diff --git a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/ml_processor_inputs.tsx b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/ml_processor_inputs.tsx
index 7281eaf9..3803a2aa 100644
--- a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/ml_processor_inputs.tsx
+++ b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/ml_processor_inputs.tsx
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import {
   parseModelOutputs,
 } from '../../../../utils';
 import { ConfigFieldList } from '../config_field_list';
+import { OverrideQueryModal } from './modals/override_query_modal';
 
 interface MLProcessorInputsProps {
   uiConfig: WorkflowConfig;
@@ -127,6 +128,7 @@ export function MLProcessorInputs(props: MLProcessorInputsProps) {
     boolean
   >(false);
   const [isPromptModalOpen, setIsPromptModalOpen] = useState<boolean>(false);
+  const [isQueryModalOpen, setIsQueryModalOpen] = useState<boolean>(false);
 
   // model interface state
   const [modelInterface, setModelInterface] = useState<
@@ -281,6 +283,14 @@ export function MLProcessorInputs(props: MLProcessorInputsProps) {
           onClose={() => setIsPromptModalOpen(false)}
         />
       )}
+      {isQueryModalOpen && (
+        <OverrideQueryModal
+          config={props.config}
+          baseConfigPath={props.baseConfigPath}
+          modelInterface={modelInterface}
+          onClose={() => setIsQueryModalOpen(false)}
+        />
+      )}
       <ModelField
         field={modelField}
         fieldPath={modelFieldPath}
@@ -290,6 +300,24 @@ export function MLProcessorInputs(props: MLProcessorInputsProps) {
       {!isEmpty(getIn(values, modelFieldPath)?.id) && (
         <>
           <EuiSpacer size="s" />
+          {props.context === PROCESSOR_CONTEXT.SEARCH_REQUEST && (
+            <>
+              <EuiText
+                size="m"
+                style={{ marginTop: '4px' }}
+              >{`Override query (Optional)`}</EuiText>
+              <EuiSpacer size="s" />
+              <EuiSmallButton
+                style={{ width: '100px' }}
+                fill={false}
+                onClick={() => setIsQueryModalOpen(true)}
+                data-testid="overrideQueryButton"
+              >
+                Override
+              </EuiSmallButton>
+              <EuiSpacer size="l" />
+            </>
+          )}
           {containsPromptField && (
             <>
               <EuiText
@@ -301,6 +329,7 @@ export function MLProcessorInputs(props: MLProcessorInputsProps) {
                 style={{ width: '100px' }}
                 fill={false}
                 onClick={() => setIsPromptModalOpen(true)}
+                data-testid="configurePromptButton"
               >
                 Configure
               </EuiSmallButton>
@@ -442,7 +471,17 @@ export function MLProcessorInputs(props: MLProcessorInputsProps) {
             <EuiSpacer size="s" />
             <ConfigFieldList
               configId={props.config.id}
-              configFields={props.config.optionalFields || []}
+              configFields={
+                // For ML search request processors, we don't expose the optional query_template field, since we have a dedicated
+                // UI for configuring that. See override_query_modal.tsx for details.
+                props.context === PROCESSOR_CONTEXT.SEARCH_REQUEST
+                  ? [
+                      ...(props.config.optionalFields?.filter(
+                        (optionalField) => optionalField.id !== 'query_template'
+                      ) || []),
+                    ]
+                  : props.config.optionalFields || []
+              }
               baseConfigPath={props.baseConfigPath}
             />
           </EuiAccordion>
diff --git a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/configure_prompt_modal.tsx b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/configure_prompt_modal.tsx
index f3bd0a0e..ad626ecd 100644
--- a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/configure_prompt_modal.tsx
+++ b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/configure_prompt_modal.tsx
@@ -94,6 +94,10 @@ export function ConfigurePromptModal(props: ConfigurePromptModalProps) {
         </EuiModalHeaderTitle>
       </EuiModalHeader>
       <EuiModalBody style={{ height: '40vh' }}>
+        <EuiText color="subdued">
+          Configure a custom prompt template for the model. Optionally inject
+          dynamic model inputs into the template.
