What AI coding activity can I actually measure?

The AI dashboard tracks adoption rates, estimated spend per model, tokens used, prompt lengths, and provides a breakdown of AI-generated vs human-written code across supported tools like Cursor and Claude.

How is a 'paid developer' counted on Team plans?

Any individual whose stats are displayed on a team dashboard requires a paid seat. Passive, view-only accounts do not count. One seat is needed per developer regardless of how many dashboards they join.

How does the heartbeat tracking mechanism work?

IDE plugins send periodic 'heartbeat' events to the API, including metadata like file, language, and editor. The CLI aggregates these into 'durations' which are then processed into summaries and stats on the server.

What is the correct way to authenticate API requests?

Use the Authorization: Bearer header for OAuth 2.0 access tokens. For user-specific data, use scoped tokens (e.g., read_summaries). Never expose your secret key in client-side code; use embeddable charts or JSON endpoints instead.

Can I get a discount or use a student plan?

Yes. You save by choosing annual billing, and there is a dedicated student discount program available.

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WakaTime

Q: Will my code stats be deleted if I stay on the Free plan?

No. Your coding stats are stored indefinitely. The Free plan limits the dashboard history view, but you can always export your complete data or view it via embeddable charts.

WakaTime is an open-source, automatic time tracker and analytics platform designed for developers. It provides granular insights into coding activity, including time spent per project, file, and branch, using plugins for over 100 editors and IDEs. Key capabilities include tracking commits, measuring productivity, and visualizing coding habits over time. The platform has evolved to focus on AI coding analytics, offering metrics to understand AI tool usage. It automatically tracks AI-generated code, model efficiency, estimated costs, and adoption across tools like Claude Code, Cursor, and Copilot. This helps developers, teams, and companies make data-driven decisions about AI integration and ROI. WakaTime targets software developers, engineering managers, and technical leaders who need to quantify development time and measure the impact of AI tools on their workflow and output.

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Added on

Sep 16, 2026

AI coding analyticsModel cost tracking100+ IDE pluginsRESTful APIOAuth 2.0Team dashboardsData export

Product information

Everything worth knowing about WakaTime

The complete picture — from everyday features to the technical detail builders and IT folks dig for.

Core features

What it actually does

AI Cost Tracking

Track AI spend across every model, with a per-developer breakdown so teams stay on budget and spot the costliest models.

AI Adoption Monitoring

Monitor AI adoption across your company — which models devs are using and how many lines are AI-generated vs human-written.

AI Effectiveness Analysis

See how often devs modify AI-generated code. Prove AI is shipping, not creating more work.

Model Efficiency Comparison

Compare average tokens per line and prompt length across models to balance output quality against API costs.

Per-Model Breakdown

See which models are doing the work — lines changed, tokens spent, and estimated cost split out by Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and more.

Technical capabilities

Open Source Plugin Ecosystem

Works with 100+ editors, IDEs, and terminals through a wide array of open source plugins.

RESTful API Access

Full API v1 with JSON responses, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and endpoints for stats, heartbeats, summaries, and organization data.

Must watch videos

Who uses it

Real use cases, no hype

AI ROI Analysis

Quantify the cost vs. output of different AI coding assistants to justify tooling spend.

Developer Productivity Metrics

Track coding activity, focus time, and language distribution for individual or team reporting.

AI Tool Adoption Monitoring

See which AI models are being used, by whom, and how often across an organization.

Engineering Manager Reporting

Get objective data on team output and AI effectiveness without relying on surveys.

Personal Coding Habit Building

Set goals and visualize streaks to build a consistent daily coding routine.

Code Attribution Auditing

Distinguish between AI-generated and human-written code for compliance or quality review.

What's great

Seamlessly tracks AI model usage and spend across all major tools.
Granular, per-developer and per-model breakdown of AI metrics.
Massive editor/IDE support with 100+ open-source plugins.
Measures AI effectiveness by tracking code modification post-generation.

Technical strengths

RESTful API with granular OAuth 2.0 scopes for deep integration.
Heartbeat-based tracking architecture enables precise activity measurement.

Where it falls short

Core AI insights and full history are locked behind the Premium paywall.
Free plan's 1-week dashboard history is extremely limiting for retrospective analysis.
Advanced team features like SSO and SCIM are only in the expensive Business tier.

Technical limitations

Requires running a background process (desktop app or CLI) for continuous tracking.
API rate limits are strict (10 requests/sec average over 5 min), impacting heavy automation.

For technical folks

The deep-dive specs

API Protocol

RESTful API over HTTPS with JSON responses

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 (Authorization Code, Client Credentials)

Plugin Architecture

Open source plugins with desktop app and browser extensions

API Rate Limit

< 10 requests per second on average over any 5 minute period

FAQ

Includes technical Q&A

No. Your coding stats are stored indefinitely. The Free plan limits the dashboard history view, but you can always export your complete data or view it via embeddable charts.