diff --git a/src/components/Chat/Chat.module.scss b/src/components/Chat/Chat.module.scss
index 8495004..0a1ca45 100644
--- a/src/components/Chat/Chat.module.scss
+++ b/src/components/Chat/Chat.module.scss
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@
   height: calc(100%);
 
   #chat-scroll-container { 
-    height: calc(100% - 35px - 2.5rem);
+    height: calc(100% - 35px);
     overflow-y: auto;
     margin-bottom: 3px;
     padding: 0.5rem;
+    padding-top: 1rem;
+    padding-bottom: 1.5rem;
     
     pre {
       white-space: pre-wrap;
@@ -59,6 +61,35 @@
         text-align: right;
       }
     }
+
+    .condensed-chat {
+      background-color: #333;
+      padding: 0.5rem;
+      border-radius: 5px;
+      border: 1px solid #555;
+
+      margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+
+      color: white;
+      position: relative;
+
+      > p:first-child {
+        margin-top: 0;
+      }
+
+      a {
+        font-size: 0.8rem;
+        cursor: pointer;
+        text-decoration: underline;
+      }
+
+      .show-all-content-container {
+        padding: 0.5rem;
+        padding-bottom: 0;
+        border-radius: 5px;
+        background-color: #222;
+      }
+    }
   }
     
   .chat-status-badge {
@@ -69,8 +100,10 @@
     left: 0;
     right: 0;
     padding: 0.5rem;
-    background: #22222280;
-    background: linear-gradient(0deg, rgba(34,34,34,0.75) 0%, rgba(34,34,34,0) 100%);
+
+    :global(.mantine-Badge-root) {
+      box-shadow: 0 0 3px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.3);
+    }
   }
 
   
diff --git a/src/components/Chat/Chat.tsx b/src/components/Chat/Chat.tsx
index 270f65d..5e2506d 100644
--- a/src/components/Chat/Chat.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Chat/Chat.tsx
@@ -22,16 +22,17 @@ import { useAppDispatch, useAppSelector } from 'redux/store';
 import { tryParsingOutQuery } from 'utils/tryParsingOutQuery';
 
 import styles from "./Chat.module.scss"
+import { LinkQChatMessageType } from 'redux/chatHistorySlice';
 
 
 export function Chat() {
   const fullChatHistory = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.fullChatHistory)
   const simpleChatHistory = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.simpleChatHistory)
 
-  const showFullChatHistory = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.showFullChatHistory)
+  const chatHistoryDisplay = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.chatHistoryDisplay)
 
-  //based on showFullChatHistory, decide which chat history to display to the user
-  const chatHistory = showFullChatHistory ? fullChatHistory : simpleChatHistory
+  //based on chatHistoryDisplay, decide which chat history to display to the user
+  const chatHistory = chatHistoryDisplay==="full" ? fullChatHistory : simpleChatHistory
 
   const chatScrollBottomRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -55,20 +56,16 @@ export function Chat() {
       <Settings/>
 
       <div id={styles["chat-scroll-container"]}>
-        {chatHistory.map((c, i) => {
-          return (
-            <div key={i} className={`${styles["chat-row"]} ${styles[c.role]}`}>
-              <div className={styles["chat-justify"]}>
-                {showFullChatHistory && <p>{c.name}, chat #{c.chatId}</p>}
-                {
-                  c.role === "assistant" 
-                  ? <RenderLLMResponse text={c.content} setInputText={setInputText}/>
-                  : <pre className={styles.chat}>{c.content}</pre> 
-                }
-              </div>
-            </div>
-          )
-        })}
+        <br/>
+        {chatHistoryDisplay==="condensed" ? (
+          condenseChat(fullChatHistory).map((c,i) => (
+            <RenderCondensedMessage key={i} condensedChat={c} setInputText={setInputText}/>
+          ))
+        ) : (
+          chatHistory.map((c, i) => (
+            <RenderChatMessage key={i} chat={c} setInputText={setInputText}/>
+          ))
+        )}
         <div ref={chatScrollBottomRef}/>
       </div>
 
