diff --git a/platform/remote-driver/test-sdk/src/com/intellij/driver/sdk/ui/components/notebooks/NotebookEditorComponent.kt b/platform/remote-driver/test-sdk/src/com/intellij/driver/sdk/ui/components/notebooks/NotebookEditorComponent.kt
index 28e949ea5a28..83002f66977a 100644
--- a/platform/remote-driver/test-sdk/src/com/intellij/driver/sdk/ui/components/notebooks/NotebookEditorComponent.kt
+++ b/platform/remote-driver/test-sdk/src/com/intellij/driver/sdk/ui/components/notebooks/NotebookEditorComponent.kt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.IdeaFrameUI
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.JEditorUiComponent
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.editor
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.ideFrame
+import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.toolwindows.ToolWindowLeftToolbarUi
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.toolwindows.ToolWindowRightToolbarUi
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.common.toolwindows.projectView
 import com.intellij.driver.sdk.ui.components.elements.JLabelUiComponent
@@ -402,6 +403,17 @@ fun Driver.closeRightToolWindow(stripeButtonName: String) {
   }
 }
 
+fun Driver.openLeftToolWindow(stripeButtonName: String) {
+  ideFrame {
+    val leftToolbar = xx(ToolWindowLeftToolbarUi::class.java) { byClass("ToolWindowLeftToolbar") }.list().firstOrNull()
+                       ?: return@ideFrame
+    val varsButton = leftToolbar.stripeButton(stripeButtonName)
+    if (varsButton.notPresent()) {
+      varsButton.open()
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Executes a test block within the context of the notebook editor UI component.
  * Note: only the NotebookEditorUiComponent and its successors are directly available in the context of this block.