diff --git a/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_controller.dart b/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_controller.dart
index df2764bf6f0..04489088a38 100644
--- a/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_controller.dart
+++ b/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_controller.dart
@@ -4,10 +4,11 @@
 
 import 'package:devtools_app_shared/service.dart';
 import 'package:devtools_app_shared/utils.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 
 import '../../shared/framework/screen.dart';
 import '../../shared/framework/screen_controllers.dart';
-import '../../shared/globals.dart';
+import '../../shared/globals.dart' as globals;
 
 /// The [DevToolsScreenController] for the `DTDTools` screen.
 ///
@@ -17,29 +18,45 @@ class DTDToolsController extends DevToolsScreenController
   @override
   final screenId = ScreenMetaData.dtdTools.id;
 
+  bool get useGlobalDtd => _useGlobalDtd && kDebugMode;
+  bool _useGlobalDtd = false;
+
   /// The [DTDManager] that manages the DTD connection for this screen.
   ///
-  /// This instance of [DTDManager] is intentionally separate from the global
-  /// [DTDManager] so that we can connect and disconnect from DTD instances
-  /// to inspect them without affecting other screens.
-  final localDtdManager = DTDManager();
+  /// By default, this instance of [DTDManager] is intentionally separate from
+  /// the global [DTDManager] so that we can connect and disconnect from DTD
+  /// instances to inspect them without affecting other screens.
+  ///
+  /// However, in debug mode, we can optionally use the global [DTDManager]
+  /// (if specifically requested) to set the DTD instance that the entire
+  /// DevTools is connected to.
+  DTDManager get activeDtdManager =>
+      useGlobalDtd ? globals.dtdManager : _localDtdManager;
+  DTDManager get localDtdManager => _localDtdManager;
+
+  final _localDtdManager = DTDManager();
 
   @override
   Future<void> init() async {
-    if (dtdManager.hasConnection) {
-      await localDtdManager.connect(dtdManager.uri!);
+    if (globals.dtdManager.hasConnection) {
+      await activeDtdManager.connect(globals.dtdManager.uri!);
     }
-    addAutoDisposeListener(dtdManager.connection, () async {
-      if (dtdManager.hasConnection) {
-        await localDtdManager.connect(dtdManager.uri!);
+    addAutoDisposeListener(globals.dtdManager.connection, () async {
+      if (globals.dtdManager.hasConnection && !_useGlobalDtd) {
+        await activeDtdManager.connect(globals.dtdManager.uri!);
       }
     });
   }
 
+  Future<void> connectDtd(Uri uri, {bool connectToGlobalDtd = false}) async {
+    _useGlobalDtd = connectToGlobalDtd;
+    await activeDtdManager.connect(uri);
+  }
+
   @override
   Future<void> dispose() async {
-    await localDtdManager.disconnect();
-    await localDtdManager.dispose();
+    await activeDtdManager.disconnect();
+    await activeDtdManager.dispose();
     super.dispose();
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_screen.dart b/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_screen.dart
index 774871f46a7..cec12a8f043 100644
--- a/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_screen.dart
+++ b/packages/devtools_app/lib/src/screens/dtd/dtd_tools_screen.dart
@@ -4,14 +4,15 @@
 
 import 'dart:async';
 
-import 'package:devtools_app_shared/service.dart';
 import 'package:devtools_app_shared/ui.dart';
 import 'package:dtd/dtd.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/foundation.dart';
 import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
 
 import '../../shared/development_helpers.dart';
 import '../../shared/framework/screen.dart';
 import '../../shared/globals.dart';
+import '../../shared/ui/common_widgets.dart';
 import 'dtd_tools_controller.dart';
 import 'events.dart';
 import 'services.dart';
@@ -39,15 +40,22 @@ class DTDToolsScreenBody extends StatelessWidget {
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     final controller = screenControllers.lookup<DTDToolsController>();
-    return ValueListenableBuilder(
-      valueListenable: controller.localDtdManager.connection,
-      builder: (context, connection, _) => connection != null
-          ? DtdConnectedView(
-              dtd: connection,
-              dtdUri: controller.localDtdManager.uri!.toString(),
-              onDisconnect: controller.localDtdManager.disconnect,
-            )
-          : DtdNotConnectedView(localDtdManager: controller.localDtdManager),
+    return MultiValueListenableBuilder(
+      listenables: [
+        controller.localDtdManager.connection,
+        dtdManager.connection,
+      ],
+      builder: (context, values, _) {
+        final activeDtdManager = controller.activeDtdManager;
+        final connection = activeDtdManager.connection.value;
+        return connection != null
+            ? DtdConnectedView(
+                dtd: connection,
+                dtdUri: activeDtdManager.uri!.toString(),
+                onDisconnect: activeDtdManager.disconnect,
+              )
+            : DtdNotConnectedView(connectDtd: controller.connectDtd);
+      },
     );
   }
 }
@@ -111,6 +119,7 @@ class _DtdConnectedViewState extends State<DtdConnectedView> {
 
