diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 24a44681d5..0881725b54 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@
     {
       "path": "lib/components/internal/widget-exports.js",
       "brotli": false,
-      "limit": "775 kB",
+      "limit": "776 kB",
       "ignore": "react-dom"
     }
   ],
diff --git a/pages/app-layout/utils/external-widget.tsx b/pages/app-layout/utils/external-widget.tsx
index 0edf5eefbd..b0137f824a 100644
--- a/pages/app-layout/utils/external-widget.tsx
+++ b/pages/app-layout/utils/external-widget.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import React, { useEffect, useImperativeHandle, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import ReactDOM, { unmountComponentAtNode } from 'react-dom';
 
+import ButtonDropdown from '~components/button-dropdown';
 import Drawer from '~components/drawer';
 import awsuiPlugins from '~components/internal/plugins';
 
@@ -153,13 +154,20 @@ awsuiPlugins.appLayout.registerDrawer({
 
   mountContent: (container, mountContext) => {
     ReactDOM.render(
-      <AutoIncrementCounter onVisibilityChange={mountContext?.onVisibilityChange}>
-        global widget content circle 1
-        {new Array(100).fill(null).map((_, index) => (
-          <div key={index}>{index}</div>
-        ))}
-        <div data-testid="circle-global-bottom-content">circle-global bottom content</div>
-      </AutoIncrementCounter>,
+      <Drawer
+        header={<h2>Global drawer</h2>}
+        headerActions={
+          <ButtonDropdown items={[{ id: 'settings', text: 'Settings' }]} ariaLabel="Control drawer" variant="icon" />
+        }
+      >
+        <AutoIncrementCounter onVisibilityChange={mountContext?.onVisibilityChange}>
+          global widget content circle 1
+          {new Array(100).fill(null).map((_, index) => (
+            <div key={index}>{index}</div>
+          ))}
+          <div data-testid="circle-global-bottom-content">circle-global bottom content</div>
+        </AutoIncrementCounter>
+      </Drawer>,
       container
     );
   },
diff --git a/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/documenter.test.ts.snap b/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/documenter.test.ts.snap
index 24b942b4a9..4b22dd5285 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/documenter.test.ts.snap
+++ b/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/documenter.test.ts.snap
@@ -8451,6 +8451,11 @@ It should contain the only \`h2\` used in the drawer.",
       "isDefault": false,
       "name": "header",
     },
+    {
+      "description": "Actions for the header. Available only if you specify the \`header\` property.",
+      "isDefault": false,
+      "name": "headerActions",
+    },
   ],
   "releaseStatus": "stable",
 }
diff --git a/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/test-utils-selectors.test.tsx.snap b/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/test-utils-selectors.test.tsx.snap
index c47fe6939d..7c52e98da4 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/test-utils-selectors.test.tsx.snap
+++ b/src/__tests__/snapshot-tests/__snapshots__/test-utils-selectors.test.tsx.snap
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ exports[`test-utils selectors 1`] = `
   ],
   "drawer": [
     "awsui_drawer_1sxt8",
+    "awsui_header-actions_1sxt8",
     "awsui_header_1sxt8",
     "awsui_test-utils-drawer-content_1sxt8",
   ],
diff --git a/src/drawer/__tests__/drawer.test.tsx b/src/drawer/__tests__/drawer.test.tsx
index 26b8241c23..0109d762f6 100644
--- a/src/drawer/__tests__/drawer.test.tsx
+++ b/src/drawer/__tests__/drawer.test.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,22 @@ test('renders header if it is provided', () => {
   expect(wrapper.findContent()!.getElement()).toHaveTextContent('there is a header above');
 });
 
