Summary

Based on analysis of 820 GitHub discussions from dotnet/aspire.

Question counts:

Critical Gaps

1. ❌ Debugging Guide (CRITICAL)

Discussions:

• Allow running and debugging a Linux-only project on aspire aspire#12561: Allow running and debugging a Linux-only project on aspire
• Localized file check-in by OneLocBuild Task: Build definition ID 1309: Build ID 2816277 aspire#12039: .Net Aspire Single Service Nvim Debugging
• Is this a bug? aspire#9846: Is this a bug?

Customer Questions:

• Debugging specific services
• Selective debugging (debug some, not others)
• Linux-only project debugging
• Non-VS debugging (Neovim, etc.)

Action Items:

• Debugging guide (all IDEs)
• Selective service debugging
• Linux debugging patterns
• Non-VS IDE debugging

2. ❌ Performance/Slow Startup (15+ questions)

Discussions:

• Why are Aspire projects taking so long to be restored? It's more than 2 mins every single time. aspire#12518: Why are Aspire projects taking so long to be restored? It's more than 2 mins every single time
• Optimizing app host start up time aspire#13840: Optimizing app host start up time

Customer Questions:

• NuGet restore taking too long
• App host startup optimization
• Container pull slowness

Action Items:

• Performance optimization guide
• NuGet restore troubleshooting
• Startup optimization patterns

3. ⚠️ IDE-Specific Issues

Discussions:

• Using GH Copilot in Aspire in Rider and other IDEs aspire#10168: Using GH Copilot in Aspire in Rider and other IDEs
• Rider, VS Code extension issues mentioned across discussions

Customer Questions:

• Rider integration
• VS Code extension issues
• GitHub Copilot integration

Action Items:

• IDE comparison guide
• Rider-specific documentation
• VS Code troubleshooting

4. ⚠️ Watch Mode / Hot Reload

No dedicated discussions, but Discord shows high demand (42 questions)

Action Items:

• Watch mode current status
• Hot reload limitations
• Workarounds

Data Source

• GitHub Discussions: 820 total
• DevEx-related: 60 discussions
• Date range: Project inception - February 2026