diff --git a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/OTHER_FILES.txt b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/OTHER_FILES.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..31e6de50c4e09b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/OTHER_FILES.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+preload.d.ts
diff --git a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/events.d.ts b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/events.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..2963f36732c9b90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/events.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export interface Disposable {
+    dispose(): void;
+}
+
+export interface VSCodeEvent<T> {
+    (listener: (e: T) => any, thisArgs?: any, disposables?: Disposable[]): Disposable;
+}
diff --git a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/index.d.ts b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/index.d.ts
index a1a8f9d07ca743a..a7c3a58df068589 100644
--- a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/index.d.ts
+++ b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/index.d.ts
@@ -4,15 +4,9 @@
 // Definitions: https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped
 // Minimum TypeScript Version: 3.0
 
-// todo: update "Project" link above to docs site, once it becomes available
+import { VSCodeEvent } from './events';
 
-export interface Disposable {
-    dispose(): void;
-}
-
-export interface VSCodeEvent<T> {
-    (listener: (e: T) => any, thisArgs?: any, disposables?: Disposable[]): Disposable;
-}
+export * from './events';
 
 /**
  * Notebook output event -- a supertype of the `NotebookCellOutputItem` in the VS Code types.
@@ -29,13 +23,6 @@ export interface NotebookOutputEventParams  {
 export interface NotebookRendererApi<T> {
     setState(value: T): void;
     getState(): T | undefined;
-
-    /**
-     * Sends a message to the renderer extension code. Can be received in
-     * the `onDidReceiveMessage` event in `NotebookCommunication`.
-     */
-    postMessage(msg: unknown): void;
-
     /**
      * Fired before an output is destroyed, with its output ID, or undefined if
      * all cells are about to unmount.
@@ -48,12 +35,6 @@ export interface NotebookRendererApi<T> {
      * API, and `onWillDestroyOutput`.
      */
     onDidCreateOutput: VSCodeEvent<NotebookOutputEventParams>;
-
-    /**
-     * Called when the renderer uses `postMessage` on the NotebookCommunication
-     * instance for this renderer.
-     */
-    onDidReceiveMessage: VSCodeEvent<any>;
 }
 
 declare global {
diff --git a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/preload.d.ts b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/preload.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..36bb7c58bc81fd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/preload.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { VSCodeEvent } from './events';
+
+declare global {
+    const onDidReceiveKernelMessage: VSCodeEvent<any>;
+    function postKernelMessage(data: unknown): void;
+}
diff --git a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/vscode-notebook-renderer-tests.ts b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/vscode-notebook-renderer-tests.ts
index 2f1f5c0c544b865..b036abdf20c3801 100644
--- a/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/vscode-notebook-renderer-tests.ts
+++ b/types/vscode-notebook-renderer/vscode-notebook-renderer-tests.ts
@@ -26,14 +26,16 @@ const listener = notebookApi.onDidCreateOutput(({ element, outputId, value, mime
 
 listener.dispose();
 
-notebookApi.onDidReceiveMessage(msg => {
-    // $ExpectType any
-    msg;
-
-    notebookApi.postMessage(msg);
-});
-
 notebookApi.onWillDestroyOutput(evt => {
     // $ExpectType { outputId: string; } | undefined
     evt;
 });
+
+import 'vscode-notebook-renderer/preload';
+
+onDidReceiveKernelMessage(msg => {
+    // $ExpectType any
+    msg;
+
+    postKernelMessage(msg);
+});