diff --git a/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/BaseFeatureDetail/index.tsx b/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/BaseFeatureDetail/index.tsx
index f9b3f65726..637e32fe1f 100644
--- a/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/BaseFeatureDetail/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/BaseFeatureDetail/index.tsx
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export function BaseCard({
       <AccordionSummary
         expandIcon={<ExpandMore className={classes.expandIcon} />}
       >
-        <Typography variant="button"> {title}</Typography>
+        <Typography variant="button">{title}</Typography>
       </AccordionSummary>
       <AccordionDetails className={classes.expansionPanelDetails}>
         {children}
diff --git a/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap b/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
index 834b741137..77380841b7 100644
--- a/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/packages/core/BaseFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
@@ -16,9 +16,7 @@ exports[`open up a widget 1`] = `
       >
         <span
           class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-button css-1f0on15-MuiTypography-root"
-        >
-           
-        </span>
+        />
       </div>
       <div
         class="MuiAccordionSummary-expandIconWrapper Mui-expanded css-yw020d-MuiAccordionSummary-expandIconWrapper"
diff --git a/packages/product-core/src/ui/AboutDialogContents.tsx b/packages/product-core/src/ui/AboutDialogContents.tsx
index 44434327c7..f9f3dc34e3 100644
--- a/packages/product-core/src/ui/AboutDialogContents.tsx
+++ b/packages/product-core/src/ui/AboutDialogContents.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import React, { useState } from 'react'
+import { observer } from 'mobx-react'
 import clone from 'clone'
 import copy from 'copy-to-clipboard'
 import { Button } from '@mui/material'
@@ -14,11 +15,15 @@ import {
   Attributes,
 } from '@jbrowse/core/BaseFeatureWidget/BaseFeatureDetail'
 import FileInfoPanel from './FileInfoPanel'
+import RefNameInfoDialog from './RefNameInfoDialog'
 
 const useStyles = makeStyles()({
   content: {
     minWidth: 800,
   },
+  button: {
+    float: 'right',
+  },
 })
 
 function removeAttr(obj: Record<string, unknown>, attr: string) {
@@ -32,7 +37,7 @@ function removeAttr(obj: Record<string, unknown>, attr: string) {
   return obj
 }
 
-export default function AboutContents({
+const AboutDialogContents = observer(function ({
   config,
 }: {
   config: AnyConfigurationModel
@@ -41,6 +46,7 @@ export default function AboutContents({
   const conf = readConfObject(config)
   const session = getSession(config)
   const { classes } = useStyles()
+  const [showRefNames, setShowRefNames] = useState(false)
 
