diff --git a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/wm/impl/ToolWindowImpl.java b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/wm/impl/ToolWindowImpl.java
index c579afd0d46c..e12451f3c641 100644
--- a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/wm/impl/ToolWindowImpl.java
+++ b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/wm/impl/ToolWindowImpl.java
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import com.intellij.ui.content.ContentFactory;
 import com.intellij.ui.content.ContentManager;
 import com.intellij.ui.content.impl.ContentImpl;
 import com.intellij.util.ObjectUtils;
+import com.intellij.util.containers.HashSet;
 import com.intellij.util.ui.JBUI;
 import com.intellij.util.ui.update.Activatable;
 import com.intellij.util.ui.update.UiNotifyConnector;
@@ -47,9 +48,12 @@ import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 import javax.swing.*;
 import java.awt.*;
 import java.awt.event.InputEvent;
+import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
 import java.beans.PropertyChangeListener;
 import java.beans.PropertyChangeSupport;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Set;
 
 /**
  * @author Anton Katilin
@@ -74,6 +78,18 @@ public final class ToolWindowImpl implements ToolWindowEx {
   private boolean myPlaceholderMode;
   private ToolWindowFactory myContentFactory;
 
+  private static Set<KeyStroke> FORWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYSTROKES = new HashSet<KeyStroke>(Arrays.asList(
+    new KeyStroke[] {
+      KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_TAB, 0)
+    }
+  ));
+
+  private static Set<KeyStroke> BACKWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYSTROKES = new HashSet<KeyStroke>(Arrays.asList(
+    new KeyStroke[] {
+      KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_TAB, InputEvent.SHIFT_DOWN_MASK)
+    }
+  ));
+
   @NotNull
   private ActionCallback myActivation = ActionCallback.DONE;
   private final BusyObject.Impl myShowing = new BusyObject.Impl() {
@@ -105,6 +121,8 @@ public final class ToolWindowImpl implements ToolWindowEx {
 
     myComponent = myContentManager.getComponent();
 
+    installToolwindowFocusPolicy();
+
     UiNotifyConnector notifyConnector = new UiNotifyConnector(myComponent, new Activatable.Adapter() {
       @Override
       public void showNotify() {
@@ -114,6 +132,50 @@ public final class ToolWindowImpl implements ToolWindowEx {
     Disposer.register(myContentManager, notifyConnector);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Installs a focus traversal policy for the tool window.
+   * If the policy cannot handle a keystroke, it delegates the handling to
+   * the nearest ancestors focus traversal policy. For instance,
+   * this policy does not handle KeyEvent.VK_ESCAPE, so it can delegate the handling
+   * to a ThreeComponentSplitter instance.
+   */
+  private void installToolwindowFocusPolicy() {
+
+    myComponent.setFocusTraversalKeys(KeyboardFocusManager.FORWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYS, FORWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYSTROKES);
+    myComponent.setFocusTraversalKeys(KeyboardFocusManager.BACKWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYS, BACKWARD_TRAVERSAL_KEYSTROKES);
+
+    FocusTraversalPolicy layoutFocusTraversalPolicy = new LayoutFocusTraversalPolicy();
+
+    myComponent.setFocusCycleRoot(true);
+    myComponent.setFocusTraversalPolicyProvider(true);
+    myComponent.setFocusTraversalPolicy(new FocusTraversalPolicy() {
+      @Override
+      public Component getComponentAfter(Container container, Component component) {
+        return layoutFocusTraversalPolicy.getComponentAfter(container, component);
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      public Component getComponentBefore(Container container, Component component) {
+        return layoutFocusTraversalPolicy.getComponentBefore(container, component);
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      public Component getFirstComponent(Container container) {
+        return layoutFocusTraversalPolicy.getFirstComponent(container);
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      public Component getLastComponent(Container container) {
+        return layoutFocusTraversalPolicy.getLastComponent(container);
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      public Component getDefaultComponent(Container container) {
+        return layoutFocusTraversalPolicy.getDefaultComponent(container);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
   public final void addPropertyChangeListener(final PropertyChangeListener l) {
     myChangeSupport.addPropertyChangeListener(l);
   }