diff --git a/catalog-app/listing/listing.gts b/catalog-app/listing/listing.gts
index ed518456..52d22084 100644
--- a/catalog-app/listing/listing.gts
+++ b/catalog-app/listing/listing.gts
@@ -934,6 +934,8 @@ export class Listing extends CardDef {
   @field license = linksTo(() => License, { searchable: true });
   @field images = linksToMany(ImageDef, { searchable: true });
   @field examples = linksToMany(() => CardDef);
+  // installed alongside examples but never rendered in the listing detail view
+  @field supportingCards = linksToMany(() => CardDef);
   @field skills = linksToMany(() => Skill);
 
   @field cardTitle = contains(StringField, {
diff --git a/commands/collect-submission-files.ts b/commands/collect-submission-files.ts
index e50890ef..1ff8476c 100644
--- a/commands/collect-submission-files.ts
+++ b/commands/collect-submission-files.ts
@@ -109,10 +109,13 @@ export default class CollectSubmissionFilesCommand extends Command<
       );
     }
 
-    let examplesToSnapshot = listing.examples;
+    let examplesToSnapshot = [
+      ...(listing.examples ?? []),
+      ...(listing.supportingCards ?? []),
+    ];
     let fileDefUrls = new Set<string>();
-    if (listing.examples?.length) {
-      let expanded = await this.expandInstances(listing.examples);
+    if (examplesToSnapshot.length) {
+      let expanded = await this.expandInstances(examplesToSnapshot);
       examplesToSnapshot = expanded.instances;
       fileDefUrls = expanded.fileDefUrls;
     }
diff --git a/commands/listing-create.ts b/commands/listing-create.ts
index c72361cc..8f0f7ed8 100644
--- a/commands/listing-create.ts
+++ b/commands/listing-create.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ export default class ListingCreateCommand extends Command<
     input: BaseCommandModule.ListingCreateInput,
   ): Promise<BaseCommandModule.ListingCreateResult> {
     let { openCardIds, codeRef, targetRealm } = input;
+    // tolerate a base ListingCreateInput that predates supportingCardIds
+    let explicitSupportingCardIds = (input as { supportingCardIds?: string[] })
+      .supportingCardIds;
 
     if (!codeRef) {
       throw new Error('codeRef is required');
@@ -118,12 +121,24 @@ export default class ListingCreateCommand extends Command<
     const displayName = (cardDef as any)?.displayName ?? codeRef.name;
     const catalogRealm = await this.getCatalogRealm();
 
+    const classified = await this.classifyOpenCards(openCardIds, codeRef);
+    const exampleCardIds = classified.exampleCardIds;
+    // explicit supporting cards are taken verbatim (no type check); a card
+    // also picked as an example stays an example
+    const supportingCardIds = [
+      ...new Set([
+        ...classified.supportingCardIds,
+        ...(explicitSupportingCardIds ?? []),
+      ]),
+    ].filter((id) => !exampleCardIds.includes(id));
+
     let relationships: Record<string, { links: { self: string } }> = {};
-    if (openCardIds && openCardIds.length > 0) {
-      openCardIds.forEach((id, index) => {
-        relationships[`examples.${index}`] = { links: { self: id } };
-      });
-    }
+    exampleCardIds.forEach((id, index) => {
+      relationships[`examples.${index}`] = { links: { self: id } };
+    });
+    supportingCardIds.forEach((id, index) => {
+      relationships[`supportingCards.${index}`] = { links: { self: id } };
+    });
 
     const listingDoc: LooseSingleCardDocument = {
       data: {
@@ -144,12 +159,12 @@ export default class ListingCreateCommand extends Command<
 
     const commandModule = await loadCommandModule(this.commandContext);
     const listingCard = listing as CardAPI.CardDef;
-    const firstOpenCardId = openCardIds?.[0];
+    const firstExampleCardId = exampleCardIds[0];
 
     const examplePromise = this.autoLinkExample(
       listingCard,
       codeRef,
-      openCardIds,
+      exampleCardIds,
     );
 
     const backgroundTasks = [
@@ -190,7 +205,7 @@ export default class ListingCreateCommand extends Command<
         promise: this.linkSpecs(
           listingCard,
           targetRealm,
-          firstOpenCardId ?? codeRef?.module,
+          firstExampleCardId ?? codeRef?.module,
           codeRef.module,
           codeRef,
         ),
@@ -216,6 +231,69 @@ export default class ListingCreateCommand extends Command<
     return result;
   }
 
