VS Code extension SUPPORT.md before review friction
Publish a SUPPORT.md and keep the issue, repository, and license links healthy so the buyer can inspect your operating discipline before the first install prompt asks for trust.
Why this can grow a startup
VS Code now asks users to confirm trust when they install from a third-party publisher, which means a vague support path costs more than it used to. The runtime security guide tells users to inspect ratings, Q and A, issues, repository, and license before deciding an extension is reliable. The publishing docs tell authors to add SUPPORT.md. Put those together and the lesson is plain: support metadata is not housekeeping. It is part of the trust check that happens before the extension gets a chance to prove itself in the editor.
Source-backed example
VS Code's publishing guide recommends adding SUPPORT.md to the extension root, and the runtime security guide says users should inspect Q and A, issues, repository, license, and publisher responsiveness before installing.
Source-reported evidence
Source: Visual Studio Code Docs: Extension Runtime Security
As of VS Code 1.97, first-time installs from third-party publishers prompt the user to confirm publisher trust.
Attributed to the cited source; GrowthDex has not independently verified it. Use this as context, not as a forecast, benchmark, or recommended target.
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
When to use it
Use this when Trust, Support, Marketplaces is relevant to developer tools, support surface, publisher trust and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to Trust and Support, using evidence from Visual Studio Code Docs: Extension Runtime Security as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Users who resolve the issue and complete the next useful action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
Compare a stack for your situation
Compare source-backed tactics against your product, stage, budget and channel strengths, then choose one experiment to test.
Explore the context
Did you launch this experiment?
Report a launch to help us understand which growth ideas founders put into practice.
Apply this with an operator
Choose product surfaces that compound distribution without hiding weak activation or retention.