Detecting AI Coding Agents in Open Source: A Validated Multi-Method Census of 180 Million Repositories
A multi-layered detection framework analyzing 180 million Git repositories reveals that single-signal methods significantly underestimate the prevalence of generative AI coding agents, missing up to 97% of activity. The study identifies over 320,000 commits per month from agents like Claude Code, which dominates silent adoption through configuration files rather than bot accounts.