChatMessage';
 import { useDialogClasses } from '../../../styles';
 import { TokenUsageGraph } from '../../token-usage/TokenUsageGraph';
+import { formatParagraphTextContent } from '../../utils/TextUtils';
+import { StepwiseThoughtProcess } from './stepwise-planner/StepwiseThoughtProcess';
 
 const useClasses = makeStyles({
     prompt: {
@@ -50,18 +53,20 @@ export const PromptDialog: React.FC<IPromptDialogProps> = ({ message }) => {
     } catch (e) {
         prompt = message.prompt ?? '';
     }
-
     let promptDetails;
     if (typeof prompt === 'string') {
         promptDetails = prompt.split('\n').map((paragraph, idx) => <p key={`prompt-details-${idx}`}>{paragraph}</p>);
     } else {
         promptDetails = Object.entries(prompt).map(([key, value]) => {
+            const isStepwiseThoughtProcess = Constants.STEPWISE_RESULT_NOT_FOUND_REGEX.test(value as string);
             return value ? (
                 <div className={classes.prompt} key={`prompt-details-${key}`}>
                     <Body1Strong>{PromptSectionsNameMap[key]}</Body1Strong>
-                    {(value as string).split('\n').map((paragraph, idx) => (
-                        <p key={`prompt-details-${idx}`}>{paragraph}</p>
-                    ))}
+                    {isStepwiseThoughtProcess ? (
+                        <StepwiseThoughtProcess stepwiseResult={value as string} />
+                    ) : (
+                        formatParagraphTextContent(value as string)
+                    )}
                 </div>
             ) : null;
         });
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseStepView.tsx b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseStepView.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..160526939
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseStepView.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import {
+    AccordionHeader,
+    AccordionItem,
+    AccordionPanel,
+    Body1,
+    makeStyles,
+    shorthands,
+    tokens,
+} from '@fluentui/react-components';
+import { StepwiseStep } from '../../../../libs/models/StepwiseStep';
+import { formatParagraphTextContent } from '../../../utils/TextUtils';
+
+const useClasses = makeStyles({
+    root: {
+        display: 'flex',
+        ...shorthands.gap(tokens.spacingHorizontalM),
+    },
+    accordionItem: {
+        width: '99%',
+    },
+    header: {
+        width: '100%',
+        /* Styles for the button within the header */
+        '& button': {
+            alignItems: 'flex-start',
+            minHeight: '-webkit-fill-available',
+            paddingLeft: tokens.spacingHorizontalNone,
+        },
+    },
+});
+
+interface IStepwiseStepViewProps {
+    step: StepwiseStep;
+    index: number;
+}
+
+export const StepwiseStepView: React.FC<IStepwiseStepViewProps> = ({ step, index }) => {
+    const classes = useClasses();
+
+    let header = `[OBSERVATION] ${step.observation}`;
+    let details: string | undefined;
+
+    if (step.thought) {
+        const thoughtRegEx = /\[(THOUGHT|QUESTION|ACTION)](\s*(.*))*/g;
+        let thought = step.thought.match(thoughtRegEx)?.[0] ?? `[THOUGHT] ${step.thought}`;
+
+        // Only show the first sentence of the thought in the header.
+        // Show the rest as details.
+        const firstSentenceIndex = thought.indexOf('. ');
+        if (firstSentenceIndex > 0) {
+            details = thought.substring(firstSentenceIndex + 2);
+            thought = thought.substring(0, firstSentenceIndex + 1);
+        }
+
+        header = thought;
+    }
+
+    if (step.action) {
+        header = `[ACTION] ${step.action}`;
+
+        // Format the action variables and observation.
+        const variables = step.action_variables
+            ? 'Action variables: \n' +
+              Object.entries(step.action_variables)
+                  .map(([key, value]) => `\r${key}: ${value}`)
+                  .join('\n')
+            : '';
+
+        // Remove the [ACTION] tag from the thought and remove any code block formatting.
+        details = step.thought.replace('[ACTION]', '').replaceAll('```', '') + '\n';
+
+        // Parse any unicode quotation characters in the observation.
+        const observation = step.observation?.replaceAll(/\\{0,2}u0022/g, '"');
+        details = details.concat(variables, `\nObservation: \n\r${observation}`);
+    }
+
+    return (
+        <div className={classes.root}>
+            <Body1>{index + 1}.</Body1>
+            <AccordionItem value={index} className={classes.accordionItem}>
+                {details ? (
+                    <>
+                        <AccordionHeader expandIconPosition="end" className={classes.header}>
