Understanding Multi Tool Usage on the AI Tool Adoption Page

Last updated: February 18, 2026

Overview

The "Multi Tool Usage" checkbox is located in the Tool Usage Distribution section of the AI Tool Adoption page. This toggle allows you to switch between two different ways of counting developers who use AI coding assistants, providing different perspectives on tool adoption patterns.

How to Find It

Navigate to: AI Tool Adoption Page → Tool Usage Distribution card

The Two Viewing Modes

Exclusive Mode (Checkbox Unchecked) - Default View

What it shows: Mutually exclusive user categories where each developer is counted exactly once.

Categories displayed:

  • Individual tools (e.g., "GitHub Copilot - Exclusive Users")

  • "Multiple Developer Tools" - Developers using more than one AI tool

  • "No tools" - Developers not using any AI coding assistants

Percentage behavior: All percentages add up to approximately 100%

Use this mode to answer:

  • What percentage of my team uses AI tools at all?

  • How many developers are multi-tool users vs. single-tool users?

  • What's my overall AI tool adoption rate?

  • Are developers committed to one tool or exploring multiple options?

Multi-Tool Mode (Checkbox Checked)

What it shows: Overlapping counts where developers can appear in multiple tool categories.

Categories displayed:

  • Individual tools only

  • The "Multiple Developer Tools" and "No tools" categories are hidden

User count format: "27/42 Users" (27 users using this tool out of 42 total developers)

Percentage behavior: Percentages can exceed 100% because users are counted separately for each tool they use

Use this mode to answer:

  • What's the adoption rate for GitHub Copilot specifically?

  • How many developers are using Cursor, regardless of what other tools they use?

  • Which tools have the highest individual penetration rates?

  • Should we purchase more licenses for a specific tool?

When to Use Each Mode

Use Exclusive Mode (Unchecked) When You Want To:

✅ Understand overall AI tool coverage across your organization
✅ Identify the size of your "power user" population (multi-tool users)
✅ Find non-adopters who might benefit from enablement
✅ Report clean percentages that sum to 100% for stakeholders
✅ Make strategic decisions about tool standardization vs. diversity

Use Multi-Tool Mode (Checked) When You Want To:

✅ Evaluate individual tool performance and adoption
✅ Make licensing decisions for specific tools
✅ Compare raw adoption rates between tools
✅ Understand which tools have the strongest user bases
✅ Analyze tool-specific trends over time

Tips for Analysis

  1. Start with Exclusive Mode to get a high-level view of your AI adoption landscape

  2. Switch to Multi-Tool Mode when diving into specific tool performance

  3. High "Multiple Tools" percentage in Exclusive Mode suggests your team is experimenting—this could indicate either:

    • Healthy exploration before standardization

    • Lack of clear guidance on tool selection

  4. Use Multi-Tool Mode percentages to identify your most popular tools by raw user count

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do percentages exceed 100% in Multi-Tool Mode?
A: Because developers using multiple tools are counted in each tool's total. This is expected behavior and helps you see true per-tool adoption.

Q: Can I use this when filtering to a specific tool?
A: No, the checkbox is disabled when you're viewing a single tool's data since there's no overlap to account for.

Q: Which mode should I use for executive reporting?
A: Exclusive Mode typically works better for high-level reporting since the percentages sum to 100% and clearly show adoption vs. non-adoption.

Q: How do I find developers using specific tool combinations?
A: Use Exclusive Mode to see the count of multi-tool users, then drill into individual developer profiles to see their specific tool combinations.