+  // Open cards that are instances of the listed type become examples; other
+  // open cards (e.g. data a query-based example depends on) become
+  // supportingCards, which install but don't render in the listing detail.
+  private async classifyOpenCards(
+    openCardIds: string[] | undefined,
+    codeRef: ResolvedCodeRef,
+  ): Promise<{ exampleCardIds: string[]; supportingCardIds: string[] }> {
+    const classified = await Promise.all(
+      (openCardIds ?? []).map(async (id) => {
+        try {
+          const instance = await new GetCardCommand(
+            this.commandContext,
+          ).execute({ cardId: id });
+          return {
+            id,
+            isExample:
+              isCardInstance(instance) &&
+              this.isInstanceOfCodeRef(instance as CardAPI.CardDef, codeRef),
+          };
+        } catch {
+          return { id, isExample: true };
+        }
+      }),
+    );
+    return {
+      exampleCardIds: classified.filter((c) => c.isExample).map((c) => c.id),
+      supportingCardIds: classified
+        .filter((c) => !c.isExample)
+        .map((c) => c.id),
+    };
+  }
+
+  private isInstanceOfCodeRef(
+    instance: CardAPI.CardDef,
+    codeRef: ResolvedCodeRef,
+  ): boolean {
+    let targetModule: string;
+    try {
+      targetModule = trimExecutableExtension(rri(new URL(codeRef.module).href));
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+    let current: CardAPI.BaseDefConstructor | undefined =
+      instance.constructor as CardAPI.BaseDefConstructor;
+    while (current) {
+      const ref = identifyCard(current);
+      if (ref && !('type' in ref) && ref.name === codeRef.name) {
+        try {
+          if (
+            trimExecutableExtension(rri(new URL(ref.module).href)) ===
+            targetModule
+          ) {
+            return true;
+          }
+        } catch {
+          // unresolvable ancestor module; keep walking
+        }
+      }
+      current = getAncestor(current) ?? undefined;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
   private async guessListingType(
     codeRef: ResolvedCodeRef,
     cardDef: CardAPI.BaseDefConstructor | undefined,
diff --git a/commands/listing-install.ts b/commands/listing-install.ts
index 1deea2d8..efa35c99 100644
--- a/commands/listing-install.ts
+++ b/commands/listing-install.ts
@@ -98,9 +98,14 @@ export default class ListingInstallCommand extends Command<
     // this is intentionally to type because base command cannot interpret Listing type from catalog
     const listing = listingInput as Listing;
 
-    let examplesToInstall = listing.examples;
-    if (listing.examples?.length) {
-      examplesToInstall = await this.expandInstances(listing.examples);
+    // seed examples first so the primary example stays the first planned instance
+    let hasPrimaryExamples = (listing.examples?.length ?? 0) > 0;
+    let examplesToInstall = [
+      ...(listing.examples ?? []),
+      ...(listing.supportingCards ?? []),
+    ];
+    if (examplesToInstall.length) {
+      examplesToInstall = await this.expandInstances(examplesToInstall);
     }
 
     // side-effects
@@ -125,9 +130,11 @@ export default class ListingInstallCommand extends Command<
           resolver,
           virtualNetwork,
         );
-        let firstInstance = r.instancesCopy[0];
-        exampleCardId = join(realmUrl, firstInstance.lid);
-        selectedCodeRef = firstInstance.targetCodeRef;
+        if (hasPrimaryExamples) {
+          let firstInstance = r.instancesCopy[0];
+          exampleCardId = join(realmUrl, firstInstance.lid);
+          selectedCodeRef = firstInstance.targetCodeRef;
+        }
         return r;
       })
       .addIf(listing.skills?.length > 0, (resolver: ListingPathResolver) => {
diff --git a/commands/listing-use.ts b/commands/listing-use.ts
index def8b1a5..8b306b53 100644
--- a/commands/listing-use.ts
+++ b/commands/listing-use.ts
@@ -78,17 +78,20 @@ export default class ListingUseCommand extends Command<
       });
     }
 
-    if (listing.examples) {
-      const sourceCards = (listing.examples as CardAPI.CardDef[]).map(
-        (example) => example,
-      );
-      for (const card of sourceCards) {
-        await new CopyCardToRealmCommand(this.commandContext).execute({
-          sourceCard: card,
-          targetRealm: realmUrl,
-          localDir,
-        });
-      }
+    const sourceCards = [
+      ...new Map(
+        [
+          ...((listing.examples ?? []) as CardAPI.CardDef[]),
+          ...((listing.supportingCards ?? []) as CardAPI.CardDef[]),
+        ].map((card) => [card.id ?? card, card]),
+      ).values(),
+    ];
+    for (const card of sourceCards) {
+      await new CopyCardToRealmCommand(this.commandContext).execute({
+        sourceCard: card,
+        targetRealm: realmUrl,
+        localDir,
+      });
     }
 
     if ('skills' in listing && Array.isArray(listing.skills)) {