+                            <Body1>{header}</Body1>
+                        </AccordionHeader>
+                        <AccordionPanel>{formatParagraphTextContent(details)}</AccordionPanel>
+                    </>
+                ) : (
+                    <Body1>{header}</Body1>
+                )}
+            </AccordionItem>
+        </div>
+    );
+};
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseThoughtProcess.tsx b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseThoughtProcess.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..709f20d64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/src/components/chat/prompt-dialog/stepwise-planner/StepwiseThoughtProcess.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { Accordion, Body1, makeStyles, mergeClasses, shorthands, tokens } from '@fluentui/react-components';
+import { Constants } from '../../../../Constants';
+import { StepwiseStep } from '../../../../libs/models/StepwiseStep';
+import { StepwiseStepView } from './StepwiseStepView';
+
+const useClasses = makeStyles({
+    root: {
+        display: 'flex',
+        flexDirection: 'column',
+        ...shorthands.gap(tokens.spacingHorizontalSNudge),
+    },
+    header: {
+        paddingTop: tokens.spacingVerticalS,
+    },
+});
+
+interface IStepwiseThoughtProcessProps {
+    stepwiseResult: string;
+}
+
+export const StepwiseThoughtProcess: React.FC<IStepwiseThoughtProcessProps> = ({ stepwiseResult }) => {
+    const classes = useClasses();
+
+    const matches = stepwiseResult.matchAll(Constants.STEPWISE_RESULT_NOT_FOUND_REGEX);
+    const matchGroups = Array.from(matches);
+    if (matchGroups.length > 0) {
+        const steps = JSON.parse(matchGroups[0][2]) as StepwiseStep[];
+        return (
+            <div className={mergeClasses(classes.root, classes.header)}>
+                <Body1>{matchGroups[0][1]}</Body1>
+                <Body1>[THOUGHT PROCESS]</Body1>
+                <Accordion collapsible multiple className={classes.root}>
+                    {steps.map((step, index) => {
+                        return <StepwiseStepView step={step} key={`stepwise-thought-${index}`} index={index} />;
+                    })}
+                </Accordion>
+            </div>
+        );
+    }
+
+    return;
+};
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/chat/tabs/DocumentsTab.tsx b/webapp/src/components/chat/tabs/DocumentsTab.tsx
index b4e89c315..fd0afefd3 100644
--- a/webapp/src/components/chat/tabs/DocumentsTab.tsx
+++ b/webapp/src/components/chat/tabs/DocumentsTab.tsx
@@ -181,14 +181,14 @@ export const DocumentsTab: React.FC = () => {
                 {/* Hardcode vector database as we don't support switching vector store dynamically now. */}
                 <div className={classes.vectorDatabase}>
                     <Label size="large">Vector Database</Label>
-                    <RadioGroup defaultValue={serviceOptions.memoriesStore.selectedType} layout="horizontal">
-                        {serviceOptions.memoriesStore.types.map((storeType) => {
+                    <RadioGroup defaultValue={serviceOptions.memoryStore.selectedType} layout="horizontal">
+                        {serviceOptions.memoryStore.types.map((storeType) => {
                             return (
                                 <Radio
                                     key={storeType}
                                     value={storeType}
                                     label={storeType}
-                                    disabled={storeType !== serviceOptions.memoriesStore.selectedType}
+                                    disabled={storeType !== serviceOptions.memoryStore.selectedType}
                                 />
                             );
                         })}
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/token-usage/TokenUsageGraph.tsx b/webapp/src/components/token-usage/TokenUsageGraph.tsx
index 697ab01be..4ba0529cb 100644
--- a/webapp/src/components/token-usage/TokenUsageGraph.tsx
+++ b/webapp/src/components/token-usage/TokenUsageGraph.tsx
@@ -63,7 +63,8 @@ const contrastColors = [
 export const TokenUsageGraph: React.FC<ITokenUsageGraph> = ({ promptView, tokenUsage }) => {
     const classes = useClasses();
     const { conversations, selectedId } = useAppSelector((state: RootState) => state.conversations);
-    const loadingResponse = conversations[selectedId].botResponseStatus && Object.entries(tokenUsage).length === 0;
+    const loadingResponse =
+        selectedId !== '' && conversations[selectedId].botResponseStatus && Object.entries(tokenUsage).length === 0;
 
