diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.test.ts
index f4749772c70040d..70441af58b72bdf 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.test.ts
@@ -173,6 +173,10 @@ describe('list()', () => {
               "name": "Test Action Group",
             },
           ],
+          "actionVariables": Object {
+            "context": Object {},
+            "state": Object {},
+          },
           "defaultActionGroupId": "testActionGroup",
           "id": "test",
           "name": "Test",
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.ts b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.ts
index d9045fb986745f9..0635af4ae18d6ce 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/alert_type_registry.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,14 @@ export class AlertTypeRegistry {
       name: alertType.name,
       actionGroups: alertType.actionGroups,
       defaultActionGroupId: alertType.defaultActionGroupId,
+      actionVariables: normalizedActionVariables(alertType.actionVariables),
     }));
   }
 }
+
+function normalizedActionVariables(actionVariables: any) {
+  return {
+    context: actionVariables?.context ?? {},
+    state: actionVariables?.state ?? {},
+  };
+}
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/types.ts b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/types.ts
index 635cf0cbd137166..4f352d35d6a2493 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/types.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/alerting/server/types.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ export interface AlertType {
   actionGroups: ActionGroup[];
   defaultActionGroupId: ActionGroup['id'];
   executor: ({ services, params, state }: AlertExecutorOptions) => Promise<State | void>;
+  actionVariables?: {
+    context?: Record<string, string>;
+    state?: Record<string, string>;
+  };
 }
 
 export interface RawAlertAction extends SavedObjectAttributes {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.test.ts
index 5034b1ee0cd0180..da577d20c9f80cd 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,21 @@ describe('alertType', () => {
     expect(alertType.id).toBe('.index-threshold');
     expect(alertType.name).toBe('Index Threshold');
     expect(alertType.actionGroups).toEqual([{ id: 'threshold met', name: 'Threshold Met' }]);
+
+    const actionVariables = {
+      context: alertType.actionVariables?.context,
+      state: alertType.actionVariables?.state,
+    };
+    expect(actionVariables).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+      Object {
+        "context": Object {
+          "date": "The date the alert exceeded the threshold.",
+          "group": "The group that exceeded the threshold.",
+          "value": "The value that exceeded the threshold.",
+        },
+        "state": undefined,
+      }
+    `);
   });
 
   it('validator succeeds with valid params', async () => {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.ts b/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.ts
index 4610e0fbaf0da60..a934b3c71d76756 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/alerting_builtins/server/alert_types/index_threshold/alert_type.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,27 @@ export function getAlertType(service: Service): AlertType {
     }
   );
 
+  const actionVariableContextGroupLabel = i18n.translate(
+    'xpack.alertingBuiltins.indexThreshold.actionVariableContextGroupLabel',
+    {
+      defaultMessage: 'The group that exceeded the threshold.',
+    }
+  );
+
+  const actionVariableContextDateLabel = i18n.translate(
+    'xpack.alertingBuiltins.indexThreshold.actionVariableContextDateLabel',
+    {
+      defaultMessage: 'The date the alert exceeded the threshold.',
+    }
+  );
+
+  const actionVariableContextValueLabel = i18n.translate(
+    'xpack.alertingBuiltins.indexThreshold.actionVariableContextValueLabel',
+    {
+      defaultMessage: 'The value that exceeded the threshold.',
+    }
+  );
+
   return {
     id: ID,
     name: alertTypeName,
@@ -40,6 +61,13 @@ export function getAlertType(service: Service): AlertType {
     validate: {
       params: ParamsSchema,
     },
+    actionVariables: {
+      context: {
+        group: actionVariableContextGroupLabel,
+        date: actionVariableContextDateLabel,
+        value: actionVariableContextValueLabel,
+      },
+    },
     executor,
   };
 
