diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index 0d14334..4e6835b 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name = "LAMMPS"
 uuid = "ee2e13b9-eee9-4449-aafa-cfa6a2dbe14d"
 authors = ["Valentin Churavy <v.churavy@gmail.com>"]
-version = "0.2.1"
+version = "0.2.2"
 
 [deps]
 CEnum = "fa961155-64e5-5f13-b03f-caf6b980ea82"
diff --git a/src/LAMMPS.jl b/src/LAMMPS.jl
index e1e59e3..09fcf6a 100644
--- a/src/LAMMPS.jl
+++ b/src/LAMMPS.jl
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ locate() = API.LAMMPS_jll.get_liblammps_path()
 """
     set_library!(path)
 
-Change the library path used by LAMMPS.jl for `liblammps.so` to `path`. 
+Change the library path used by LAMMPS.jl for `liblammps.so` to `path`.
 
 !!! note
     You will need to restart Julia to use the new library.
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ function check(lmp::LMP)
     end
 end
 
+
+"""
+    command(lmp::lmp, cmd)
+"""
 function command(lmp::LMP, cmd)
     ptr = API.lammps_command(lmp, cmd)
     ptr == C_NULL && check(lmp)
@@ -138,6 +142,9 @@ function dtype2type(dtype::API._LMP_DATATYPE_CONST)
     return type
 end
 
+"""
+    extract_global(lmp, name, dtype=nothing)
+"""
 function extract_global(lmp::LMP, name, dtype=nothing)
     if dtype === nothing
         dtype = API.lammps_extract_global_datatype(lmp, name)
@@ -176,7 +183,7 @@ function unsafe_wrap(ptr, shape)
 end
 
 """
-    extract_atom(lmp, name, dtype=nothing, )
+    extract_atom(lmp, name, dtype=nothing, axes1, axes2)
 """
 function extract_atom(lmp::LMP, name,
                       dtype::Union{Nothing, API._LMP_DATATYPE_CONST} = nothing,
@@ -264,6 +271,9 @@ function unsafe_extract_compute(lmp::LMP, name, style, type)
     return ptr
 end
 
+"""
+    extract_compute(lmp, name, style, type)
+"""
 function extract_compute(lmp::LMP, name, style, type)
     ptr_or_value = unsafe_extract_compute(lmp, name, style, type)
     if style == API.LMP_TYPE_SCALAR
@@ -295,6 +305,56 @@ function extract_compute(lmp::LMP, name, style, type)
     return nothing
 end
 
+"""
+    extract_variable(lmp::LMP, name, group)
+
+Extracts the data from a LAMMPS variable. When the variable is either an `equal`-style compatible variable,
+a `vector`-style variable, or an `atom`-style variable, the variable is evaluated and the corresponding value(s) returned.
+Variables of style `internal` are compatible with `equal`-style variables, if they return a numeric value.
+For other variable styles, their string value is returned.
+"""
+function extract_variable(lmp::LMP, name::String, group=nothing)
+    var = API.lammps_extract_variable_datatype(lmp, name)
+    if var == -1
+        throw(KeyError(name))
+    end
+    if group === nothing
+        group = C_NULL
+    end
+
+    if var == API.LMP_VAR_EQUAL
+        ptr = API.lammps_extract_variable(lmp, name, C_NULL)
+        val = Base.unsafe_load(Base.unsafe_convert(Ptr{Float64}, ptr))
+        API.lammps_free(ptr)
+        return val
+    elseif var == API.LMP_VAR_ATOM
+        nlocal = extract_global(lmp, "nlocal")
+        ptr = API.lammps_extract_variable(lmp, name, group)
+        if ptr == C_NULL
+            error("Group $group for variable $name with style atom not available.")
+        end
+        # LAMMPS uses malloc, so and we are taking ownership of this buffer
+        val = copy(Base.unsafe_wrap(Array, Base.unsafe_convert(Ptr{Float64}, ptr), nlocal; own=false))
+        API.lammps_free(ptr)
+        return val
+    elseif var == API.LMP_VAR_VECTOR
+        # TODO Fix lammps docs `GET_VECTOR_SIZE`
+        ptr = API.lammps_extract_variable(lmp, name, "LMP_SIZE_VECTOR")
+        if ptr == C_NULL
+            error("$name is a vector style variable but has no size.")
+        end
+        sz = Base.unsafe_load(Base.unsafe_convert(Ptr{Cint}, ptr))
+        API.lammps_free(ptr)
+        ptr = API.lammps_extract_variable(lmp, name, C_NULL)
+        return Base.unsafe_wrap(Array, Base.unsafe_convert(Ptr{Float64}, ptr), sz, own=false)
+    elseif var == API.LMP_VAR_STRING
+        ptr = API.lammps_extract_variable(lmp, name, C_NULL)
+        return Base.unsafe_string(Base.unsafe_convert(Ptr{Cchar}, ptr))
+    else
+        error("Unkown variable style $var")
+    end
+end
+
 function gather_atoms(lmp::LMP, name, T, count)
     if T === Int32
         dtype = 0
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index 285480d..73b319a 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -13,6 +13,32 @@ LMP(["-screen", "none"]) do lmp
     @test_throws ErrorException command(lmp, "nonsense")
 end
 
+@testset "Variables" begin
+    LMP(["-screen", "none"]) do lmp
+        command(lmp, "box tilt large")
+        command(lmp, "region cell block 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 units box")
+        command(lmp, "create_box 1 cell")
+        command(lmp, "create_atoms 1 random 10 1 NULL")
+        command(lmp, "compute  press all pressure NULL pair");
+        command(lmp, "fix press all ave/time 1 1 1 c_press mode vector");
+
+        command(lmp, "variable var1 equal 1.0")
+        command(lmp, "variable var2 string \"hello\"")
+        command(lmp, "variable var3 atom x")
+        # TODO: x is 3d, how do we access more than the first dims
+        command(lmp, "variable var4 vector f_press")
+
+        @test LAMMPS.extract_variable(lmp, "var1") == 1.0
+        @test LAMMPS.extract_variable(lmp, "var2") == "hello"
+        x = LAMMPS.extract_atom(lmp, "x")
+        x_var = LAMMPS.extract_variable(lmp, "var3")
+        @test length(x_var) == 10
+        @test x_var == x[1, :]
+        press = LAMMPS.extract_variable(lmp, "var4")
+        @test press isa Vector{Float64}
+    end
+end
+
 MPI.mpiexec() do mpiexec
     @test success(pipeline(`$mpiexec -n 2 $(Base.julia_cmd()) mpitest.jl`, stderr=stderr, stdout=stdout))
 end