+test('renders header actions if it is provided', () => {
+  const wrapper = renderDrawer(
+    <Drawer header="Bla bla" headerActions={<div>Header actions</div>}>
+      there is a header above
+    </Drawer>
+  );
+  expect(wrapper.findHeader()!.getElement()).toHaveTextContent('Bla bla');
+  expect(wrapper.findHeaderActions()!.getElement()).toHaveTextContent('Header actions');
+  expect(wrapper.findContent()!.getElement()).toHaveTextContent('there is a header above');
+});
+
+test('does not render header actions if header is not provided', () => {
+  const wrapper = renderDrawer(<Drawer headerActions={<div>Header actions</div>}>there is a header above</Drawer>);
+  expect(wrapper.findHeaderActions()).toBeFalsy();
+});
+
 test('renders loading state', () => {
   const { container } = render(<Drawer loading={true} i18nStrings={{ loadingText: 'Loading content' }} />);
   expect(createWrapper(container).findStatusIndicator()!.getElement()).toHaveTextContent('Loading content');
diff --git a/src/drawer/implementation.tsx b/src/drawer/implementation.tsx
index 9cddc690c2..40e710242d 100644
--- a/src/drawer/implementation.tsx
+++ b/src/drawer/implementation.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ export function DrawerImplementation({
   i18nStrings,
   disableContentPaddings,
   __internalRootRef,
+  headerActions,
   ...restProps
 }: DrawerInternalProps) {
   const baseProps = getBaseProps(restProps);
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ export function DrawerImplementation({
     ...baseProps,
     className: clsx(baseProps.className, styles.drawer, isToolbar && styles['with-toolbar']),
   };
+
   return loading ? (
     <div
       {...containerProps}
@@ -46,7 +48,12 @@ export function DrawerImplementation({
     </div>
   ) : (
     <div {...containerProps} ref={__internalRootRef}>
-      {header && <div className={styles.header}>{header}</div>}
+      {header && (
+        <div className={styles.header}>
+          {header}
+          {headerActions && <div className={styles['header-actions']}>{headerActions}</div>}
+        </div>
+      )}
       <div
         className={clsx(
           styles['test-utils-drawer-content'],
diff --git a/src/drawer/interfaces.ts b/src/drawer/interfaces.ts
index 6f3ca4dd7c..8824ee5bc5 100644
--- a/src/drawer/interfaces.ts
+++ b/src/drawer/interfaces.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ export interface DrawerProps extends BaseComponentProps {
    * @i18n
    */
   i18nStrings?: I18nStrings;
+
+  /**
+   * Actions for the header. Available only if you specify the `header` property.
+   */
+  headerActions?: React.ReactNode;
 }
 
 interface I18nStrings {
diff --git a/src/drawer/styles.scss b/src/drawer/styles.scss
index 26ba0b32d5..572a73558c 100644
--- a/src/drawer/styles.scss
+++ b/src/drawer/styles.scss
@@ -13,11 +13,14 @@
 
 .header {
   @include styles.font-panel-header;
+  display: flex;
+  justify-content: space-between;
   color: awsui.$color-text-heading-default;
   padding-block: awsui.$space-panel-header-vertical;
   padding-inline: awsui.$space-panel-side-left calc(#{awsui.$space-xl} + #{awsui.$space-scaled-xxl});
   // padding to make sure the header doesn't overlap with the close icon
   border-block-end: awsui.$border-divider-section-width solid awsui.$color-border-panel-header;
+
   .with-toolbar > & {
     border-color: transparent;
     margin-block-end: 0px;
@@ -36,6 +39,17 @@
   /* stylelint-enable @cloudscape-design/no-implicit-descendant, selector-max-type */
 }
 
+.header-actions {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: start;
+  z-index: 1;
+  /*
+   Compensate for the difference between the runtime drawer's and the drawer component's heading
+   to ensure the header actions are vertically aligned
+   */
+  margin-block-start: -6px;
+}
+
 .content-with-paddings:not(:empty) {
   padding-block-start: awsui.$space-panel-content-top;
   padding-inline-start: awsui.$space-panel-side-left;
diff --git a/src/test-utils/dom/drawer/index.ts b/src/test-utils/dom/drawer/index.ts
index 00d4020439..7d6b009750 100644
--- a/src/test-utils/dom/drawer/index.ts
+++ b/src/test-utils/dom/drawer/index.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ export default class DrawerWrapper extends ComponentWrapper {
     return this.findByClassName(styles.header);
   }
 
+  findHeaderActions(): ElementWrapper | null {
+    return this.findByClassName(styles['header-actions']);
+  }
+
   findContent(): ElementWrapper | null {
     return this.findByClassName(styles['test-utils-drawer-content']);
   }