diff --git a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/common/fixtures/plugins/alerts/index.ts b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/common/fixtures/plugins/alerts/index.ts
index 2e7674f2b3eb7d5..08bab213374ff5a 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/common/fixtures/plugins/alerts/index.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/common/fixtures/plugins/alerts/index.ts
@@ -207,6 +207,14 @@ export default function(kibana: any) {
           { id: 'other', name: 'Other' },
         ],
         defaultActionGroupId: 'default',
+        actionVariables: {
+          state: {
+            instanceStateValue: 'the instance state value',
+          },
+          context: {
+            instanceContextValue: 'the instance context value',
+          },
+        },
         async executor(alertExecutorOptions: AlertExecutorOptions) {
           const {
             services,
@@ -419,6 +427,26 @@ export default function(kibana: any) {
         defaultActionGroupId: 'default',
         async executor({ services, params, state }: AlertExecutorOptions) {},
       };
+      const onlyContextVariablesAlertType: AlertType = {
+        id: 'test.onlyContextVariables',
+        name: 'Test: Only Context Variables',
+        actionGroups: [{ id: 'default', name: 'Default' }],
+        defaultActionGroupId: 'default',
+        actionVariables: {
+          context: { aContextVariable: 'this is a context variable' },
+        },
+        async executor(opts: AlertExecutorOptions) {},
+      };
+      const onlyStateVariablesAlertType: AlertType = {
+        id: 'test.onlyStateVariables',
+        name: 'Test: Only State Variables',
+        actionGroups: [{ id: 'default', name: 'Default' }],
+        defaultActionGroupId: 'default',
+        actionVariables: {
+          state: { aStateVariable: 'this is a state variable' },
+        },
+        async executor(opts: AlertExecutorOptions) {},
+      };
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(alwaysFiringAlertType);
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(cumulativeFiringAlertType);
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(neverFiringAlertType);
@@ -426,6 +454,8 @@ export default function(kibana: any) {
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(validationAlertType);
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(authorizationAlertType);
       server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(noopAlertType);
+      server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(onlyContextVariablesAlertType);
+      server.newPlatform.setup.plugins.alerting.registerType(onlyStateVariablesAlertType);
     },
   });
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/spaces_only/tests/alerting/list_alert_types.ts b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/spaces_only/tests/alerting/list_alert_types.ts
index 590de1ea7ce0b72..66df08b878215eb 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/spaces_only/tests/alerting/list_alert_types.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/spaces_only/tests/alerting/list_alert_types.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ export default function listAlertTypes({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
   describe('list_alert_types', () => {
     it('should return 200 with list of alert types', async () => {
       const response = await supertest.get(`${getUrlPrefix(Spaces.space1.id)}/api/alert/types`);
-
       expect(response.statusCode).to.eql(200);
       const fixtureAlertType = response.body.find((alertType: any) => alertType.id === 'test.noop');
       expect(fixtureAlertType).to.eql({
@@ -24,6 +23,60 @@ export default function listAlertTypes({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
         defaultActionGroupId: 'default',
         id: 'test.noop',
         name: 'Test: Noop',
+        actionVariables: {
+          state: {},
+          context: {},
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return actionVariables with both context and state', async () => {
+      const response = await supertest.get(`${getUrlPrefix(Spaces.space1.id)}/api/alert/types`);
+      expect(response.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+
+      const fixtureAlertType = response.body.find(
+        (alertType: any) => alertType.id === 'test.always-firing'
+      );
+
+      expect(fixtureAlertType.actionVariables).to.eql({
+        state: {
+          instanceStateValue: 'the instance state value',
+        },
+        context: {
+          instanceContextValue: 'the instance context value',
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return actionVariables with just context', async () => {
+      const response = await supertest.get(`${getUrlPrefix(Spaces.space1.id)}/api/alert/types`);
+      expect(response.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+
+      const fixtureAlertType = response.body.find(
+        (alertType: any) => alertType.id === 'test.onlyContextVariables'
+      );
+
+      expect(fixtureAlertType.actionVariables).to.eql({
+        state: {},
+        context: {
+          aContextVariable: 'this is a context variable',
+        },
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should return actionVariables with just state', async () => {
+      const response = await supertest.get(`${getUrlPrefix(Spaces.space1.id)}/api/alert/types`);
+      expect(response.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+
+      const fixtureAlertType = response.body.find(
+        (alertType: any) => alertType.id === 'test.onlyStateVariables'
+      );
+
+      expect(fixtureAlertType.actionVariables).to.eql({
+        state: {
+          aStateVariable: 'this is a state variable',
+        },
+        context: {},
       });
     });
   });