diff --git a/HISTORY.md b/HISTORY.md
index 3adb89f9..6be264a5 100755
--- a/HISTORY.md
+++ b/HISTORY.md
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     * export pen trails as SVG
     * access pen trails as SVG_Costume: new "pen vectors" reporter variant of "pen trails"
     * new Snap! API: programmatically broadcast messages and optionally wait from outside Snap!
+    * new Snap! API: programmatically get and set global variables from outside Snap!
 * **Notable Changes:**
     * when creating a costume from pen trails (raster or vector) make its rotation center the position of the sprite
 * **Notable Fixes:**
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@
 
 ### 2019-12-15
 * gui, threads:  new Snap! API: programmatically broadcast messages and optionally wait from outside Snap!
+* gui: added global variable access methods to the new Snap! API
 
 ### 2019-12-13
 * added direct relabelling option to pen trails blocks' context menus
diff --git a/src/gui.js b/src/gui.js
index 6cc5e18e..43dc021a 100644
--- a/src/gui.js
+++ b/src/gui.js
@@ -6102,6 +6102,23 @@ IDE_Morph.prototype.broadcast = function(message, callback) {
     });
 };
 
+IDE_Morph.prototype.getVarNames = function () {
+    // return an array of all global variable names
+    return this.stage.globalVariables().names();
+};
+
+IDE_Morph.prototype.getVar = function (name) {
+    // return the value of the global variable indicated by name
+    // raise an error if no global variable of that name exists
+    return this.stage.globalVariables().getVar(name);
+};
+
+IDE_Morph.prototype.setVar = function (name, value) {
+    // set the value of the global variable indicated by name to the given value
+    // raise an error if no global variable of that name exists
+    this.stage.globalVariables().setVar(name, value);
+};
+
 // ProjectDialogMorph ////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 // ProjectDialogMorph inherits from DialogBoxMorph: