diff --git a/web/src/app/chat/Chat.tsx b/web/src/app/chat/Chat.tsx
index 467150321..d563e2c00 100644
--- a/web/src/app/chat/Chat.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/chat/Chat.tsx
@@ -74,13 +74,20 @@ export const Chat = ({
     existingChatSessionId !== null
   );
 
+  // needed so closures (e.g. onSubmit) can access the current value
+  const urlChatSessionId = useRef<number | null>();
   // this is triggered every time the user switches which chat
   // session they are using
   useEffect(() => {
+    urlChatSessionId.current = existingChatSessionId;
+
     textareaRef.current?.focus();
 
     // only clear things if we're going from one chat session to another
-    if (chatSessionId !== null && existingChatSessionId !== chatSessionId) {
+    if (
+      existingChatSessionId !== null &&
+      existingChatSessionId !== chatSessionId
+    ) {
       // de-select documents
       clearSelectedDocuments();
       // reset all filters
@@ -286,7 +293,12 @@ export const Chat = ({
   const onSubmit = async ({
     messageIdToResend,
     queryOverride,
-  }: { messageIdToResend?: number; queryOverride?: string } = {}) => {
+    forceSearch,
+  }: {
+    messageIdToResend?: number;
+    queryOverride?: string;
+    forceSearch?: boolean;
+  } = {}) => {
     let currChatSessionId: number;
     let isNewSession = chatSessionId === null;
     if (isNewSession) {
@@ -357,6 +369,7 @@ export const Chat = ({
           )
           .map((document) => document.db_doc_id as number),
         queryOverride,
+        forceSearch,
       })) {
         for (const packet of packetBunch) {
           if (Object.hasOwn(packet, "answer_piece")) {
@@ -422,7 +435,10 @@ export const Chat = ({
       await nameChatSession(currChatSessionId, currMessage);
 
       // NOTE: don't switch pages if the user has navigated away from the chat
-      if (currChatSessionId === chatSessionId) {
+      if (
+        currChatSessionId === urlChatSessionId.current ||
+        urlChatSessionId.current === null
+      ) {
         router.push(`/chat?chatId=${currChatSessionId}`, {
           scroll: false,
         });
@@ -603,6 +619,20 @@ export const Chat = ({
                               }
                             }
                           }}
+                          handleForceSearch={() => {
+                            if (previousMessage && previousMessage.messageId) {
+                              onSubmit({
+                                messageIdToResend: previousMessage.messageId,
+                                forceSearch: true,
+                              });
+                            } else {
+                              setPopup({
+                                type: "error",
+                                message:
+                                  "Failed to force search - please refresh the page and try again.",
+                              });
+                            }
+                          }}
                         />
                       </div>
                     );
diff --git a/web/src/app/chat/lib.tsx b/web/src/app/chat/lib.tsx
index 7fc125d7f..16b49e3d0 100644
--- a/web/src/app/chat/lib.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/chat/lib.tsx
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ export interface SendMessageRequest {
   filters: Filters | null;
   selectedDocumentIds: number[] | null;
   queryOverride?: string;
+  forceSearch?: boolean;
 }
 
 export async function* sendMessage({
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ export async function* sendMessage({
   filters,
   selectedDocumentIds,
   queryOverride,
+  forceSearch,
 }: SendMessageRequest) {
   const documentsAreSelected =
     selectedDocumentIds && selectedDocumentIds.length > 0;
@@ -73,7 +75,10 @@ export async function* sendMessage({
       retrieval_options: !documentsAreSelected
         ? {
             run_search:
-              promptId === null || promptId === undefined || queryOverride
+              promptId === null ||
+              promptId === undefined ||
+              queryOverride ||
+              forceSearch
                 ? "always"
                 : "auto",
             real_time: true,
diff --git a/web/src/app/chat/message/Messages.tsx b/web/src/app/chat/message/Messages.tsx
index 5d92fdd63..4af3b4b24 100644
--- a/web/src/app/chat/message/Messages.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/chat/message/Messages.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { DanswerDocument } from "@/lib/search/interfaces";
 import { SearchSummary, ShowHideDocsButton } from "./SearchSummary";
 import { SourceIcon } from "@/components/SourceIcon";
 import { ThreeDots } from "react-loader-spinner";
+import { SkippedSearch } from "./SkippedSearch";
 
 export const Hoverable: React.FC<{
   children: JSX.Element;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ export const AIMessage = ({
   isCurrentlyShowingRetrieved,
   handleShowRetrieved,
   handleSearchQueryEdit,
+  handleForceSearch,
 }: {
   messageId: number | null;
   content: string | JSX.Element;
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@ export const AIMessage = ({
   isCurrentlyShowingRetrieved?: boolean;
   handleShowRetrieved?: (messageNumber: number | null) => void;
   handleSearchQueryEdit?: (query: string) => void;
+  handleForceSearch?: () => void;
 }) => {
   const [copyClicked, setCopyClicked] = useState(false);
   return (
@@ -96,6 +99,11 @@ export const AIMessage = ({
                   />
                 </div>
               )}
+            {handleForceSearch && content && query === undefined && (
+              <div className="my-1">
+                <SkippedSearch handleForceSearch={handleForceSearch} />
+              </div>
+            )}
 
             {content ? (
               <>
diff --git a/web/src/app/chat/message/SkippedSearch.tsx b/web/src/app/chat/message/SkippedSearch.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9deed79e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/chat/message/SkippedSearch.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { EmphasizedClickable } from "@/components/BasicClickable";
+import { FiArchive, FiBook, FiSearch } from "react-icons/fi";
+
+function ForceSearchButton({
+  messageId,
+  handleShowRetrieved,
+}: {
+  messageId: number | null;
+  isCurrentlyShowingRetrieved: boolean;
+  handleShowRetrieved: (messageId: number | null) => void;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div
+      className="ml-auto my-auto"
+      onClick={() => handleShowRetrieved(messageId)}
+    >
+      <EmphasizedClickable>
+        <div className="w-24 text-xs">Force Search</div>
+      </EmphasizedClickable>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+export function SkippedSearch({
+  handleForceSearch,
+}: {
+  handleForceSearch: () => void;
+}) {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex text-sm p-1">
+      <FiBook className="my-auto mr-2" size={14} />
+      <div className="my-2 cursor-default">
+        The AI decided this query didn&apos;t need a search
+      </div>
+
+      <div className="ml-auto my-auto" onClick={handleForceSearch}>
+        <EmphasizedClickable>
+          <div className="w-24 text-xs">Force Search</div>
+        </EmphasizedClickable>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}