   @override
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final isGlobalDtd = widget.dtd == dtdManager.connection.value;
     return Column(
       crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.start,
       mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
@@ -122,6 +131,14 @@ class _DtdConnectedViewState extends State<DtdConnectedView> {
               children: [
                 Text('DTD connection:', style: Theme.of(context).boldTextStyle),
                 const SizedBox(width: denseSpacing),
+                DevToolsTooltip(
+                  message:
+                      'This DTD URI is being used for ${isGlobalDtd ? 'all of DevTools.' : 'this screen only.'}',
+                  child: RoundedLabel(
+                    labelText: isGlobalDtd ? 'Global' : 'Local',
+                  ),
+                ),
+                const SizedBox(width: defaultSpacing),
                 Text(widget.dtdUri),
                 const SizedBox(width: defaultSpacing),
                 DevToolsButton(
@@ -156,9 +173,9 @@ class _DtdConnectedViewState extends State<DtdConnectedView> {
 /// Displays a text field for entering a DTD URI to connect the DTD Tools screen
 /// to.
 class DtdNotConnectedView extends StatefulWidget {
-  const DtdNotConnectedView({super.key, required this.localDtdManager});
+  const DtdNotConnectedView({super.key, required this.connectDtd});
 
-  final DTDManager localDtdManager;
+  final Future<void> Function(Uri, {bool connectToGlobalDtd}) connectDtd;
 
   @override
   State<DtdNotConnectedView> createState() => _DtdNotConnectedViewState();
@@ -167,6 +184,10 @@ class DtdNotConnectedView extends StatefulWidget {
 class _DtdNotConnectedViewState extends State<DtdNotConnectedView> {
   late final TextEditingController textEditingController;
 
+  bool _connectToGlobalDtd = false;
+
+  String? _connectionError;
+
   @override
   void initState() {
     super.initState();
@@ -198,6 +219,22 @@ class _DtdNotConnectedViewState extends State<DtdNotConnectedView> {
                 onSubmitted: (_) => _connect(),
               ),
             ),
+            if (kDebugMode) ...[
+              const SizedBox(width: defaultSpacing),
+              DevToolsTooltip(
+                message: 'Connect all DevTools screens to this DTD URI.',
+                child: Row(
+                  mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min,
+                  children: [
+                    Checkbox(
+                      value: _connectToGlobalDtd,
+                      onChanged: _setConnectToGlobalDtd,
+                    ),
+                    const Text('Connect DevTools'),
+                  ],
+                ),
+              ),
+            ],
             const SizedBox(width: defaultSpacing),
             DevToolsButton(
               label: 'Connect',
@@ -206,11 +243,33 @@ class _DtdNotConnectedViewState extends State<DtdNotConnectedView> {
             ),
           ],
         ),
+        if (_connectionError != null) ...[
+          const SizedBox(height: denseSpacing),
+          Text(_connectionError!, style: Theme.of(context).errorTextStyle),
+        ],
       ],
     );
   }
 
+  void _setConnectToGlobalDtd(bool? shouldConnect) {
+    setState(() {
+      _connectToGlobalDtd = kDebugMode && (shouldConnect ?? false);
+    });
+  }
+
   Future<void> _connect() async {
-    await widget.localDtdManager.connect(Uri.parse(textEditingController.text));
+    setState(() {
+      _connectionError = null;
+    });
+    try {
+      await widget.connectDtd(
+        Uri.parse(textEditingController.text),
+        connectToGlobalDtd: _connectToGlobalDtd,
+      );
+    } catch (error) {
+      setState(() {
+        _connectionError = error.toString();
+      });
+    }
   }
 }