     const responseGenerationView: TokenUsageView = {};
     const memoryGenerationView: TokenUsageView = {};
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.ts b/webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.tsx
similarity index 76%
rename from webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.ts
rename to webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.tsx
index 7a588a754..ec986de25 100644
--- a/webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/components/utils/TextUtils.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { Body1, tokens } from '@fluentui/react-components';
+
 /*
  * Function to detect and convert URLs within a string into clickable links.
  * It wraps each link matched with anchor tags and applies safe href attributes.
@@ -66,3 +68,29 @@ export function formatChatTextContent(messageContent: string) {
         .replace(/^!sk:.*$/gm, (match: string) => createCommandLink(match));
     return contentAsString;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Formats text containing `\n` or `\r` into paragraphs.
+ */
+export function formatParagraphTextContent(messageContent: string) {
+    messageContent = messageContent.replaceAll('\r\n', '\n\r');
+    return (
+        <Body1>
+            {messageContent.split('\n').map((paragraph, idx) => (
+                <p
+                    key={`paragraph-${idx}`}
+                    style={
+                        paragraph.includes('\r')
+                            ? {
+                                  display: 'flex',
+                                  marginLeft: tokens.spacingHorizontalL,
+                              }
+                            : undefined
+                    }
+                >
+                    {paragraph}
+                </p>
+            ))}
+        </Body1>
+    );
+}
diff --git a/webapp/src/components/views/BackendProbe.tsx b/webapp/src/components/views/BackendProbe.tsx
index a4eec1239..266963b86 100644
--- a/webapp/src/components/views/BackendProbe.tsx
+++ b/webapp/src/components/views/BackendProbe.tsx
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ const BackendProbe: FC<IData> = ({ uri, onBackendFound }) => {
                 }
             };
 
-            void fetchAsync();
+            fetchAsync().catch(() => {
+                // Ignore - this page is just a probe, so we don't need to show any errors if backend is not found
+            });
         }, 3000);
 
         return () => {
diff --git a/webapp/src/libs/hooks/useChat.ts b/webapp/src/libs/hooks/useChat.ts
index 23559a785..d75167237 100644
--- a/webapp/src/libs/hooks/useChat.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/libs/hooks/useChat.ts
@@ -73,21 +73,22 @@ export const useChat = () => {
 
     const createChat = async () => {
         const chatTitle = `Copilot @ ${new Date().toLocaleString()}`;
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
         try {
-            await chatService.createChatAsync(chatTitle, accessToken).then((result: ICreateChatSessionResponse) => {
-                const newChat: ChatState = {
-                    id: result.chatSession.id,
-                    title: result.chatSession.title,
-                    systemDescription: result.chatSession.systemDescription,
-                    memoryBalance: result.chatSession.memoryBalance,
-                    messages: [result.initialBotMessage],
-                    users: [loggedInUser],
-                    botProfilePicture: getBotProfilePicture(Object.keys(conversations).length),
-                    input: '',
-                    botResponseStatus: undefined,
-                    userDataLoaded: false,
-                };
+            await chatService
+                .createChatAsync(chatTitle, await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress))
+                .then((result: ICreateChatSessionResponse) => {
+                    const newChat: ChatState = {
+                        id: result.chatSession.id,
+                        title: result.chatSession.title,
+                        systemDescription: result.chatSession.systemDescription,
+                        memoryBalance: result.chatSession.memoryBalance,
+                        messages: [result.initialBotMessage],
+                        users: [loggedInUser],
+                        botProfilePicture: getBotProfilePicture(Object.keys(conversations).length),
+                        input: '',
+                        botResponseStatus: undefined,
+                        userDataLoaded: false,
+                    };
 
