diff --git a/include/cantera/base/Delegator.h b/include/cantera/base/Delegator.h
index 9aee98729e..2d1ac9e997 100644
--- a/include/cantera/base/Delegator.h
+++ b/include/cantera/base/Delegator.h
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #define CT_DELEGATOR_H
 
 #include "cantera/base/global.h"
+#include "cantera/base/Units.h"
 #include "cantera/base/ctexceptions.h"
 #include "cantera/base/ExtensionManager.h"
 #include <array>
@@ -254,8 +255,21 @@ class Delegator
         *m_funcs_sz_csr[name] = makeDelegate(name, func, when, m_base_sz_csr[name]);
     }
 
-    void holdExternalHandle(const shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>& handle) {
-        m_handles.push_back(handle);
+    //! Store a handle to a wrapper for the delegate from an external language interface
+    void holdExternalHandle(const string& name,
+                            const shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>& handle) {
+        m_handles[name] = handle;
+    }
+
+    //! Get the handle for a wrapper for the delegate from the external language
+    //! interface specified by *name*.
+    //! Returns a null pointer if the requested handle does not exist.
+    shared_ptr<ExternalHandle> getExternalHandle(const string& name) const {
+        if (m_handles.count(name)) {
+            return m_handles.at(name);
+        } else {
+            return shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>();
+        }
     }
 
 protected:
@@ -496,8 +510,10 @@ class Delegator
         std::function<size_t(const std::string&)>*> m_funcs_sz_csr;
     //! @}
 
-    //! Cleanup functions to be called from the destructor
-    std::list<shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>> m_handles;
+    //! Handles to wrappers for the delegated object in external language interfaces.
+    //! Used to provide access to these wrappers as well as managing cleanup functions
+    //! called from the destructor of the derived ExternalHandle class.
+    map<string, shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>> m_handles;
 
     //! Name of the class in the extension language
     std::string m_delegatorName;
diff --git a/include/cantera/base/Solution.h b/include/cantera/base/Solution.h
index 376c6ba954..6c88891afc 100644
--- a/include/cantera/base/Solution.h
+++ b/include/cantera/base/Solution.h
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class Solution : public std::enable_shared_from_this<Solution>
 
     AnyMap m_header;  //!< Additional input fields; usually from a YAML input file
 
-    //! Wrappers for this Kinetics object in extension languages, for evaluation
+    //! Wrappers for this Solution object in extension languages, for evaluation
     //! of user-defined reaction rates
     std::map<std::string, shared_ptr<ExternalHandle>> m_externalHandles;
 
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/delegator.pxd b/interfaces/cython/cantera/delegator.pxd
index 39011a392d..9a1034999f 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/delegator.pxd
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/delegator.pxd
@@ -22,11 +22,22 @@ cdef extern from "<array>" namespace "std" nogil:
         size_t& operator[](size_t)
 
 
+cdef extern from "cantera/extensions/PythonHandle.h" namespace "Cantera":
+    cdef cppclass CxxExternalHandle "Cantera::ExternalHandle":
+        pass
+
+    cdef cppclass CxxPythonHandle "Cantera::PythonHandle" (CxxExternalHandle):
+        CxxPythonHandle(PyObject*, cbool)
+        PyObject* get()
+
+
 cdef extern from "cantera/base/Delegator.h" namespace "Cantera":
     cdef cppclass CxxDelegator "Cantera::Delegator":
         Delegator()
 
         void setDelegatorName(string&)
+        void holdExternalHandle(string&, shared_ptr[CxxExternalHandle]&)
+        shared_ptr[CxxExternalHandle] getExternalHandle(string&)
 
         void setDelegate(string&, function[void()], string&) except +translate_exception
         void setDelegate(string&, function[void(cbool)], string&) except +translate_exception
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pxd b/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pxd
index 0e209feb4b..c8aee47b6d 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pxd
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pxd
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import numpy as np
 cimport numpy as np
 
 from .ctcxx cimport *
+from .delegator cimport CxxExternalHandle
+
 
 cdef extern from "cantera/thermo/ThermoFactory.h" namespace "Cantera":
     cdef cppclass CxxThermoPhase "Cantera::ThermoPhase"
@@ -29,14 +31,6 @@ cdef extern from "cantera/base/Interface.h" namespace "Cantera":
         string, string, vector[string]) except +translate_exception
 
 
-cdef extern from "cantera/extensions/PythonHandle.h" namespace "Cantera":
-    cdef cppclass CxxExternalHandle "Cantera::ExternalHandle":
-        pass
-
-    cdef cppclass CxxPythonHandle "Cantera::PythonHandle" (CxxExternalHandle):
-        CxxPythonHandle(PyObject*, cbool)
-
-
 cdef extern from "cantera/base/Solution.h" namespace "Cantera":
     cdef cppclass CxxKinetics "Cantera::Kinetics"
     cdef cppclass CxxTransport "Cantera::Transport"
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pyx b/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pyx
index 1eb140f1df..65eb3fca86 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pyx
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/solutionbase.pyx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from .kinetics cimport *
 from .transport cimport *
 from .reaction cimport *
 from ._utils cimport *
-from .delegator cimport pyOverride, callback_v
+from .delegator cimport pyOverride, callback_v, CxxPythonHandle
 from .yamlwriter cimport YamlWriter
 
 ctypedef CxxSurfPhase* CxxSurfPhasePtr
diff --git a/src/extensions/PythonExtensionManager.cpp b/src/extensions/PythonExtensionManager.cpp
index b6b1a52446..6dc9c36cba 100644
--- a/src/extensions/PythonExtensionManager.cpp
+++ b/src/extensions/PythonExtensionManager.cpp
@@ -99,7 +99,8 @@ void PythonExtensionManager::registerRateBuilder(
         delegator->setParameters(params, units);
 
         // The delegator is responsible for eventually deleting the Python object
-        delegator->holdExternalHandle(make_shared<PythonHandle>(extRate, false));
+        delegator->holdExternalHandle("python",
+                                      make_shared<PythonHandle>(extRate, false));
         return delegator.release();
     };
     ReactionRateFactory::factory()->reg(rateName, builder);