diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
index ec8aa7ffa9920c8d6d694c71aebfae12bea9584d..f65ac67814763197630bfc857337e731b84ce1ce 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.d.ts
@@ -1212,6 +1212,12 @@ declare namespace vscode {
 		 * A short title like 'Retry', 'Open Log' etc.
 		 */
 		title: string;
+
+		/**
+		 * Indicates that this item replaces the default
+		 * 'Close' action.
+		 */
+		isCloseAffordance?: boolean;
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostMessageService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostMessageService.ts
index 66fefacbca03f9f0cc0ff210449f791a80607bfa..d7440a3a6c074066ea658729a973d4e3c0d03b42 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostMessageService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostMessageService.ts
@@ -22,14 +22,15 @@ export class ExtHostMessageService {
 
 	showMessage(severity: Severity, message: string, commands: (string|vscode.MessageItem)[]): Thenable<string|vscode.MessageItem> {
 
-		const items: { title: string; handle: number; }[] = [];
+		const items: { title: string; isCloseAffordance: boolean; handle: number; }[] = [];
 
 		for (let handle = 0; handle < commands.length; handle++) {
 			let command = commands[handle];
 			if (typeof command === 'string') {
-				items.push({ title: command, handle });
+				items.push({ title: command, handle, isCloseAffordance: false });
 			} else {
-				items.push({ title: command.title, handle });
+				let {title, isCloseAffordance} = command;
+				items.push({ title, isCloseAffordance, handle });
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -50,23 +51,29 @@ export class MainThreadMessageService {
 		this._messageService = messageService;
 	}
 
-	$showMessage(severity: Severity, message: string, commands: { title: string; handle: number;}[]): Thenable<number> {
+	$showMessage(severity: Severity, message: string, commands: { title: string; isCloseAffordance: boolean; handle: number;}[]): Thenable<number> {
 
 		let hide: (handle?: number) => void;
 		let actions: Action[] = [];
-
-		actions.push(new Action('__close', nls.localize('close', "Close"), undefined, true, () => {
-			hide();
-			return Promise.as(undefined);
-		}));
+		let hasCloseAffordance = false;
 
 		commands.forEach(command => {
+			if (command.isCloseAffordance === true) {
+				hasCloseAffordance = true;
+			}
 			actions.push(new Action('_extension_message_handle_' + command.handle, command.title, undefined, true, () => {
 				hide(command.handle);
 				return Promise.as(undefined);
 			}));
 		});
 
+		if (!hasCloseAffordance) {
+			actions.unshift(new Action('__close', nls.localize('close', "Close"), undefined, true, () => {
+				hide();
+				return Promise.as(undefined);
+			}));
+		}
+
 		return new Promise<number>((c) => {
 			let messageHide: Function;
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/test/node/api/extHostMessagerService.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/test/node/api/extHostMessagerService.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..50ff62358ae70e0b921d6906157a38d35200a0c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/test/node/api/extHostMessagerService.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+'use strict';
+
+import * as assert from 'assert';
+import {Action} from 'vs/base/common/actions';
+import {MainThreadMessageService} from 'vs/workbench/api/node/extHostMessageService';
+
+suite('ExtHostMessageService', function () {
+
+	test('propagte handle on select', function () {
+
+		let service = new MainThreadMessageService(<any>{
+			show(sev: number, m: { message; actions: Action[] }) {
+				assert.equal(m.actions.length, 1);
+				setImmediate(() => m.actions[0].run());
+				return () => { };
+			}
+		});
+
+		return service.$showMessage(1, 'h', [{ handle: 42, title: 'a thing', isCloseAffordance: true }]).then(handle => {
+			assert.equal(handle, 42);
+		});
+	});
+
+	test('isCloseAffordance', function () {
+
+		let actions: Action[];
+		let service = new MainThreadMessageService(<any>{
+			show(sev: number, m: { message; actions: Action[] }) {
+				actions = m.actions;
+			}
+		});
+
+		// default close action
+		service.$showMessage(1, '', [{ title: 'a thing', isCloseAffordance: false, handle: 0 }]);
+		assert.equal(actions.length, 2);
+		let [first, second] = actions;
+		assert.equal(first.label, 'Close');
+		assert.equal(second.label, 'a thing');
+
+		// override close action
+		service.$showMessage(1, '', [{ title: 'a thing', isCloseAffordance: true, handle: 0 }]);
+		assert.equal(actions.length, 1);
+		first = actions[0];
+		assert.equal(first.label, 'a thing');
+	});
+
+	test('hide on select', function () {
+
+		let actions: Action[];
+		let c: number;
+		let service = new MainThreadMessageService(<any>{
+			show(sev: number, m: { message; actions: Action[] }) {
+				c = 0;
+				actions = m.actions;
+				return () => {
+					c += 1;
+				};
+			}
+		});
+
+		service.$showMessage(1, '', [{ title: 'a thing', isCloseAffordance: true, handle: 0 }]);
+		assert.equal(actions.length, 1);
+
+		actions[0].run();
+		assert.equal(c, 1);
+	});
+});