diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a9b8b36a..5127231d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -783,6 +783,9 @@ One other thing is that the type of the return is precisely the same type requir
     - panel:
       - open: this function will open the sidekick options panel automatically;
       - close: this function will close the sidekick options panel automatically (and also the sidebar content if open, to avoid inconsistencies in ui);
+  - panel:
+    - open: this function will open a panel in the sidekick area. It takes the ID of a generic content sidekick area (as returned by `setGenericContentItems`) as its first argument, or one of the `SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum` core panels as its second. Core panels the user could not open from the sidebar navigation themselves, such as Polls for a viewer, are ignored;
+    - close: this function will close a panel in the sidekick area. It takes the same arguments as `open`, and then only closes the panel if it is one of those on display, so a plugin does not close a panel it does not own. Passing neither closes the sidekick area altogether;
 - sidekick-options-container:
   - open: this function will open the sidekick options panel automatically;
   - close: this function will close the sidekick options panel automatically (and also the sidebar content if open, to avoid inconsistencies in ui);
@@ -837,6 +840,18 @@ One other thing is that the type of the return is precisely the same type requir
       'New Section Name'
     );
 
+    // Open the plugin's own sidekick panel
+    pluginApi.uiCommands.sidekickArea.panel.open('my-content-id');
+
+    // Open a core panel
+    pluginApi.uiCommands.sidekickArea.panel.open(
+      undefined,
+      SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum.POLL
+    );
+
+    // Close it again, but only if it is still the one on display
+    pluginApi.uiCommands.sidekickArea.panel.close('my-content-id');
+
     // Camera commands
     pluginApi.uiCommands.camera.setSelfViewDisableAllDevices(true);
     pluginApi.uiCommands.camera.setSelfViewDisable('camera-stream-id', false);
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/index.ts b/src/ui-commands/index.ts
index d20ff9ff..8e6ce22d 100644
--- a/src/ui-commands/index.ts
+++ b/src/ui-commands/index.ts
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ export { ChangeEnforcedLayoutTypeEnum, EnforcedLayoutTypeEnum } from './layout/e
 export { CaptionsLanguageEnum } from './captions/enums';
 export { ChatUiCommandsEnum } from './chat/enums';
 export { ScreenshareCommandsEnum } from './screenshare/enums';
+export { SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum } from './sidekick-area/panel/enums';
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/commands.ts b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/commands.ts
index f8a69b3d..a8737189 100644
--- a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/commands.ts
+++ b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/commands.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { sidekickAreaOptions } from './options/commands';
+import { sidekickAreaPanel } from './panel/commands';
 import { UiCommandsSidekickArea } from './types';
 
 export const sidekickArea: UiCommandsSidekickArea = {
   options: sidekickAreaOptions,
+  panel: sidekickAreaPanel,
 };
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/commands.ts b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/commands.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..39ab029e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/commands.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum, SidekickAreaPanelEnum } from './enums';
+import {
+  SidekickAreaPanelCommandArguments,
+  UiCommandsSidekickAreaPanelObject,
+} from './types';
+
+const dispatch = (
+  command: SidekickAreaPanelEnum,
+  id?: string,
+  panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum,
+) => {
+  window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent<SidekickAreaPanelCommandArguments>(
+    command,
+    {
+      detail: {
+        id,
+        panel,
+      },
+    },
+  ));
+};
+
+export const sidekickAreaPanel: UiCommandsSidekickAreaPanelObject = {
+  /**
+   * Opens a panel in the sidekick area.
+   *
+   * @param id Id of a generic content sidekick area, as returned by
+   * `pluginApi.setGenericContentItems`.
+   * @param panel Core panel to open instead, read only when no id is given. Core
+   * panels the user could not open themselves, such as Polls for a viewer, are ignored.
+   */
+  open: (id?: string, panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum) => {
+    dispatch(SidekickAreaPanelEnum.OPEN, id, panel);
+  },
+
+  /**
+   * Closes a panel in the sidekick area, but only if it is on display, so a plugin
+   * does not close a panel it does not own. Passing neither argument closes the
+   * sidekick area altogether.
+   *
+   * @param id Id of a generic content sidekick area.
+   * @param panel Core panel to close instead, read only when no id is given.
+   */
+  close: (id?: string, panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum) => {
+    dispatch(SidekickAreaPanelEnum.CLOSE, id, panel);
+  },
+};
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/enums.ts b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/enums.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e74a1fc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/enums.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+export enum SidekickAreaPanelEnum {
+  OPEN = 'OPEN_SIDEKICK_AREA_PANEL_COMMAND',
+  CLOSE = 'CLOSE_SIDEKICK_AREA_PANEL_COMMAND',
+}
+
+/**
+ * Core panels a plugin is allowed to open. Polls, Timer and Breakout only open when
+ * the user could already open them from the sidebar navigation.
+ */
+export enum SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum {
+  CHAT = 'chat',
+  USER_LIST = 'userlist',
+  SHARED_NOTES = 'shared-notes',
+  APPS_GALLERY = 'apps-gallery',
+  POLL = 'poll',
+  TIMER = 'timer',
+  BREAKOUT = 'breakoutroom',
+}
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/types.ts b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..65b1ee98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/panel/types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum } from './enums';
+
+export interface UiCommandsSidekickAreaPanelObject {
+  open: (id?: string, panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum) => void;
+  close: (id?: string, panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum) => void;
+}
+
+export interface SidekickAreaPanelCommandArguments {
+  id?: string;
+  panel?: SidekickAreaCorePanelEnum;
+}
diff --git a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/types.ts b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/types.ts
index d8748487..186de5e4 100644
--- a/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/types.ts
+++ b/src/ui-commands/sidekick-area/types.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { UiCommandsSidekickAreaOptionsObject } from './options/types';
+import { UiCommandsSidekickAreaPanelObject } from './panel/types';
 
 export interface UiCommandsSidekickArea {
   options: UiCommandsSidekickAreaOptionsObject;
+  panel: UiCommandsSidekickAreaPanelObject;
 }