                 dispatch(addConversation(newChat));
                 return newChat.id;
@@ -139,8 +140,8 @@ export const useChat = () => {
     };
 
     const loadChats = async () => {
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
         try {
+            const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
             const chatSessions = await chatService.getAllChatsAsync(userId, accessToken);
 
             if (chatSessions.length > 0) {
@@ -196,10 +197,9 @@ export const useChat = () => {
     };
 
     const uploadBot = async (bot: Bot) => {
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
-        botService
-            .uploadAsync(bot, accessToken)
-            .then(async (chatSession: IChatSession) => {
+        try {
+            const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
+            await botService.uploadAsync(bot, accessToken).then(async (chatSession: IChatSession) => {
                 const chatMessages = await chatService.getChatMessagesAsync(chatSession.id, 0, 100, accessToken);
 
                 const newChat = {
@@ -212,11 +212,11 @@ export const useChat = () => {
                 };
 
                 dispatch(addConversation(newChat));
-            })
-            .catch((e: any) => {
-                const errorMessage = `Unable to upload the bot. Details: ${getErrorDetails(e)}`;
-                dispatch(addAlert({ message: errorMessage, type: AlertType.Error }));
             });
+        } catch (e: any) {
+            const errorMessage = `Unable to upload the bot. Details: ${getErrorDetails(e)}`;
+            dispatch(addAlert({ message: errorMessage, type: AlertType.Error }));
+        }
     };
 
     const getBotProfilePicture = (index: number): string => {
@@ -275,8 +275,8 @@ export const useChat = () => {
     };
 
     const joinChat = async (chatId: string) => {
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
         try {
+            const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
             await chatService.joinChatAsync(userId, chatId, accessToken).then(async (result: IChatSession) => {
                 // Get chat messages
                 const chatMessages = await chatService.getChatMessagesAsync(result.id, 0, 100, accessToken);
@@ -308,9 +308,14 @@ export const useChat = () => {
     };
 
     const editChat = async (chatId: string, title: string, syetemDescription: string, memoryBalance: number) => {
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
         try {
-            await chatService.editChatAsync(chatId, title, syetemDescription, memoryBalance, accessToken);
+            await chatService.editChatAsync(
+                chatId,
+                title,
+                syetemDescription,
+                memoryBalance,
+                await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress),
+            );
         } catch (e: any) {
             const errorMessage = `Error editing chat ${chatId}. Details: ${getErrorDetails(e)}`;
             dispatch(addAlert({ message: errorMessage, type: AlertType.Error }));
@@ -318,9 +323,8 @@ export const useChat = () => {
     };
 
     const getServiceOptions = async () => {
-        const accessToken = await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress);
         try {
-            return await chatService.getServiceOptionsAsync(accessToken);
+            return await chatService.getServiceOptionsAsync(await AuthHelper.getSKaaSAccessToken(instance, inProgress));
         } catch (e: any) {
             const errorMessage = `Error getting service options. Details: ${getErrorDetails(e)}`;
             dispatch(addAlert({ message: errorMessage, type: AlertType.Error }));
diff --git a/webapp/src/libs/models/BotResponsePrompt.ts b/webapp/src/libs/models/BotResponsePrompt.ts
index 4714685d4..b266b61e8 100644
--- a/webapp/src/libs/models/BotResponsePrompt.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/libs/models/BotResponsePrompt.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export const PromptSectionsNameMap: Record<string, string> = {
     audience: 'Audience',
     userIntent: 'User Intent',
     chatMemories: 'Chat Memories',
-    externalInformation: 'External Information',
+    externalInformation: 'Planner Results',
     chatHistory: 'Chat History',
     systemChatContinuation: 'System Chat Continuation',
 };
diff --git a/webapp/src/libs/models/ServiceOptions.ts b/webapp/src/libs/models/ServiceOptions.ts
index 79172ac5f..f275ba5fb 100644
--- a/webapp/src/libs/models/ServiceOptions.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/libs/models/ServiceOptions.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
 
