diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 457931f..a8a9b8f 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -11,17 +11,17 @@ requires = [
 name = "yjs-widgets"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = { file = "LICENSE" }
-requires-python = ">=3.7"
+requires-python = ">=3.9"
 dependencies = []
 classifiers = [
     "License :: OSI Approved :: BSD License",
     "Programming Language :: Python",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
+    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
+    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13",
     "Framework :: Jupyter",
     "Framework :: Jupyter :: JupyterLab",
     "Framework :: Jupyter :: JupyterLab :: 3",
diff --git a/src/model.ts b/src/model.ts
index 52455da..12e85ef 100644
--- a/src/model.ts
+++ b/src/model.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { JSONExt, JSONObject, PromiseDelegate } from '@lumino/coreutils';
 import { ISignal, Signal } from '@lumino/signaling';
 import * as Y from 'yjs';
 
+import { YCommProvider } from './notebookrenderer/yCommProvider';
 import { IJupyterYDoc, IJupyterYModel } from './types';
 
 export class JupyterYModel implements IJupyterYModel {
@@ -13,6 +14,14 @@ export class JupyterYModel implements IJupyterYModel {
     });
   }
 
+  onReceive(callback: (message: Uint8Array) => void) {
+    this.yCommProvider.onReceive(callback);
+  }
+
+  send(message: Uint8Array) {
+    this.yCommProvider.send(message);
+  }
+
   get yModelName(): string {
     return this._yModelName;
   }
@@ -76,6 +85,7 @@ export class JupyterYModel implements IJupyterYModel {
     this.sharedModel.removeAttr(key);
   }
 
+  yCommProvider: YCommProvider;
   private _ydoc: Y.Doc;
 
   private _yModelName: string;
diff --git a/src/notebookrenderer/widgetManager.ts b/src/notebookrenderer/widgetManager.ts
index ad2d219..47474f3 100644
--- a/src/notebookrenderer/widgetManager.ts
+++ b/src/notebookrenderer/widgetManager.ts
@@ -71,11 +71,12 @@ export class WidgetModelRegistry implements IJupyterYWidgetModelRegistry {
 
     await yModel.ready;
 
-    new YCommProvider({
+    const yCommProvider = new YCommProvider({
       comm,
       ydoc: yModel.sharedModel.ydoc
     });
     this._yModels.set(comm.commId, yModel);
+    yModel.yCommProvider = yCommProvider;
   };
 
   private _yModels: Map<string, IJupyterYModel> = new Map();
diff --git a/src/notebookrenderer/yCommProvider.ts b/src/notebookrenderer/yCommProvider.ts
index 9d221cd..99a9e82 100644
--- a/src/notebookrenderer/yCommProvider.ts
+++ b/src/notebookrenderer/yCommProvider.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,16 @@ export class YCommProvider implements IDisposable {
     this._connect();
   }
 
+  onReceive(callback: (message: Uint8Array) => void) {
+    this._onReceive = callback;
+  }
+
+  send(message: Uint8Array) {
+    const messageType = new Uint8Array([2]);
+    const msg = new Uint8Array([...messageType, ...message]);
+    this._sendOverComm(msg);
+  }
+
   get doc(): Y.Doc {
     return this._ydoc;
   }
@@ -47,9 +57,15 @@ export class YCommProvider implements IDisposable {
       const buffer_uint8 = new Uint8Array(
         ArrayBuffer.isView(buffer) ? buffer.buffer : buffer
       );
-      const encoder = Private.readMessage(this, buffer_uint8, true);
-      if (encoding.length(encoder) > 1) {
-        this._sendOverComm(encoding.toUint8Array(encoder));
+      if (buffer_uint8.slice(0, 1)[0] === 2) {
+        if (this._onReceive !== null) {
+          this._onReceive(buffer_uint8.slice(1));
+        }
+      } else {
+        const encoder = Private.readMessage(this, buffer_uint8, true);
+        if (encoding.length(encoder) > 1) {
+          this._sendOverComm(encoding.toUint8Array(encoder));
+        }
       }
     }
   };
@@ -81,6 +97,7 @@ export class YCommProvider implements IDisposable {
   private _ydoc: Y.Doc;
   private _synced: boolean;
   private _isDisposed = false;
+  private _onReceive: ((message: Uint8Array) => void) | null = null;
 }
 
 namespace Private {
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 1fbd7c4..0442c92 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import * as Y from 'yjs';
 import { ISignal } from '@lumino/signaling';
 import { JSONObject } from '@lumino/coreutils';
 import { IDisposable } from '@lumino/disposable';
+import { YCommProvider } from './notebookrenderer/yCommProvider';
 
 export interface IJupyterYDocChange {
   attrsChange?: MapChange;
@@ -26,10 +27,14 @@ export interface IJupyterYModel extends IDisposable {
   yModelName: string;
   isDisposed: boolean;
   sharedModel: IJupyterYDoc;
+  yCommProvider: YCommProvider;
 
   sharedAttrsChanged: ISignal<IJupyterYDoc, MapChange>;
 
   disposed: ISignal<any, void>;
 
   ready: Promise<void>;
+
+  send(message: Uint8Array);
+  onReceive(callback: (message: Uint8Array) => void);
 }