+        </EuiText>
         <EuiFlexGroup direction="column">
           <EuiFlexItem>
             <>
diff --git a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/override_query_modal.tsx b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/override_query_modal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..edbab46f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/processor_inputs/modals/override_query_modal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,266 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright OpenSearch Contributors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import React, { useState } from 'react';
+import { useFormikContext, getIn } from 'formik';
+import {
+  EuiFlexGroup,
+  EuiFlexItem,
+  EuiModal,
+  EuiModalBody,
+  EuiModalFooter,
+  EuiModalHeader,
+  EuiModalHeaderTitle,
+  EuiSmallButton,
+  EuiSpacer,
+  EuiText,
+  EuiPopover,
+  EuiCode,
+  EuiBasicTable,
+  EuiAccordion,
+  EuiCopy,
+  EuiButtonIcon,
+  EuiContextMenu,
+} from '@elastic/eui';
+import {
+  IMAGE_FIELD_PATTERN,
+  IProcessorConfig,
+  LABEL_FIELD_PATTERN,
+  MapEntry,
+  MODEL_ID_PATTERN,
+  ModelInterface,
+  QUERY_IMAGE_PATTERN,
+  QUERY_PRESETS,
+  QUERY_TEXT_PATTERN,
+  QueryPreset,
+  TEXT_FIELD_PATTERN,
+  VECTOR_FIELD_PATTERN,
+  VECTOR_PATTERN,
+  WorkflowFormValues,
+} from '../../../../../../common';
+import { parseModelOutputs } from '../../../../../utils/utils';
+import { JsonField } from '../../input_fields';
+
+interface OverrideQueryModalProps {
+  config: IProcessorConfig;
+  baseConfigPath: string;
+  modelInterface: ModelInterface | undefined;
+  onClose: () => void;
+}
+
+/**
+ * A modal to configure a query template & override the existing query. Can manually configure,
+ * include placeholder values using model outputs, and/or select from a presets library.
+ */
+export function OverrideQueryModal(props: OverrideQueryModalProps) {
+  const { values, setFieldValue, setFieldTouched } = useFormikContext<
+    WorkflowFormValues
+  >();
+
+  // get some current form values
+  const modelOutputs = parseModelOutputs(props.modelInterface);
+  const queryFieldPath = `${props.baseConfigPath}.${props.config.id}.query_template`;
+  const outputMap = getIn(
+    values,
+    `${props.baseConfigPath}.${props.config.id}.output_map`
+  );
+  // TODO: should handle edge case of multiple output maps configured. Currently
+  // defaulting to prediction 0 / assuming not multiple predictions to track.
+  const outputMapKeys = getIn(outputMap, '0', []).map(
+    (mapEntry: MapEntry) => mapEntry.key
+  ) as string[];
+  const finalModelOutputs =
+    outputMapKeys.length > 0
+      ? outputMapKeys.map((outputMapKey) => {
+          return { label: outputMapKey };
+        })
+      : modelOutputs.map((modelOutput) => {
+          return { label: modelOutput.label };
+        });
+
+  // popover states
+  const [presetsPopoverOpen, setPresetsPopoverOpen] = useState<boolean>(false);
+
+  return (
+    <EuiModal onClose={props.onClose} style={{ width: '70vw' }}>
+      <EuiModalHeader>
+        <EuiModalHeaderTitle>
+          <p>{`Override query`}</p>
+        </EuiModalHeaderTitle>
+      </EuiModalHeader>
+      <EuiModalBody style={{ height: '40vh' }}>
+        <EuiText color="subdued">
+          Configure a custom query template to override the existing one.
+          Optionally inject dynamic model outputs into the new query.
+        </EuiText>
+        <EuiFlexGroup direction="column">
+          <EuiFlexItem>
+            <>
+              <EuiSpacer size="s" />
+              <EuiPopover
+                button={
+                  <EuiSmallButton
+                    onClick={() => setPresetsPopoverOpen(!presetsPopoverOpen)}
+                  >
+                    Choose from a preset
+                  </EuiSmallButton>
+                }
+                isOpen={presetsPopoverOpen}
+                closePopover={() => setPresetsPopoverOpen(false)}
+                anchorPosition="downLeft"
+              >
+                <EuiContextMenu
+                  initialPanelId={0}
+                  panels={[
+                    {
+                      id: 0,
+                      items: QUERY_PRESETS.map((preset: QueryPreset) => ({
+                        name: preset.name,
+                        onClick: () => {
+                          setFieldValue(
+                            queryFieldPath,
+                            preset.query
+                              // sanitize the query preset string into valid template placeholder format, for
+                              // any placeholder values in the query.
