diff --git a/client/src/components/Panels/Common/ToolSection.vue b/client/src/components/Panels/Common/ToolSection.vue
index f3d303c881ca..ac087d2bb9ab 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Panels/Common/ToolSection.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/Panels/Common/ToolSection.vue
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ import { computed, onMounted, onUnmounted, ref, watch } from "vue";
 
 import { eventHub } from "@/components/plugins/eventHub.js";
 import { useConfig } from "@/composables/config";
-import { ToolSectionLabel } from "@/stores/toolStore";
-import { useToolStore } from "@/stores/toolStore";
+import { type ToolSectionLabel, useToolStore } from "@/stores/toolStore";
 import ariaAlert from "@/utils/ariaAlert";
 
 import Tool from "./Tool.vue";
@@ -67,9 +66,8 @@ const elems = computed(() => {
     if (props.category.tools !== undefined && props.category.tools.length > 0) {
         return props.category.tools.map((toolId: string) => {
             const tool = toolStore.getToolForId(toolId);
-            if (!tool && toolId.startsWith("panel_label_") && props.category.panel_labels) {
-                const labelId = toolId.split("panel_label_")[1];
-                return props.category.panel_labels.find((label: ToolSectionLabel) => label.id === labelId);
+            if (!tool && typeof toolId !== "string") {
+                return toolId as ToolSectionLabel;
             } else {
                 return tool;
             }
diff --git a/client/src/components/Panels/ToolBox.vue b/client/src/components/Panels/ToolBox.vue
index abc20de3135e..141932e0e5c6 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Panels/ToolBox.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/Panels/ToolBox.vue
@@ -76,9 +76,7 @@ const query = computed({
 });
 
 const { currentPanel } = storeToRefs(toolStore);
-// const localPanelView = computed(() => (props.setDefault ? props.panelView.value : props.panelView));
 const hasResults = computed(() => results.value.length > 0);
-// const panelLoaded = computed(() => !!props.panelView && toolStore.panel[props.panelView] !== undefined);
 const queryTooShort = computed(() => query.value && query.value.length < 3);
 const queryFinished = computed(() => query.value && queryPending.value != true);
 
@@ -237,7 +235,7 @@ function setButtonText() {
 </script>
 
 <template>
-    <div class="unified-panel">
+    <div class="unified-panel" data-description="panel toolbox">
         <div class="unified-panel-controls">
             <ToolSearch
                 :enable-advanced="!props.workflow"
diff --git a/client/src/components/Panels/ToolPanel.vue b/client/src/components/Panels/ToolPanel.vue
index d19c4dfbf5ac..6c43bb775c79 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Panels/ToolPanel.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/Panels/ToolPanel.vue
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ watchEffect(async () => {
     }
 });
 
-function updatePanelView(panelView: string) {
-    toolStore.setCurrentPanelView(panelView);
+async function updatePanelView(panelView: string) {
+    await toolStore.setCurrentPanelView(panelView);
 }
 
 function onInsertTool(toolId: string, toolName: string) {
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ function onInsertWorkflowSteps(workflowId: string, workflowStepCount: number | u
 </script>
 
