diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index c3589937e4..f68e2855e5 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ API Changes
 -----------
 
 - Viewer API now exposed via ``viz.viewer`` dictionary, currently containing APIs to set axes
-  limits. [#2563]
+  limits as well as astrowidgets API commands for Imviz. [#2563]
 
 Cubeviz
 ^^^^^^^
diff --git a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/viewers.py b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/viewers.py
index beff6c8e17..d2bd05676a 100644
--- a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/viewers.py
+++ b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/viewers.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 from jdaviz.configs.imviz.helper import layer_is_image_data
 from jdaviz.components.toolbar_nested import NestedJupyterToolbar
+from jdaviz.core.astrowidgets_api import AstrowidgetsImageViewerMixin
 from jdaviz.core.registries import viewer_registry
 from jdaviz.core.user_api import ViewerUserApi
 from jdaviz.utils import ColorCycler, get_subset_type
@@ -36,8 +37,13 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
     def user_api(self):
         # default exposed user APIs.  Can override this method in any particular viewer.
         if isinstance(self, BqplotImageView):
-            if hasattr(self, 'zoom_level'):
-                expose = ['zoom', 'zoom_level']
+            if isinstance(self, AstrowidgetsImageViewerMixin):
+                expose = ['save',
+                          'center_on', 'offset_by', 'zoom_level', 'zoom',
+                          'colormap_options', 'set_colormap',
+                          'stretch_options', 'stretch',
+                          'autocut_options', 'cuts',
+                          'marker', 'add_markers', 'remove_markers', 'reset_markers']
             else:
                 # cubeviz image viewers don't inherit from AstrowidgetsImageViewerMixin yet,
                 # but also shouldn't expose set_limits because of equal aspect ratio concerns
diff --git a/jdaviz/core/helpers.py b/jdaviz/core/helpers.py
index a0fb9a2b20..30bfd4ce91 100644
--- a/jdaviz/core/helpers.py
+++ b/jdaviz/core/helpers.py
@@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
     def default_viewer(self):
         """Default viewer instance. This is typically the first viewer
         (e.g., "imviz-0" or "cubeviz-0")."""
-        return self._default_viewer
+        return self._default_viewer.user_api
 
     def load_regions_from_file(self, region_file, region_format='ds9', max_num_regions=20,
                                **kwargs):