The README links a public place to ask a question and report a problem
A reader who is stuck either finds the channel or leaves. A private mailbox or a chat platform that needs an account and a client is not a channel, because the next person with the same question cannot find the answer you already wrote.
Observable check
README.md links at least one public channel that is searchable, addressable by URL, and usable without proprietary client software, covering both questions and defect reports; one channel satisfies both when the project routes them to the same place.
Where this comes from
- https://github.com/RichardLitt/standard-readme/blob/main/spec.md
- https://docs.github.com/en/communities/setting-up-your-project-for-healthy-contributions/adding-support-resources-to-your-project
Last read against these sources on 2026-07-28.
standard-readme's Contributing section is Required and its first requirement is 'State where users can ask questions', under a preamble giving the list normative force. That sources the channel half only. The rule's further qualifiers, that the channel be public, searchable, addressable by URL, usable without proprietary client software, and cover defect reports, are this standard's own position and have no upstream. GitHub's support-resources page confirms SUPPORT may live in root, docs/, or .github/, and endorses linking it from the README.