-export interface MemoriesStore {
+export interface MemoryStore {
     types: string[];
     selectedType: string;
 }
 
 export interface ServiceOptions {
-    memoriesStore: MemoriesStore;
+    memoryStore: MemoryStore;
 }
diff --git a/webapp/src/libs/models/StepwiseStep.ts b/webapp/src/libs/models/StepwiseStep.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..08a7c9410
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webapp/src/libs/models/StepwiseStep.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+export interface StepwiseStep {
+    // The step number
+    thought: string;
+
+    // The action of the step
+    action?: string;
+
+    // The variables for the action
+    action_variables?: Record<string, string>;
+
+    // The output of the action
+    observation?: string;
+
+    // The output of the system
+    final_answer?: string;
+
+    // The raw response from the action
+    original_response: string;
+}
diff --git a/webapp/src/libs/models/TokenUsage.ts b/webapp/src/libs/models/TokenUsage.ts
index 01e5c33d1..5d2c1d90d 100644
--- a/webapp/src/libs/models/TokenUsage.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/libs/models/TokenUsage.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ export const TokenUsageFunctionNameMap: Record<string, string> = {
     userIntentExtraction: 'User Intent Extraction',
     metaPromptTemplate: 'Meta Prompt Template',
     responseCompletion: 'Response Completion',
-    workingMemoryExtraction: 'Working Memory Extraction',
-    longTermMemoryExtraction: 'Long Term Memory Extraction',
+    workingMemoryExtraction: 'Working Memory Generation',
+    longTermMemoryExtraction: 'Long Term Memory Generation',
 };
diff --git a/webapp/src/redux/features/app/AppState.ts b/webapp/src/redux/features/app/AppState.ts
index 9111b1a6c..f74f18477 100644
--- a/webapp/src/redux/features/app/AppState.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/redux/features/app/AppState.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export interface ActiveUserInfo {
 export interface Alert {
     message: string;
     type: AlertType;
+    id?: string;
 }
 
 interface Feature {
@@ -137,5 +138,5 @@ export const initialState: AppState = {
     tokenUsage: {},
     features: Features,
     settings: Settings,
-    serviceOptions: { memoriesStore: { types: [], selectedType: '' } },
+    serviceOptions: { memoryStore: { types: [], selectedType: '' } },
 };
diff --git a/webapp/src/redux/features/app/appSlice.ts b/webapp/src/redux/features/app/appSlice.ts
index ff95e23b3..1d4ef00f2 100644
--- a/webapp/src/redux/features/app/appSlice.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/redux/features/app/appSlice.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
 
 import { createSlice, PayloadAction } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
+import { Constants } from '../../../Constants';
 import { ServiceOptions } from '../../../libs/models/ServiceOptions';
 import { TokenUsage } from '../../../libs/models/TokenUsage';
 import { ActiveUserInfo, Alert, AppState, FeatureKeys, initialState } from './AppState';
@@ -13,10 +14,14 @@ export const appSlice = createSlice({
             state.alerts = action.payload;
         },
         addAlert: (state: AppState, action: PayloadAction<Alert>) => {
-            if (state.alerts.length === 3) {
-                state.alerts.shift();
+            if (
+                action.payload.id == Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID ||
+                isServerConnectionError(action.payload.message)
+            ) {
+                updateConnectionStatus(state, action.payload);
+            } else {
+                addNewAlert(state.alerts, action.payload);
             }
-            state.alerts.push(action.payload);
         },
         removeAlert: (state: AppState, action: PayloadAction<number>) => {
             state.alerts.splice(action.payload, 1);
@@ -89,3 +94,38 @@ const getTotalTokenUsage = (previousSum?: number, current?: number) => {
 
