diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html
index 60726aacf..2232d558d 100644
--- a/public/index.html
+++ b/public/index.html
@@ -3622,6 +3622,7 @@
                                             <div class="alignitemscenter flex-container flexFlowColumn flexGrow flexShrink gap0 flexBasis48p" title="Scan chronologically until reached min entries or token budget." data-i18n="[title]Scan chronologically until reached min entries or token budget.">
                                                 <small>
                                                     <span data-i18n="Min Activations">Min Activations</span>
+                                                    <div class="fa-solid fa-triangle-exclamation opacity50p" data-i18n="[title](disabled when max recursion steps are used)" title="(disabled when max recursion steps are used)"></div>
                                                 </small>
                                                 <input class="neo-range-slider" type="range" id="world_info_min_activations" name="world_info_min_activations" min="0" max="100" step="1">
                                                 <input class="neo-range-input" type="number" min="0" max="100" step="1" data-for="world_info_min_activations" id="world_info_min_activations_counter">
@@ -3635,6 +3636,14 @@
                                                 <input class="neo-range-slider" type="range" id="world_info_min_activations_depth_max" name="volume" min="0" max="100" step="1">
                                                 <input class="neo-range-input" type="number" min="0" max="100" step="1" data-for="world_info_min_activations_depth_max" id="world_info_min_activations_depth_max_counter">
                                             </div>
+                                            <div class="alignitemscenter flex-container flexFlowColumn flexGrow flexShrink gap0 flexBasis48p" title="Cap the number of entry activation recursions" data-i18n="[title]Cap the number of entry activation recursions">
+                                                <small>
+                                                    <span data-i18n="Max Recursion Steps">Max Recursion Steps</span>
+                                                    <div class="fa-solid fa-triangle-exclamation opacity50p" data-i18n="[title]0 = unlimited, 1 = scans once and doesn't recurse, 2 = scans once and recurses once, etc\n(disabled when min activations are used)" title="0 = unlimited, 1 = scans once and doesn't recurse, 2 = scans once and recurses once, etc&#10;(disabled when min activations are used)"></div>
+                                                </small>
+                                                <input class="neo-range-slider" type="range" id="world_info_max_recursion_steps" name="world_info_max_recursion_steps" min="0" max="10" step="1">
+                                                <input class="neo-range-input" type="number" min="0" max="10" step="1" data-for="world_info_max_recursion_steps" id="world_info_max_recursion_steps_counter">
+                                            </div>
 
                                             <div class="alignitemscenter flex-container flexFlowColumn flexGrow flexShrink flexBasis48p">
                                                 <small data-i18n="Insertion Strategy">
diff --git a/public/scripts/world-info.js b/public/scripts/world-info.js
index 989b4b922..29cb62a1a 100644
--- a/public/scripts/world-info.js
+++ b/public/scripts/world-info.js
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ export let world_info_match_whole_words = false;
 export let world_info_use_group_scoring = false;
 export let world_info_character_strategy = world_info_insertion_strategy.character_first;
 export let world_info_budget_cap = 0;
+export let world_info_max_recursion_steps = 0;
 const saveWorldDebounced = debounce(async (name, data) => await _save(name, data), debounce_timeout.relaxed);
 const saveSettingsDebounced = debounce(() => {
     Object.assign(world_info, { globalSelect: selected_world_info });
@@ -710,6 +711,7 @@ export function getWorldInfoSettings() {
         world_info_character_strategy,
         world_info_budget_cap,
         world_info_use_group_scoring,
+        world_info_max_recursion_steps,
     };
 }
 
@@ -796,6 +798,8 @@ export function setWorldInfoSettings(settings, data) {
         world_info_budget_cap = Number(settings.world_info_budget_cap);
     if (settings.world_info_use_group_scoring !== undefined)
         world_info_use_group_scoring = Boolean(settings.world_info_use_group_scoring);
+    if (settings.world_info_max_recursion_steps !== undefined)
+        world_info_max_recursion_steps = Number(settings.world_info_max_recursion_steps);
 
     // Migrate old settings
     if (world_info_budget > 100) {
@@ -844,6 +848,9 @@ export function setWorldInfoSettings(settings, data) {
     $('#world_info_budget_cap').val(world_info_budget_cap);
     $('#world_info_budget_cap_counter').val(world_info_budget_cap);
 
+    $('#world_info_max_recursion_steps').val(world_info_max_recursion_steps);
+    $('#world_info_max_recursion_steps_counter').val(world_info_max_recursion_steps);
+
     world_names = data.world_names?.length ? data.world_names : [];
 
     // Add to existing selected WI if it exists
@@ -3723,6 +3730,12 @@ export async function checkWorldInfo(chat, maxContext, isDryRun) {
     console.debug(`[WI] --- SEARCHING ENTRIES (on ${sortedEntries.length} entries) ---`);
 
     while (scanState) {
+        //if world_info_max_recursion_steps is non-zero min activations are disabled, and vice versa
+        if (world_info_max_recursion_steps && world_info_max_recursion_steps <= count) {
+            console.debug('[WI] Search stopped by reaching max recursion steps', world_info_max_recursion_steps);
+            break;
+        }
+
         // Track how many times the loop has run. May be useful for debugging.
         count++;
 
@@ -4762,8 +4775,13 @@ jQuery(() => {
 
     $('#world_info_min_activations').on('input', function () {
         world_info_min_activations = Number($(this).val());
-        $('#world_info_min_activations_counter').val($(this).val());
-        saveSettings();
+        $('#world_info_min_activations_counter').val(world_info_min_activations);
+
+        if (world_info_min_activations !== 0) {
+            $('#world_info_max_recursion_steps').val(0).trigger('input');
+        } else {
+            saveSettings();
+        }
     });
 
     $('#world_info_min_activations_depth_max').on('input', function () {
@@ -4819,6 +4837,16 @@ jQuery(() => {
         saveSettings();
     });
 
+    $('#world_info_max_recursion_steps').on('input', function () {
+        world_info_max_recursion_steps = Number($(this).val());
+        $('#world_info_max_recursion_steps_counter').val(world_info_max_recursion_steps);
+        if (world_info_max_recursion_steps !== 0) {
+            $('#world_info_min_activations').val(0).trigger('input');
+        } else {
+            saveSettings();
+        }
+    });
+
     $('#world_button').on('click', async function (event) {
         const chid = $('#set_character_world').data('chid');