diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostApiCommands.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostApiCommands.ts
index c664de175e7031b76e3f157a022c5f7718030472..5e2daec330ca337fd99939a02fb1fdb190a184e9 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostApiCommands.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostApiCommands.ts
@@ -162,6 +162,13 @@ class ExtHostApiCommands {
 				{ name: 'column', description: '(optional) Column in which to preview.' },
 			]
 		});
+
+		this._register('vscode.openFolder', (uri: URI) => this._commands.executeCommand('_workbench.ipc', 'vscode:windowOpen', [[uri.fsPath]]), {
+			description: 'Open a folder in the current window. Note that this will shutdown the current extension host process and start a new one on the given folder.',
+			args: [
+				{ name: 'uri', description: 'Uri of the folder to open.', constraint: URI }
+			]
+		});
 	}
 
 	// --- command impl
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/actions.ts b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/actions.ts
index b4a77572480444fe7fd1a36d869f20dd523a2034..8eccd0b0cc1714b12f235a8f86be692d6043e6a4 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/actions.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/electron-browser/actions.ts
@@ -17,9 +17,13 @@ import {IWindowConfiguration} from 'vs/workbench/electron-browser/window';
 import {IWorkspaceContextService} from 'vs/platform/workspace/common/workspace';
 import {IQuickOpenService} from 'vs/workbench/services/quickopen/common/quickOpenService';
 import {IConfigurationService} from 'vs/platform/configuration/common/configuration';
+import {KeybindingsRegistry} from 'vs/platform/keybinding/common/keybindingsRegistry';
+import {ServicesAccessor} from 'vs/platform/instantiation/common/instantiation';
 
 import {ipcRenderer as ipc, webFrame, remote} from 'electron';
 
+// --- actions
+
 export class CloseEditorAction extends Action {
 
 	public static ID = 'workbench.action.closeActiveEditor';
@@ -458,4 +462,23 @@ export class CloseMessagesAction extends Action {
 
 		return TPromise.as(true);
 	}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+// --- commands
+
+KeybindingsRegistry.registerCommandDesc({
+	id: '_workbench.ipc',
+	weight: KeybindingsRegistry.WEIGHT.workbenchContrib(0),
+	handler(accessor: ServicesAccessor, args: [string, any[]]) {
+		const ipcMessage = args[0];
+		const ipcArgs = args[1];
+
+		if (ipcMessage && Array.isArray(ipcArgs)) {
+			ipc.send(ipcMessage, ...ipcArgs);
+		} else {
+			ipc.send(ipcMessage);
+		}
+	},
+	context: undefined,
+	primary: undefined
+});
\ No newline at end of file