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Overview

The Usage Dashboard provides detailed analytics about your PolyChat-AI usage. Access it anytime by pressing Ctrl+U (or Cmd+U on Mac).
All usage statistics are stored locally in your browser and never sent to external servers.

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Accessing the Dashboard

There are two ways to open the Usage Dashboard:
  1. Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+U (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+U (Mac)
  2. Menu: Navigate through the application menu to find the Usage Dashboard option

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Metrics Tracked

The dashboard tracks comprehensive statistics about your AI interactions:

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Global Statistics

These metrics provide an overview of your total usage across all models:

Total Conversations

Number of unique conversations started

Total Messages

Combined count of all messages (user + assistant)

Average Response Time

Mean response time in milliseconds across all models

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Detailed Message Counts

  • Total User Messages: Count of messages you’ve sent
  • Total Assistant Messages: Count of AI-generated responses
  • Total Messages: Sum of user and assistant messages
The total messages metric counts each message sent to multiple models separately. For example, sending one message to 3 models counts as 3 messages.

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Per-Model Statistics

For each AI model you’ve used, the dashboard displays:
MetricDescriptionLocation in Code
ConversationsNumber of conversations using this modelperModel[modelId].conversations
MessagesTotal messages exchanged with this modelperModel[modelId].messages
Avg Response TimeAverage time (ms) for this model to respondperModel[modelId].avgResponseTimeMs
google/gemini-3-flash
  12 conversations • 156 messages • 847 ms

anthropic/claude-4.5-sonnet
  8 conversations • 94 messages • 1203 ms

openai/gpt-5.2
  5 conversations • 67 messages • 1456 ms

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Data Structure

The usage statistics are managed by the useUsageStats hook located in src/hooks/useUsageStats.ts:22. The data structure follows this TypeScript interface: 
interface UsageStats {
  totalConversations: number;
  totalMessages: number;
  totalUserMessages: number;
  totalAssistantMessages: number;
  avgResponseTimeMs: number;
  perModel: Record<string, ModelStats>;
  lastUpdated: string; // ISO date string
}

interface ModelStats {
  conversations: number;
  messages: number;
  avgResponseTimeMs: number;
}

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How Metrics Are Calculated

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Response Time Averaging

Response times use a rolling average algorithm to maintain accuracy:
1

Record Response

When an assistant message is received, the response time is measured in milliseconds
2

Calculate Model Average

The model’s average is updated using the formula:
newAvg = (oldAvg × (messageCount - 1) + newResponseTime) / messageCount
See src/hooks/useUsageStats.ts:48-54
3

Update Global Average

The global average is recalculated across all assistant messages:
globalAvg = (oldGlobalAvg × oldCount + newResponseTime) / newCount
See src/hooks/useUsageStats.ts:57-63

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Message Counting

Messages are tracked through three key functions: 
// Called when you send a message
recordUserMessage(modelIds: string[])
// Updates totalUserMessages (+1)
// Updates totalMessages (+modelIds.length)
// Updates perModel messages for each model

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Data Persistence

Usage statistics are automatically saved to browser localStorage using Zustand’s persist middleware:
  • Storage key: polychat-usage-stats
  • Update frequency: Real-time (after every tracked event)
  • Data retention: Persists until you clear browser data or reset stats
Clearing your browser’s localStorage will erase all usage statistics. This action cannot be undone.

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Resetting Statistics

To reset all usage statistics:
  1. Open the Usage Dashboard (Ctrl+U)
  2. Look for the “Reset Statistics” button
  3. Confirm the reset action
This calls the resetStats() function which restores all metrics to their default values (zeros) while updating the lastUpdated timestamp.

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Use Cases

Monitor which models you use most frequently to estimate API costs. Cross-reference message counts with the pricing information in Settings (Ctrl+,).
Compare average response times across models to find the fastest options for your use case.
Review conversation counts to understand your daily/weekly usage patterns and optimize your workflow.
Identify which models you rely on most and consider whether they’re the best fit for your common tasks.

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Privacy & Security

All statistics are stored locally in your browser’s localStorage
No usage data is sent to PolyChat servers or third parties
Statistics only include metadata (counts, times) - not message content
You can reset or clear all statistics at any time

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Last Updated Timestamp

The lastUpdated field shows when statistics were last modified. This ISO 8601 timestamp updates automatically whenever:
  • A message is sent or received
  • A new conversation is started
  • Statistics are reset
You can use this to verify that tracking is working correctly.

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