     return previousSum + current;
 };
+
+const isServerConnectionError = (message: string) => {
+    return (
+        message.includes(`Cannot send data if the connection is not in the 'Connected' State.`) ||
+        message.includes(`Server timeout elapsed without receiving a message from the server.`)
+    );
+};
+
+const addNewAlert = (alerts: Alert[], newAlert: Alert) => {
+    if (alerts.length === 3) {
+        alerts.shift();
+    }
+
+    alerts.push(newAlert);
+};
+
+const updateConnectionStatus = (state: AppState, statusUpdate: Alert) => {
+    if (isServerConnectionError(statusUpdate.message)) {
+        statusUpdate.message =
+            // Constant message so alert UI doesn't feel glitchy on every connection error from SignalR
+            'Cannot send data due to lost connection or server timeout. Try refreshing this page to restart the connection.';
+    }
+
+    // There should only ever be one connection alert at a time,
+    // so we tag the alert with a unique ID so we can remove if needed
+    statusUpdate.id ??= Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID;
+
+    // Remove the existing connection alert if it exists
+    const connectionAlertIndex = state.alerts.findIndex((alert) => alert.id === Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID);
+    if (connectionAlertIndex !== -1) {
+        state.alerts.splice(connectionAlertIndex, 1);
+    }
+
+    addNewAlert(state.alerts, statusUpdate);
+};
diff --git a/webapp/src/redux/features/message-relay/signalRMiddleware.ts b/webapp/src/redux/features/message-relay/signalRMiddleware.ts
index 8ffc237ef..6beaac3fd 100644
--- a/webapp/src/redux/features/message-relay/signalRMiddleware.ts
+++ b/webapp/src/redux/features/message-relay/signalRMiddleware.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import * as signalR from '@microsoft/signalr';
 import { AnyAction, Dispatch } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
+import { Constants } from '../../../Constants';
 import { AlertType } from '../../../libs/models/AlertType';
 import { IChatUser } from '../../../libs/models/ChatUser';
 import { PlanState } from '../../../libs/models/Plan';
@@ -65,7 +66,13 @@ const registerCommonSignalConnectionEvents = (store: Store) => {
     hubConnection.onclose((error) => {
         if (hubConnection.state === signalR.HubConnectionState.Disconnected) {
             const errorMessage = 'Connection closed due to error. Try refreshing this page to restart the connection';
-            store.dispatch(addAlert({ message: String(errorMessage), type: AlertType.Error }));
+            store.dispatch(
+                addAlert({
+                    message: String(errorMessage),
+                    type: AlertType.Error,
+                    id: Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID,
+                }),
+            );
             console.log(errorMessage, error);
         }
     });
@@ -73,15 +80,21 @@ const registerCommonSignalConnectionEvents = (store: Store) => {
     hubConnection.onreconnecting((error) => {
         if (hubConnection.state === signalR.HubConnectionState.Reconnecting) {
             const errorMessage = 'Connection lost due to error. Reconnecting...';
-            store.dispatch(addAlert({ message: String(errorMessage), type: AlertType.Info }));
+            store.dispatch(
+                addAlert({
+                    message: String(errorMessage),
+                    type: AlertType.Info,
+                    id: Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID,
+                }),
+            );
             console.log(errorMessage, error);
         }
     });
 
     hubConnection.onreconnected((connectionId = '') => {
         if (hubConnection.state === signalR.HubConnectionState.Connected) {
-            const message = 'Connection reestablished.';
-            store.dispatch(addAlert({ message, type: AlertType.Success }));
+            const message = 'Connection reestablished. Please refresh the page to ensure you have the latest data.';
+            store.dispatch(addAlert({ message, type: AlertType.Success, id: Constants.app.CONNECTION_ALERT_ID }));
             console.log(message + ` Connected with connectionId ${connectionId}`);
         }
     });