@@ -99,6 +96,68 @@ export function Chat() {
   )
 }
 
+function RenderCondensedMessage({
+  condensedChat,
+  setInputText,
+}:{
+  condensedChat:CondensedChatType,
+  setInputText: React.Dispatch<React.SetStateAction<string>>,
+}) {
+  const [showDetails, setShowDetails] = useState<boolean>(false)
+
+  const firstChatMessage = condensedChat[0]
+  return (
+    <div className={styles["condensed-chat"]}>
+      {firstChatMessage.stage && (
+        <>
+          <p><b>{firstChatMessage.stage.mainStage}</b></p>
+          <p>{firstChatMessage.stage.subStage}</p>
+          {firstChatMessage.stage.description && <p>{firstChatMessage.stage.description}</p>}
+        </>
+      )}
+      <div>
+        <a aria-label="Show Details" onClick={() => setShowDetails(!showDetails)}>
+        {showDetails ? "Hide Details" : "Show Full Details"}
+      </a>
+      </div>
+      
+      {showDetails && (
+        <div>
+          <br/>
+          <div className={styles["show-all-content-container"]}>
+            {condensedChat.map((c, i) => (
+              <RenderChatMessage key={i} chat={c} setInputText={setInputText}/>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function RenderChatMessage({
+  chat,
+  setInputText,
+}:{
+  chat:LinkQChatMessageType,
+  setInputText: React.Dispatch<React.SetStateAction<string>>,
+}) {
+  const chatHistoryDisplay = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.chatHistoryDisplay)
+
+  return (
+    <div className={`${styles["chat-row"]} ${styles[chat.role]}`}>
+      <div className={styles["chat-justify"]}>
+        {chatHistoryDisplay==="full"||chatHistoryDisplay==="condensed" && <p>{chat.name}, chat #{chat.chatId}</p>}
+        {
+          chat.role === "assistant" 
+          ? <RenderLLMResponse text={chat.content} setInputText={setInputText}/>
+          : <pre className={styles.chat}>{chat.content}</pre> 
+        }
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
 function RenderLLMResponse({
   setInputText,
   text,
@@ -220,6 +279,60 @@ function LinkQDetailedBadgeStatus() {
   }
 
   return (
-    <div className={styles["chat-status-badge"]}><Badge color={color}>{displayMessage}</Badge></div>
+    <div className={styles["chat-status-badge"]}>
+      <Badge color={color}>{displayMessage}</Badge>
+    </div>
   )
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+//the condensed chat type is just one or two grouped chat messages
+type CondensedChatType = LinkQChatMessageType[]
+
+/**
+ * Converts the full chat history into the condensed/grouped view for better traceability.
+ * If two neighboring chat messages have the same stage details, they are condensed/grouped together
+ * @param fullChatHistory 
+ * @returns               array of condensed chat types
+ */
+function condenseChat(fullChatHistory: LinkQChatMessageType[]):CondensedChatType[] {
+  const condensedChat:CondensedChatType[] = [];
+
+  //loop through the full chat history
+  for(let i=0; i<fullChatHistory.length; ++i) {
+    const currentChatMessage = fullChatHistory[i]
+    const nextChatMessage = fullChatHistory.at(i + 1)
+    if(i === 0) { //HARDCODED ignore the initial system prompt
+      continue;
+    }
+    //else if the current and next chat message have the same stage details
+    else if(nextChatMessage && messagesHaveMatchingStages(currentChatMessage,nextChatMessage)) {
+      //condense these two messages together
+      condensedChat.push([
+        currentChatMessage,
+        nextChatMessage
+      ]);
+      ++i; //skip over this next message in the subsequent iteration
+    }
+    //else this chat message can stand alone by itself
+    else if(currentChatMessage.stage) {
+      condensedChat.push([ currentChatMessage ])
+    }
+    //else the chat message doesn't have stage info
+  }
+
+  return condensedChat
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks whether two messages have the same main and sub stage
+ * @param chatMessage1 
+ * @param chatMessage2 
+ * @returns             true if the main and sub stages match (including in the stage is undefined), else false
+ */
+function messagesHaveMatchingStages(
+  chatMessage1: LinkQChatMessageType,
+  chatMessage2: LinkQChatMessageType,
+) {
+  return chatMessage1.stage?.mainStage===chatMessage2.stage?.mainStage
+  || chatMessage1.stage?.subStage===chatMessage2.stage?.subStage
+}
diff --git a/src/components/Settings/Settings.tsx b/src/components/Settings/Settings.tsx
index f72e18f..ed7f1dc 100644
--- a/src/components/Settings/Settings.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Settings/Settings.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { ErrorMessage } from "components/ErrorMessage"
 import { useMainChatAPI } from "hooks/useMainChatAPI"
 
