diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.ts
index f324dfad8..d9726f657 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/index.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 import { compileCandidates } from './compile'
 import * as CSS from './css-parser'
 import { buildDesignSystem, type DesignSystem } from './design-system'
+import { buildPluginApi } from './plugin-api'
 import { Theme } from './theme'
 import { segment } from './utils/segment'
 
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ const IS_VALID_UTILITY_NAME = /^[a-z][a-zA-Z0-9/%._-]*$/
 
 type PluginAPI = {
   addVariant(name: string, variant: string | string[] | CssInJs): void
+  theme(path: string, fallback?: any): any
 }
 
 type Plugin = (api: PluginAPI) => void
@@ -280,6 +282,8 @@ export function compile(
         designSystem.variants.fromAst(name, objectToAst(variant))
       }
     },
+
+    ...buildPluginApi(designSystem),
   }
 
   for (let plugin of plugins) {
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8260f0795
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import type { DesignSystem } from './design-system'
+
+export function buildPluginApi(designSystem: DesignSystem) {
+  return {
+    theme(path: string, fallback?: any) {
+      if (path.startsWith('--')) {
+        if (path.endsWith('-*')) {
+          return Object.fromEntries(
+            designSystem.theme.namespace(path.slice(0, -2) as any).entries(),
+          )
+        }
+
+        return designSystem.theme.resolveValue(null, [path] as any) ?? fallback ?? null
+      }
+
+      let original = path
+        // Escape dots used inside square brackets
+        .replace(/\[(.*?)\]/g, (_, value) => `-${value.replace('.', '_')}`)
+        // Replace dots with dashes
+        .replace(/\./g, '-')
+        // Replace camelCase with dashes
+        .replace(/([a-z])([A-Z])/g, (_, a, b) => `${a}-${b.toLowerCase()}`)
+
+      // Prepend with `--` to match CSS variables
+      original = `--${original}`
+
+      let map = designSystem.theme.namespace(original as any)
+
+      // Does the requested value exist in the theme
+      if (map.has(null)) {
+        // Yes, and there are multiple values in the requested theme namespace
+        if (map.size > 1) {
+          return {
+            DEFAULT: map.get(null),
+            ...Object.fromEntries(Array.from(map.entries()).filter(([key]) => key !== null)),
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Nope, just the one
+        return map.get(null)
+      }
+
+      // There is at least one value in the requested theme namespace
+      // but no default value
+      if (map.size > 0) {
+        return Object.fromEntries(map.entries())
+      }
+
+      return fallback ?? null
+    },
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utilities.test.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utilities.test.ts
index 4135b1cdd..af3a2a72b 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/utilities.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/utilities.test.ts
@@ -15150,3 +15150,89 @@ describe('custom utilities', () => {
     ).toThrowError(/should be alphanumeric/)
   })
 })
+
+describe('theme function in plugins', () => {
+  let input = css`
+    @plugin "my-plugin";
+    @theme reference {
+      --size-2_5: 2.5rem;
+
+      --scrollbar-big: 20px;
+      --scrollbar-big-properties: auto-hidden;
+
+      --scrollbar-color-light: white;
+      --scrollbar-color-dark: black;
+    },
+  `
+
+  test('CSS property notation', () => {
+    expect.hasAssertions()
+
+    compile(input, {
+      loadPlugin() {
+        return ({ theme }) => {
+          expect(theme('--scrollbar')).toEqual(null)
+          expect(theme('--scrollbar-*')).toEqual({
+            big: '20px',
+            'big-properties': 'auto-hidden',
+            'color-dark': 'black',
+            'color-light': 'white',
+          })
+
+          expect(theme('--scrollbar-big')).toEqual('20px')
+        }
+      },
+    })
+  })
+
+  test('legacy dot notation', () => {
+    expect.hasAssertions()
+
+    compile(input, {
+      loadPlugin() {
+        return ({ theme }) => {
+          // Accessing via legacy dot notation
+          expect(theme('size.2_5')).toEqual('2.5rem')
+          expect(theme('scrollbar')).toEqual({
+            big: '20px',
+            'big-properties': 'auto-hidden',
+            'color-dark': 'black',
+            'color-light': 'white',
+          })
+
+          expect(theme('scrollbar.big')).toEqual({
+            DEFAULT: '20px',
+            properties: 'auto-hidden',
+          })
+          expect(theme('scrollbar.big.properties')).toEqual('auto-hidden')
+
+          expect(theme('scrollbar.color')).toEqual({
+            light: 'white',
+            dark: 'black',
+          })
+
+          expect(theme('scrollbar.foo', 'nope')).toEqual('nope')
+          expect(theme('somekey', 'nope')).toEqual('nope')
+        }
+      },
+    })
+  })
+
+  test('legacy square bracket notation', () => {
+    expect.hasAssertions()
+
+    compile(input, {
+      loadPlugin() {
+        return ({ theme }) => {
+          expect(theme('size[2.5]')).toEqual('2.5rem')
+
+          expect(theme('scrollbar[big]')).toEqual({
+            DEFAULT: '20px',
+            properties: 'auto-hidden',
+          })
+          expect(theme('scrollbar[big][properties]')).toEqual('auto-hidden')
+        }
+      },
+    })
+  })
+})