diff --git a/panel/components/inspected-app/inspected-app.js b/panel/components/inspected-app/inspected-app.js
index 451b1ed..d87c86b 100644
--- a/panel/components/inspected-app/inspected-app.js
+++ b/panel/components/inspected-app/inspected-app.js
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ function inspectedAppService($rootScope) {
     return invokeAngularHintMethod('assign', scopeId, path, value);
   };
 
+  /*
+   * sets window.$scope to the scope of the given id
+   */
+  this.inspectScope = function (scopeId) {
+    return invokeAngularHintMethod('inspectScope', scopeId);
+  };
+
   function invokeAngularHintMethod(method, scopeId, path, value) {
     var args = [parseInt(scopeId, 10), path || ''].
                   map(JSON.stringify).
diff --git a/panel/scopes/scopes.js b/panel/scopes/scopes.js
index 7dde851..c886b57 100644
--- a/panel/scopes/scopes.js
+++ b/panel/scopes/scopes.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ function ScopesController($scope, inspectedApp) {
   function inspectScope(scopeId) {
     $scope.watch(scopeId);
     $scope.inspectedScope = scopeId;
+    inspectedApp.inspectScope(scopeId);
   };
 
 }