 import { setApiKey, setBaseURL, setModel, toggleShowStateDiagramStatus } from "redux/settingsSlice"
-import { toggleShowFullChatHistory } from "redux/chatHistorySlice"
+import { CHAT_HISTORY_DISPLAY_OPTIONS, ChatHistoryDisplayType, setChatHistoryDisplay } from "redux/chatHistorySlice"
 import { useAppDispatch, useAppSelector } from "redux/store"
 
 import styles from "./Settings.module.scss"
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export function Settings() {
   const baseURL = useAppSelector(state => state.settings.baseURL)
   const model = useAppSelector(state => state.settings.model)
   const showStateDiagramStatus = useAppSelector(state => state.settings.showStateDiagramStatus)
-  const showFullChatHistory = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.showFullChatHistory)
+  const chatHistoryDisplay = useAppSelector(state => state.chatHistory.chatHistoryDisplay)
 
   const [showSettingsModal, setShowSettingsModal] = useState<boolean>(false)
   const closeSettingsModal = () => setShowSettingsModal(false)
@@ -48,10 +48,16 @@ export function Settings() {
   return (
     <>
       <Modal opened={showSettingsModal} onClose={closeSettingsModal} title="Settings">
-        <Checkbox
-          checked={showFullChatHistory}
-          onChange={() => dispatch(toggleShowFullChatHistory())}
-          label="Show full chat history"
+        <Select
+          label="Chat History View"
+          placeholder="Set chat history complexity"
+          data={Object.entries(CHAT_HISTORY_DISPLAY_OPTIONS).map(([value,label]) => ({
+            value,label
+          }))}
+          value={chatHistoryDisplay}
+          onChange={(value) => value && dispatch(setChatHistoryDisplay(
+            value as ChatHistoryDisplayType
+          ))}
         />
         <br/>
         <Checkbox
diff --git a/src/redux/chatHistorySlice.ts b/src/redux/chatHistorySlice.ts
index 2ad3cb0..7f9b77b 100644
--- a/src/redux/chatHistorySlice.ts
+++ b/src/redux/chatHistorySlice.ts
@@ -13,20 +13,28 @@ export type LinkQChatMessageType = ChatCompletionMessageParam & {
   stage?: StageType,
 }
 
+//"simple" is a bare-bones for novice users
+//"condensed" shows more info for intermediate users 
+//"full" shows all the messages for expert users
+export const CHAT_HISTORY_DISPLAY_OPTIONS = {
+  "simple": "Simple View",
+  "condensed": "Condensed View",
+  "full": "Full Chat History",
+} as const
+export type ChatHistoryDisplayType = keyof typeof CHAT_HISTORY_DISPLAY_OPTIONS
+
 const initialState: {
   chatIdCounter: number,
   fullChatHistory: LinkQChatMessageType[],
   simpleChatHistory: LinkQChatMessageType[],
-  showFullChatHistory: boolean,
+  chatHistoryDisplay: ChatHistoryDisplayType,
 } = {
   chatIdCounter: 1,
 
   //state for the full chat history, including system messages and the LLM interfacing with the KG API
   fullChatHistory: IS_DEMO_MODE ? DEMO_FULL_HISTORY : [],
 
-  //this option toggles showing the full chat history for an ML expert user
-  //vs hiding the system messages for a non-expert user
-  showFullChatHistory: true,
+  chatHistoryDisplay: "condensed",
 
   //state for the filtered chat history (ie no behind-the-scenes system messages)
   simpleChatHistory: IS_DEMO_MODE ? DEMO_SIMPLE_HISTORY : [],
@@ -45,8 +53,8 @@ const chatHistorySlice = createSlice({
     incrementChatIdCounter: (state) => {
       state.chatIdCounter++
     },
-    toggleShowFullChatHistory: state => {
-      state.showFullChatHistory = !state.showFullChatHistory
+    setChatHistoryDisplay: (state, action: PayloadAction<ChatHistoryDisplayType>) => {
+      state.chatHistoryDisplay = action.payload
     }
   }
 })
@@ -57,6 +65,6 @@ export const {
     addMessagesToFullChatHistory,
     addMessageToSimpleChatHistory,
     incrementChatIdCounter,
-    toggleShowFullChatHistory,
+    setChatHistoryDisplay,
   }
 } = chatHistorySlice
\ No newline at end of file