diff --git a/frontend/src/app/chat/components/assistant-message.tsx b/frontend/src/app/chat/components/assistant-message.tsx
index 96892ffc..93fb77d3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/chat/components/assistant-message.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/chat/components/assistant-message.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { GitBranch } from "lucide-react";
+import { motion } from "motion/react";
 import DogIcon from "@/components/logo/dog-icon";
 import { MarkdownRenderer } from "@/components/markdown-renderer";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
@@ -30,44 +31,52 @@ export function AssistantMessage({
 	isCompleted = false,
 }: AssistantMessageProps) {
 	return (
-		<Message
-			icon={
-				<div className="w-8 h-8 rounded-lg bg-accent/20 flex items-center justify-center flex-shrink-0 select-none">
-					<DogIcon
-						className="h-6 w-6"
-						disabled={isCompleted}
+		<motion.div
+			initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -20 }}
+			animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
+			transition={{ duration: 0.4, delay: 0.2, ease: "easeOut" }}
+			className={isCompleted ? "opacity-50" : ""}
+		>
+			<Message
+				icon={
+					<div className="w-8 h-8 rounded-lg bg-accent/20 flex items-center justify-center flex-shrink-0 select-none">
+						<DogIcon
+							className="h-6 w-6 transition-colors duration-300"
+							disabled={isCompleted}
+						/>
+					</div>
+				}
+				actions={
+					showForkButton && onFork ? (
+						<button
+							type="button"
+							onClick={onFork}
+							className="opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition-opacity p-1 hover:bg-accent rounded text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
+							title="Fork conversation from here"
+						>
+							<GitBranch className="h-3 w-3" />
+						</button>
+					) : undefined
+				}
+			>
+				<FunctionCalls
+					functionCalls={functionCalls}
+					messageIndex={messageIndex}
+					expandedFunctionCalls={expandedFunctionCalls}
+					onToggle={onToggle}
+				/>
+				<div className="relative">
+					<MarkdownRenderer
+						className={cn("text-sm py-1.5 transition-colors duration-300", isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-foreground")}
+						chatMessage={
+							isStreaming
+								? content +
+									' <span class="inline-block w-1 h-4 bg-primary ml-1 animate-pulse"></span>'
+								: content
+						}
 					/>
 				</div>
-			}
-			actions={
-				showForkButton && onFork ? (
-					<button
-						onClick={onFork}
-						className="opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition-opacity p-1 hover:bg-accent rounded text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground"
-						title="Fork conversation from here"
-					>
-						<GitBranch className="h-3 w-3" />
-					</button>
-				) : undefined
-			}
-		>
-			<FunctionCalls
-				functionCalls={functionCalls}
-				messageIndex={messageIndex}
-				expandedFunctionCalls={expandedFunctionCalls}
-				onToggle={onToggle}
-			/>
-			<div className="relative">
-				<MarkdownRenderer
-					className={cn("text-sm py-1.5", isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-foreground")}
-					chatMessage={
-						isStreaming
-							? content +
-								' <span class="inline-block w-1 h-4 bg-primary ml-1 animate-pulse"></span>'
-							: content
-					}
-				/>
-			</div>
-		</Message>
+			</Message>
+		</motion.div>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/chat/components/user-message.tsx b/frontend/src/app/chat/components/user-message.tsx
index 0101fc35..e5825551 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/chat/components/user-message.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/chat/components/user-message.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { User } from "lucide-react";
+import { motion } from "motion/react";
 import { Avatar, AvatarFallback, AvatarImage } from "@/components/ui/avatar";
 import { useAuth } from "@/contexts/auth-context";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
@@ -13,29 +14,36 @@ export function UserMessage({ content, isCompleted }: UserMessageProps) {
 	const { user } = useAuth();
 
 	return (
-		<Message
-			icon={
-				<Avatar className="w-8 h-8 rounded-lg flex-shrink-0 select-none">
-					<AvatarImage draggable={false} src={user?.picture} alt={user?.name} />
-					<AvatarFallback
-						className={cn(
-							isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-primary",
-							"text-sm bg-accent/20 rounded-lg",
-						)}
-					>
-						{user?.name ? user.name.charAt(0).toUpperCase() : <User className="h-4 w-4" />}
-					</AvatarFallback>
-				</Avatar>
-			}
+		<motion.div
+			initial={{ opacity: 0, y: -20 }}
+			animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
+			transition={{ duration: 0.4, delay: 0.2, ease: "easeOut" }}
+			className={isCompleted ? "opacity-50" : ""}
 		>
-			<p
-				className={cn(
-					"text-foreground text-sm py-1.5 whitespace-pre-wrap break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere",
-					isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-foreground",
-				)}
+			<Message
+				icon={
+					<Avatar className="w-8 h-8 rounded-lg flex-shrink-0 select-none">
+						<AvatarImage draggable={false} src={user?.picture} alt={user?.name} />
+						<AvatarFallback
+							className={cn(
+								isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-primary",
+								"text-sm bg-accent/20 rounded-lg transition-colors duration-300",
+							)}
+						>
+							{user?.name ? user.name.charAt(0).toUpperCase() : <User className="h-4 w-4" />}
+						</AvatarFallback>
+					</Avatar>
+				}
 			>
-				{content}
-			</p>
-		</Message>
+				<p
+					className={cn(
+						"text-foreground text-sm py-1.5 whitespace-pre-wrap break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere transition-colors duration-300",
+						isCompleted ? "text-placeholder-foreground" : "text-foreground",
+					)}
+				>
+					{content}
+				</p>
+			</Message>
+		</motion.div>
 	);
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/new-onboarding/components/onboarding-content.tsx b/frontend/src/app/new-onboarding/components/onboarding-content.tsx
index fa9025db..23d7e043 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/new-onboarding/components/onboarding-content.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/new-onboarding/components/onboarding-content.tsx
@@ -45,10 +45,12 @@ export function OnboardingContent({
 	const handleNudgeClick = async (nudge: string) => {
 		setSelectedNudge(nudge);
 		setAssistantMessage(null);
+		setTimeout(async () => {
 		await sendMessage({
-			prompt: nudge,
-			previousResponseId: responseId || undefined,
-		});
+				prompt: nudge,
+				previousResponseId: responseId || undefined,
+			});
+		}, 1500);
 	};
 
 	// Determine which message to show (streaming takes precedence)