diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d6cbb01..0f96473 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@
   ],
   "main": "./out/src/extension",
   "preview": true,
+  "activationEvents": [
+    "workspaceContains:**/smithy-build.json",
+    "workspaceContains:**/*.smithy",
+    "workspaceContains:**/.smithy-project.json"
+  ],
   "contributes": {
     "jsonValidation": [
       {
diff --git a/test-fixtures/suite6/smithy-build.json b/test-fixtures/suite6/smithy-build.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..703ffb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-fixtures/suite6/smithy-build.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "version": "1.0"
+}
diff --git a/tests/runTest.ts b/tests/runTest.ts
index 25c8cca..47fc425 100644
--- a/tests/runTest.ts
+++ b/tests/runTest.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ async function go() {
       launchArgs: [resolve(__dirname, "../../test-fixtures/suite5")],
     });
 
+    // Suite 6 - Startup
+    await runTests({
+      extensionDevelopmentPath,
+      extensionTestsPath: resolve(__dirname, "./suite6"),
+      launchArgs: [resolve(__dirname, "../../test-fixtures/suite6")],
+    });
+
     // Confirm that webpacked and vsce packaged extension can be installed.
     const vscodeExecutablePath = await downloadAndUnzipVSCode();
     const [cli, ...args] = resolveCliArgsFromVSCodeExecutablePath(vscodeExecutablePath);
diff --git a/tests/suite6/extension.test.ts b/tests/suite6/extension.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c931c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/suite6/extension.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import * as assert from "assert";
+import * as vscode from "vscode";
+
+suite("Startup", function () {
+  this.timeout(0);
+
+  test("Should start without opening a smithy file", async () => {
+    const extension = vscode.extensions.getExtension("smithy.smithy-vscode-extension");
+    assert.ok(extension.isActive);
+
+    return Promise.resolve();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/suite6/index.ts b/tests/suite6/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b4a869
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/suite6/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import { runTests } from "../helper";
+
+export function run(testsRoot: string, cb: (error: any, failures?: number) => void): void {
+  runTests(testsRoot, cb);
+}