diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
index 8bf55c047..61d3083ee 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
@@ -545,39 +545,40 @@ void PythonContext::setGlobal(const char *varName, QWidget *object)
   setQtGlobal(varName, object);
 }
 
-void PythonContext::setQtGlobal_internal(const char *varName, const char *typeName, QObject *object)
+QWidget *PythonContext::QWidgetFromPy(PyObject *widget)
 {
 #if PYSIDE2_ENABLED
   if(!initialised())
-  {
-    emit exception(
-        "SystemError",
-        "Python integration failed to initialise, see diagnostic log for more information.", {});
-    return;
-  }
+    return NULL;
 
   if(!SbkPySide2_QtCoreTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtGuiTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtWidgetsTypes)
-  {
-    emit exception("SystemError",
-                   "PySide Qt library didn't load, see diagnostic log for more information.", {});
-    return;
-  }
+    return NULL;
+
+  if(!Shiboken::Object::checkType(widget))
+    return NULL;
+
+  return (QWidget *)Shiboken::Object::cppPointer((SbkObject *)widget, Shiboken::SbkType<QWidget>());
+#else
+  return NULL;
+#endif
+}
+
+PyObject *PythonContext::QtObjectToPython(const char *typeName, QObject *object)
+{
+#if PYSIDE2_ENABLED
+  if(!initialised())
+    return NULL;
+
+  if(!SbkPySide2_QtCoreTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtGuiTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtWidgetsTypes)
+    return NULL;
 
   PyObject *obj =
       Shiboken::Object::newObject(reinterpret_cast<SbkObjectType *>(Shiboken::SbkType<QObject>()),
                                   object, false, false, typeName);
 
-  if(!obj)
-  {
-    emit exception("RuntimeError",
-                   QString("Failed to set variable '%1' of type '%2'").arg(varName).arg(typeName),
-                   {});
-    return;
-  }
-
-  setPyGlobal(varName, obj);
+  return obj;
 #else
-  emit exception("SystemError", "PySide2 was not enabled at build-time, cannot set Qt variable.", {});
+  return NULL;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
index ba1c747d7..81d99ba3a 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
@@ -64,10 +64,22 @@ public:
   template <typename QtObjectType>
   void setQtGlobal(const char *varName, QtObjectType *object)
   {
+    const char *typeName = typeid(*const_cast<QtObjectType *>(object)).name();
+
     // forward non-template part on
-    setQtGlobal_internal(varName, typeid(*const_cast<QtObjectType *>(object)).name(), object);
+    PyObject *obj = QtObjectToPython(typeName, object);
+
+    if(obj)
+      setPyGlobal(varName, obj);
+    else
+      emit exception("RuntimeError",
+                     QString("Failed to set variable '%1' of type '%2'").arg(varName).arg(typeName),
+                     {});
   }
 
+  static PyObject *QWidgetToPy(QWidget *widget) { return QtObjectToPython("QWidget", widget); }
+  static QWidget *QWidgetFromPy(PyObject *widget);
+
   QString currentFile() { return location.file; }
   int currentLine() { return location.line; }
 signals:
@@ -103,7 +115,7 @@ private:
     int line = 0;
   } location;
 
-  void setQtGlobal_internal(const char *varName, const char *typeName, QObject *object);
+  static PyObject *QtObjectToPython(const char *typeName, QObject *object);
 
   // Python callbacks
   static void outstream_del(PyObject *self);
diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
index e43b9b483..d7b2bd126 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
@@ -24,6 +24,15 @@ CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap &)
 CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap *)
 CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap)
 
+// pass QWidget objects to PySide
+%typemap(in) QWidget * {
+  $1 = PythonContext::QWidgetFromPy($input);
+}
+
+%typemap(out) QWidget * {
+  $result = PythonContext::QWidgetToPy($1);
+}
+
 // need to ignore the original function and add a helper that releases the python GIL while calling
 %ignore IRenderManager::BlockInvoke;
 
@@ -47,6 +56,7 @@ CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap)
   #include "datetime.h"
 
   #include "Code/Interface/QRDInterface.h"
+  #include "Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h"
 %}
 
 %include <stdint.i>