 <template>
-    <div class="unified-panel" aria-labelledby="toolbox-heading">
-        <div v-if="isConfigLoaded" unselectable="on">
+    <div v-if="isConfigLoaded" class="unified-panel" aria-labelledby="toolbox-heading">
+        <div unselectable="on">
             <div class="unified-panel-header-inner">
                 <nav class="d-flex justify-content-between mx-3 my-2">
                     <Heading v-if="!showAdvanced" id="toolbox-heading" h2 inline size="sm">{{
diff --git a/client/src/components/Panels/utilities.ts b/client/src/components/Panels/utilities.ts
index bf1048bfa456..77c22820eb87 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Panels/utilities.ts
+++ b/client/src/components/Panels/utilities.ts
@@ -77,14 +77,16 @@ export function createWhooshQuery(filterSettings: ToolFilters) {
     }
     query += ") AND (";
     for (const [key, filterValue] of Object.entries(filterSettings)) {
-        if (key === "ontology" && filterValue.includes("operation")) {
-            query += "edam_operations:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
-        } else if (key === "ontology" && filterValue.includes("topic")) {
-            query += "edam_topics:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
-        } else if (key == "id") {
-            query += "id_exact:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
-        } else if (key != "name") {
-            query += key + ":(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
+        if (filterValue) {
+            if (key === "ontology" && filterValue.includes("operation")) {
+                query += "edam_operations:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
+            } else if (key === "ontology" && filterValue.includes("topic")) {
+                query += "edam_topics:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
+            } else if (key == "id") {
+                query += "id_exact:(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
+            } else if (key != "name") {
+                query += key + ":(" + filterValue + ") AND ";
+            }
         }
     }
     query += ")";
@@ -167,14 +169,13 @@ export function getValidToolsInEachSection(
     return Object.entries(currentPanel).map(([id, section]) => {
         const validatedSection = { ...section } as ToolSection;
         if (validatedSection.tools && Array.isArray(validatedSection.tools)) {
-            // filter on valid tools and panel_labels in this section
+            // filter on valid tools and panel labels in this section
             validatedSection.tools = validatedSection.tools.filter((toolId) => {
-                if (validToolIdsInCurrentView.includes(toolId)) {
+                if (typeof toolId === "string" && validToolIdsInCurrentView.includes(toolId)) {
+                    return true;
+                } else if (typeof toolId !== "string") {
+                    // is a special case where there is a label within a section
                     return true;
-                } else if (toolId.startsWith("panel_label_") && validatedSection.panel_labels) {
-                    // panel_label_ is a special id where there is a label within a section
-                    const labelId = toolId.split("panel_label_")[1];
-                    return validatedSection.panel_labels.find((label) => label.id === labelId) !== undefined;
                 }
             });
         }
diff --git a/client/src/components/ToolsList/ToolsList.vue b/client/src/components/ToolsList/ToolsList.vue
index e0db3592ad89..319f27c5809b 100644
--- a/client/src/components/ToolsList/ToolsList.vue
+++ b/client/src/components/ToolsList/ToolsList.vue
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ const filterSettings = computed(() => {
     const newFilterSettings: FilterSettings = {};
     Object.entries(props).forEach(([filter, value]) => {
         if (value && value !== "") {
-            newFilterSettings[filter] = value;
+            newFilterSettings[filter] = value as string;
         }
     });
     return newFilterSettings;
diff --git a/client/src/stores/toolStore.ts b/client/src/stores/toolStore.ts
index 206bd3c98501..b3e7f639f796 100644
--- a/client/src/stores/toolStore.ts
+++ b/client/src/stores/toolStore.ts
@@ -39,9 +39,8 @@ export interface ToolSection {
     version?: string;
     description?: string;
     links?: Record<string, string>;
-    tools?: string[];
+    tools?: (string | ToolSectionLabel)[];
     elems?: (Tool | ToolSection)[];
-    panel_labels?: any[];
 }
 
 export interface ToolSectionLabel {
@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@ export interface ToolSectionLabel {
 }
 
 export interface FilterSettings {
-    [key: string]: any;
+    [key: string]: string | undefined;
     name?: string;
     section?: string;
     ontology?: string;
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/tool_util/toolbox/panel.py b/lib/galaxy/tool_util/toolbox/panel.py
index 5d49f0aea76f..703128dd2ef3 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/tool_util/toolbox/panel.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/tool_util/toolbox/panel.py
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ def to_dict(self, trans, link_details=False, tool_help=False, toolbox=None, only
         """Return a dict that includes section's attributes.
 
         if `only_ids` is `True`, we store only the ids of the section's tools in `section.tools`
-        (and full `ToolSectionLabel` objects in `section.panel_labels` if any are present)
+        (also full `ToolSectionLabel` objects in `section.tools` if any are present)
 
         if `only_ids` is `False`, we store the section's full `Tool` (and any other) objects in
         `section.elems`
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ def to_dict(self, trans, link_details=False, tool_help=False, toolbox=None, only
 
         section_dict = super().to_dict()
         section_elts = []
-        section_panel_labels = []
         kwargs = dict(trans=trans, link_details=link_details, tool_help=tool_help)
         for elt in self.elems.values():
             if hasattr(elt, "tool_type") and toolbox:
@@ -93,18 +92,12 @@ def to_dict(self, trans, link_details=False, tool_help=False, toolbox=None, only
                     section_elts.append(elt.id)
                 else:
                     section_elts.append(toolbox.get_tool_to_dict(trans, elt, tool_help=tool_help))
-            else:
-                # if section has a ToolSectionLabel within it
-                if only_ids and elt.text:
-                    section_panel_labels.append(elt.to_dict(**kwargs))
-                    section_elts.append("panel_label_" + str(elt.id))
-                else:
-                    section_elts.append(elt.to_dict(**kwargs))
+            elif not only_ids or (only_ids and elt.text):
+                # if !only_ids or (only_ids & section has a ToolSectionLabel within it)
+                section_elts.append(elt.to_dict(**kwargs))
 
         if only_ids:
             section_dict["tools"] = section_elts
-            if section_panel_labels:
-                section_dict["panel_labels"] = section_panel_labels
         else:
             section_dict["elems"] = section_elts