diff --git a/src/pages/VisProgPage/VisProg.tsx b/src/pages/VisProgPage/VisProg.tsx
index f543eaa..d6e45e6 100644
--- a/src/pages/VisProgPage/VisProg.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/VisProgPage/VisProg.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   MarkerType, getOutgoers
 } from '@xyflow/react';
 import '@xyflow/react/dist/style.css';
+import warningStyles from './visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.module.css'
 import {type CSSProperties, useEffect, useState} from "react";
 import {useShallow} from 'zustand/react/shallow';
 import orderPhaseNodeArray from "../../utils/orderPhaseNodes.ts";
@@ -114,8 +115,6 @@ const VisProgUI = () => {
     }
   },[edges, registerWarning, unregisterWarning])
 
-
-
   return (
     <div className={`${styles.innerEditorContainer} round-lg border-lg flex-row`} style={({'--flow-zoom': zoom} as CSSProperties)}>
       <ReactFlow
@@ -152,10 +151,13 @@ const VisProgUI = () => {
 
           <button onClick={() => redo()}>Redo</button>
         </Panel>
+        <Panel position="center-right" className={warningStyles.warningsSidebar}>
+          <WarningsSidebar/>
+        </Panel>
         <Controls/>
         <Background/>
       </ReactFlow>
-      <WarningsSidebar/>
+
     </div>
   );
 };
@@ -221,7 +223,6 @@ const checkPhaseChain = (): boolean => {
 
     const next = outgoingPhases.map(node => checkForCompleteChain(node.id))
       .find(result => result);
-    console.log(next);
     return !!next;
   }
 
@@ -246,7 +247,6 @@ function VisProgPage() {
     // however this would cause unneeded updates
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
   }, [severityIndex]);
-  console.log(severityIndex);
   return (
     <>
       <VisualProgrammingUI/>
diff --git a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.module.css b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.module.css
index 461ff09..82168dc 100644
--- a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.module.css
+++ b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.module.css
@@ -1,12 +1,51 @@
 .warnings-sidebar {
-    min-width: 320px;
-    max-width: 320px;
-    width: 320px;
+    min-width: auto;
+    max-width: 340px;
+    margin-right: 0;
     height: 100%;
     background: canvas;
-    border-left: 2px solid CanvasText;
     display: flex;
+    flex-direction: row;
+}
+
+.warnings-toggle-bar {
+    background-color: ButtonFace;
+    justify-items: center;
+    align-content: center;
+    width: 1rem;
+    cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.warnings-toggle-bar.error:first-child:has(.arrow-right){
+    background-color: hsl(from red h s 75%);
+}
+.warnings-toggle-bar.warning:first-child:has(.arrow-right) {
+    background-color: hsl(from orange h s 75%);
+}
+.warnings-toggle-bar.info:first-child:has(.arrow-right) {
+    background-color: hsl(from steelblue h s 75%);
+}
+
+.warnings-toggle-bar:hover {
+    background-color: GrayText !important ;
+    .arrow-left {
+        border-right-color: ButtonFace;
+        transition: transform 0.15s ease-in-out;
+        transform: rotateY(180deg);
+    }
+    .arrow-right {
+        border-left-color: ButtonFace;
+        transition: transform 0.15s ease-in-out;
+        transform: rotateY(180deg);
+    }
+}
+
+
+.warnings-content {
+    width: 320px;
+    flex: 1;
     flex-direction: column;
+    border-left: 2px solid CanvasText;
 }
 
 .warnings-header {
@@ -45,12 +84,14 @@
 
 .warning-group-header {
     background: ButtonFace;
-    padding: 4px;
+    padding: 6px;
+    font-weight: bold;
 }
 
 .warnings-list {
     flex: 1;
-    overflow-y: auto;
+    min-height: 0;
+    overflow-y: scroll;
 }
 
 .warnings-empty {
@@ -131,4 +172,32 @@
 .warning-item .description {
     padding: 5px 10px;
     font-size: 0.8rem;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+.auto-hide {
+    background-color: Canvas;
+    border-top: 2px solid CanvasText;
+    margin-top: auto;
+    width: 100%;
+    height: 2.5rem;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    padding: 0 12px;
+}
+
+/* arrows for toggleBar */
+.arrow-right {
+    width: 0;
+    height: 0;
+    border-top: 0.5rem solid transparent;
+    border-bottom: 0.5rem solid transparent;
+    border-left: 0.6rem solid GrayText;
+}
+
+.arrow-left {
+    width: 0;
+    height: 0;
+    border-top: 0.5rem solid transparent;
+    border-bottom: 0.5rem solid transparent;
+    border-right: 0.6rem solid GrayText;
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.tsx b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.tsx
index 49a22a7..9e030e1 100644
--- a/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/VisProgPage/visualProgrammingUI/components/WarningSidebar.tsx
@@ -11,23 +11,64 @@ import styles from "./WarningSidebar.module.css";
 
 export function WarningsSidebar() {
   const warnings = useFlowStore.getState().getWarnings();
-
+  const [hide, setHide] = useState(false);
   const [severityFilter, setSeverityFilter] = useState<WarningSeverity | 'ALL'>('ALL');
+  const [autoHide, setAutoHide] = useState(false);
+
+  // let autohide change hide status only when autohide is toggled
+  // and allow for user to change the hide state even if autohide is enabled
+  const hasWarnings = warnings.length > 0;
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (autoHide) {
+      setHide(!hasWarnings);
+    }
+  }, [autoHide, hasWarnings]);
 
-  useEffect(() => {}, [warnings]);
   const filtered = severityFilter === 'ALL'
     ? warnings
     : warnings.filter(w => w.severity === severityFilter);
 
-  return (
-    <aside id="warningSidebar" className={styles.warningsSidebar}>
-      <WarningsHeader
-        severityFilter={severityFilter}
-        onChange={setSeverityFilter}
-      />
 
-      <WarningsList warnings={filtered} />
+  const summary = warningSummary();
+  // Finds the first key where the count > 0
+  const getHighestSeverity = () => {
+    if (summary.error > 0) return styles.error;
+    if (summary.warning > 0) return styles.warning;
+    if (summary.info > 0) return styles.info;
+    return '';
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <aside className={`flex-row`} >
+      <div
+        className={`${styles.warningsToggleBar} ${getHighestSeverity()}`}
+        onClick={() => setHide(!hide)}
+        title={"toggle warnings"}
+      >
+        <div className={`${hide ? styles.arrowRight : styles.arrowLeft}`}></div>
+      </div>
+      <div 
+        id="warningSidebar" 
+        className={styles.warningsContent} 
+        style={hide ? {display: "none"} : {display: "flex"}}
+      >
+        <WarningsHeader
+          severityFilter={severityFilter}
+          onChange={setSeverityFilter}
+        />
+
+        <WarningsList warnings={filtered} />
+        <div className={styles.autoHide}>
+          <input
+            id="autoHideSwitch"
+            type={"checkbox"}
+            checked={autoHide}
+            onChange={(e) => setAutoHide(e.target.checked)}
+          /><label>Hide if there are no warnings</label>
+        </div>
+      </div>
     </aside>
+
   );
 }
 
@@ -43,7 +84,6 @@ function WarningsHeader({
   return (
     <div className={styles.warningsHeader}>
       <h3>Warnings</h3>
-
       <div className={styles.severityTabs}>
         {(['ALL', 'ERROR', 'WARNING', 'INFO'] as const).map(severity => (
           <button
@@ -71,7 +111,6 @@ function WarningsList(props: { warnings: EditorWarning[] }) {
     global: props.warnings.filter(w => w.scope.id === globalWarning),
     other: props.warnings.filter(w => w.scope.id !== globalWarning),
   }
-  console.log(splitWarnings);
   if (props.warnings.length === 0) {
     return (
       <div className={styles.warningsEmpty}>
@@ -80,10 +119,9 @@ function WarningsList(props: { warnings: EditorWarning[] }) {
     )
   }
   return (
-    <div style={{overflowY: 'auto'}}>
-      <div className={"warningGroup"}>
+    <div className={styles.warningsList}>
         <div className={styles.warningGroupHeader}>global:</div>
-        <div className={styles.warningsList}>
+        <div className={styles.warningsGroup}>
           {splitWarnings.global.map((warning) => (
             <WarningListItem warning={warning} key={`${warning.scope.id}|${warning.type}` + (warning.scope.handleId
               ? `:${warning.scope.handleId}`
@@ -92,10 +130,8 @@ function WarningsList(props: { warnings: EditorWarning[] }) {
           ))}
           {splitWarnings.global.length === 0 && "No global warnings!"}
         </div>
-      </div>
-      <div className={"warningGroup"}>
         <div className={styles.warningGroupHeader}>other:</div>
-        <div className={styles.warningsList}>
+        <div className={styles.warningsGroup}>
           {splitWarnings.other.map((warning) => (
             <WarningListItem warning={warning} key={`${warning.scope.id}|${warning.type}` + (warning.scope.handleId
               ? `:${warning.scope.handleId}`
@@ -104,7 +140,6 @@ function WarningsList(props: { warnings: EditorWarning[] }) {
           ))}
           {splitWarnings.other.length === 0 && "No other warnings!"}
         </div>
-      </div>
     </div>
   );
 }