   const hideUris =
     getConf(session, ['formatAbout', 'hideUris']) ||
@@ -71,18 +77,26 @@ export default function AboutContents({
     <div className={classes.content}>
       <BaseCard title="Configuration">
         {!hideUris ? (
-          <Button
-            variant="contained"
-            style={{ float: 'right' }}
-            onClick={() => {
-              const snap = removeAttr(clone(conf), 'baseUri')
-              copy(JSON.stringify(snap, null, 2))
-              setCopied(true)
-              setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 1000)
-            }}
-          >
-            {copied ? 'Copied to clipboard!' : 'Copy config'}
-          </Button>
+          <span className={classes.button}>
+            <Button
+              variant="contained"
+              color="secondary"
+              onClick={() => setShowRefNames(true)}
+            >
+              Show ref names
+            </Button>
+            <Button
+              variant="contained"
+              onClick={() => {
+                const snap = removeAttr(clone(conf), 'baseUri')
+                copy(JSON.stringify(snap, null, 2))
+                setCopied(true)
+                setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 1000)
+              }}
+            >
+              {copied ? 'Copied to clipboard!' : 'Copy config'}
+            </Button>
+          </span>
         ) : null}
         <Attributes
           attributes={confPostExt}
@@ -96,6 +110,14 @@ export default function AboutContents({
         </BaseCard>
       ) : null}
       <FileInfoPanel config={config} />
+      {showRefNames ? (
+        <RefNameInfoDialog
+          config={config}
+          onClose={() => setShowRefNames(false)}
+        />
+      ) : null}
     </div>
   )
-}
+})
+
+export default AboutDialogContents
diff --git a/packages/product-core/src/ui/RefNameInfoDialog.tsx b/packages/product-core/src/ui/RefNameInfoDialog.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5bab3fca73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/product-core/src/ui/RefNameInfoDialog.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react'
+import { Button, DialogContent, Typography } from '@mui/material'
+import {
+  readConfObject,
+  AnyConfigurationModel,
+} from '@jbrowse/core/configuration'
+import { Dialog, LoadingEllipses } from '@jbrowse/core/ui'
+import { getSession } from '@jbrowse/core/util'
+import { observer } from 'mobx-react'
+import { makeStyles } from 'tss-react/mui'
+import copy from 'copy-to-clipboard'
+
+const MAX_REF_NAMES = 10_000
+
+const useStyles = makeStyles()(theme => ({
+  container: {
+    minWidth: 800,
+  },
+  refNames: {
+    maxHeight: 300,
+    width: '100%',
+    overflow: 'auto',
+    flexGrow: 1,
+    background: theme.palette.background.default,
+  },
+}))
+
+const RefNameInfoDialog = observer(function ({
+  config,
+  onClose,
+}: {
+  config: AnyConfigurationModel
+  onClose: () => void
+}) {
+  const [error, setError] = useState<unknown>()
+  const [refNames, setRefNames] = useState<Record<string, string[]>>()
+  const [copied, setCopied] = useState(false)
+  const { classes } = useStyles()
+  const session = getSession(config)
+  const { rpcManager } = session
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-floating-promises
+    ;(async () => {
+      try {
+        const assemblyNames = [
+          ...new Set(readConfObject(config, 'assemblyNames') as string[]),
+        ]
+        const map = await Promise.all(
+          assemblyNames.map(async assemblyName => {
+            const adapterConfig = readConfObject(config, 'adapter')
+            return [
+              assemblyName,
+              (await rpcManager.call(config.trackId, 'CoreGetRefNames', {
+                adapterConfig,
+                // hack for synteny adapters
+                regions: [{ assemblyName }],
+              })) as string[],
+            ] as const
+          }),
+        )
+        setRefNames(Object.fromEntries(map))
+      } catch (e) {
+        console.error(e)
+        setError(e)
+      }
+    })()
+  }, [config, rpcManager])
+
+  const names = refNames ? Object.entries(refNames) : []
+  const result = names
+    .flatMap(([assemblyName, refNames]) => {
+      return [
+        `--- ${assemblyName} ---`,
+        ...refNames.slice(0, MAX_REF_NAMES),
+        `${
+          refNames.length > MAX_REF_NAMES
+            ? `\nToo many refNames to show in browser for ${assemblyName}, use "Copy ref names" button to copy to clipboard`
+            : ''
+        }`,
+      ]
+    })
+    .filter(f => !!f)
+    .join('\n')
+
+  return (
+    <Dialog
+      open
+      title="Reference sequence names used in track"
+      onClose={onClose}
+    >
+      <DialogContent className={classes.container}>
+        {error ? (
+          <Typography color="error">{`${error}`}</Typography>
+        ) : refNames === undefined ? (
+          <LoadingEllipses message="Loading refNames" />
+        ) : (
+          <>
+            <Button
+              variant="contained"
+              onClick={() => {
+                copy(
+                  names
+                    .flatMap(([assemblyName, refNames]) => [
+                      `--- ${assemblyName} ---`,
+                      ...refNames,
+                    ])
+                    .filter(f => !!f)
+                    .join('\n'),
+                )
+                setCopied(true)
+                setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 1000)
+              }}
+            >
+              {copied ? 'Copied to clipboard!' : 'Copy ref names'}
+            </Button>
+
+            <pre className={classes.refNames}>{result}</pre>
+          </>
+        )}
+      </DialogContent>
+    </Dialog>
+  )
+})
+
+export default RefNameInfoDialog
diff --git a/plugins/alignments/src/AlignmentsFeatureDetail/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap b/plugins/alignments/src/AlignmentsFeatureDetail/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
index 2ae866665c..938d2b1179 100644
--- a/plugins/alignments/src/AlignmentsFeatureDetail/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/plugins/alignments/src/AlignmentsFeatureDetail/__snapshots__/index.test.tsx.snap
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ exports[`open up a widget 1`] = `
           <span
             class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-button css-1f0on15-MuiTypography-root"
           >
-             
             ctgA_3_555_0:0:0_2:0... - match
           </span>
         </div>
diff --git a/plugins/variants/src/VariantFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/VariantFeatureWidget.test.tsx.snap b/plugins/variants/src/VariantFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/VariantFeatureWidget.test.tsx.snap
index a11dee23c9..0f17aac7ba 100644
--- a/plugins/variants/src/VariantFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/VariantFeatureWidget.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/plugins/variants/src/VariantFeatureWidget/__snapshots__/VariantFeatureWidget.test.tsx.snap
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ exports[`renders with just the required model elements 1`] = `
           <span
             class="MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-button css-1f0on15-MuiTypography-root"
           >
-             
             rs123
           </span>
         </div>