diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesDataSource.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesDataSource.ts
index c233e02a8a013..b9cdadad7ff38 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesDataSource.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesDataSource.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export interface INotebookVariableElement {
 	readonly name: string;
 	readonly value: string;
 	readonly type?: string;
+	readonly expression?: string;
 	readonly language?: string;
 	readonly indexedChildrenCount: number;
 	readonly indexStart?: number;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesView.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesView.ts
index df59bbeb0442d..1c3c61d25ea27 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesView.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/browser/contrib/notebookVariables/notebookVariablesView.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import { ICellExecutionStateChangedEvent, IExecutionStateChangedEvent, INotebook
 import { INotebookKernelService } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/notebook/common/notebookKernelService';
 import { IEditorService } from 'vs/workbench/services/editor/common/editorService';
 
-export type contextMenuArg = { source?: string; type?: string; value?: string; language?: string; extensionId?: string };
+export type contextMenuArg = { source?: string; type?: string; value?: string; expression?: string; language?: string; extensionId?: string };
 
 export class NotebookVariablesView extends ViewPane {
 
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ export class NotebookVariablesView extends ViewPane {
 			source: element.notebook.uri.toString(),
 			value: element.value,
 			type: element.type,
+			expression: element.expression,
 			language: element.language,
 			extensionId: element.extensionId
 		};
diff --git a/src/vscode-dts/vscode.proposed.notebookVariableProvider.d.ts b/src/vscode-dts/vscode.proposed.notebookVariableProvider.d.ts
index 515818d3a1b23..883319ddcd9ac 100644
--- a/src/vscode-dts/vscode.proposed.notebookVariableProvider.d.ts
+++ b/src/vscode-dts/vscode.proposed.notebookVariableProvider.d.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 		*/
 		value: string;
 
+		/** The code that represents how the variable would be accessed in the runtime environment */
+		expression?: string;
+
 		/** The type of the variable's value */
 		type?: string;