+                              // for example, replacing `"{{vector}}"` with `${vector}`
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${VECTOR_FIELD_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{vector_field\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${VECTOR_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{vector\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${TEXT_FIELD_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{text_field\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${IMAGE_FIELD_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{image_field\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${LABEL_FIELD_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{label_field\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${QUERY_TEXT_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{query_text\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${QUERY_IMAGE_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{query_image\}`
+                              )
+                              .replace(
+                                new RegExp(`"${MODEL_ID_PATTERN}"`, 'g'),
+                                `\$\{model_id\}`
+                              )
+                          );
+                          setFieldTouched(queryFieldPath, true);
+                          setPresetsPopoverOpen(false);
+                        },
+                      })),
+                    },
+                  ]}
+                />
+              </EuiPopover>
+              <EuiSpacer size="m" />
+              <JsonField
+                validate={false}
+                label={'Query template'}
+                fieldPath={queryFieldPath}
+              />
+              {finalModelOutputs.length > 0 && (
+                <>
+                  <EuiSpacer size="m" />
+                  <EuiAccordion
+                    id={`modelOutputsAccordion`}
+                    buttonContent="Model outputs"
+                    style={{ marginLeft: '-8px' }}
+                  >
+                    <>
+                      <EuiSpacer size="s" />
+                      <EuiText
+                        style={{ paddingLeft: '8px' }}
+                        size="s"
+                        color="subdued"
+                      >
+                        To use any model outputs in the query template, copy the
+                        placeholder string directly.
+                      </EuiText>
+                      <EuiSpacer size="s" />
+                      <EuiBasicTable
+                        // @ts-ignore
+                        items={finalModelOutputs}
+                        columns={columns}
+                      />
+                    </>
+                  </EuiAccordion>
+                  <EuiSpacer size="m" />
+                </>
+              )}
+            </>
+          </EuiFlexItem>
+        </EuiFlexGroup>
+      </EuiModalBody>
+      <EuiModalFooter>
+        <EuiSmallButton
+          onClick={props.onClose}
+          fill={false}
+          color="primary"
+          data-testid="closeModalButton"
+        >
+          Close
+        </EuiSmallButton>
+      </EuiModalFooter>
+    </EuiModal>
+  );
+}
+
+const columns = [
+  {
+    name: 'Name',
+    field: 'label',
+    width: '40%',
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Placeholder string',
+    field: 'label',
+    width: '50%',
+    render: (label: string) => (
+      <EuiCode
+        style={{
+          marginLeft: '-10px',
+        }}
+        language="json"
+        transparentBackground={true}
+      >
+        {getPlaceholderString(label)}
+      </EuiCode>
+    ),
+  },
+  {
+    name: 'Actions',
+    field: 'label',
+    width: '10%',
+    render: (label: string) => (
+      <EuiCopy textToCopy={getPlaceholderString(label)}>
+        {(copy) => (
+          <EuiButtonIcon
+            aria-label="Copy"
+            iconType="copy"
+            onClick={copy}
+          ></EuiButtonIcon>
+        )}
+      </EuiCopy>
+    ),
+  },
+];
+
+// small util fn to get the full placeholder string to be
+// inserted into the template
+function getPlaceholderString(label: string) {
+  return `\$\{${label}\}`;
+}
diff --git a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/workflow_inputs.tsx b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/workflow_inputs.tsx
index 305b62ca..f8087377 100644
--- a/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/workflow_inputs.tsx
+++ b/public/pages/workflow_detail/workflow_inputs/workflow_inputs.tsx
@@ -292,7 +292,9 @@ export function WorkflowInputs(props: WorkflowInputsProps) {
     ingestTemplatesDifferent || isRunningIngest;
   const searchBackButtonDisabled =
     isRunningSearch ||
-    (isProposingNoSearchResources ? false : searchTemplatesDifferent);
+    (isProposingNoSearchResources || !ingestProvisioned
+      ? false
+      : searchTemplatesDifferent);
   const searchUndoButtonDisabled =
     isRunningSave || isRunningSearch
       ? true