Anthropic announced Claude Duet on October 21, 2026, an app where Claude works as what the company calls "a proactive agent." Anthropic's help center says "Claude Duet is available as a research preview to users on the Pro and Max plans in the US, through a waitlist." It runs on Claude Opus 5.5.

#What changed?

Instead of waiting for you to open a chat, Claude Duet "comes to you," according to Anthropic's product page. In its announcement, Anthropic says it "completes tasks you ask of it, keeps working even when you step away, and checks with you before it acts on your behalf." Anthropic says it built Claude Duet "for professionals and small business owners with more on their plates than they can track."

What Anthropic says it does:

  • Morning brief: "Each morning, it sends you a short brief on the most important items across your connected apps." Anthropic says it checks connected accounts "every few hours, because checking nonstop would use up your plan’s limits much faster."
  • Tasks: you can hand it jobs from scheduling meetings to building dashboards, forecasts and web apps. Bigger results come back as files, and "Finished work appears in the Make tab."
  • Its own computer: "Claude Duet has a virtual machine with its own browser, so it doesn’t require your laptop or phone to be on."
  • Your existing setup: it "carries over your memory, skills, and connected apps from your Claude account." You can message it by typing or voice in one ongoing thread.
  • Connectors: Anthropic says it can use "over 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace." Its examples include Gmail, Slack, Intuit QuickBooks, Stripe, HubSpot, Docusign, Canva and Shopify.

#Payments, purchases and payroll

These are Anthropic's descriptions of features, each with an approval step. Anthropic lists "Prepare and run payroll in Gusto, with hours, bonuses, and reimbursements filled in." It says you can "purchase things for your business using Link, Stripe’s digital wallet," and that "Claude Duet confirms the item with you, and Link asks you to approve the spend." It "can also use Shop Pay from Shopify to check out at online stores."

The help center says "Claude Duet is designed to ask before each purchase, and each purchase uses a one-time card that only works for that purchase." The Link help page adds that "Claude Duet can’t make recurring payments with Link." The Shop Pay page warns: "Some sites can block Claude Duet from paying. If that happens, you may need to finish the purchase yourself."

#Approvals and safeguards

"Claude Duet reads, drafts, and prepares work on its own," Anthropic says. "But before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything, it shows you exactly what it’s about to do and waits for your approval." Per the help center, "Some actions are off-limits even with your approval, such as trading securities, moving money between accounts, or accessing someone else’s account."

Anthropic also says it is releasing Claude Duet "with a new dedicated classifier and safety system prompt that checks each message and guards against leaks of sensitive information." On prompt injection, the help center says "no defense is perfect, which is one reason consequential actions need your approval."

#Who can use it and when?

Question

Anthropic's answer

Status

Research preview, through a waitlist

Plans

Pro and Max

Region

"available in the US only during the research preview"

Team and Enterprise

"we plan to bring it to those plans later"

Platforms

Standalone app on iOS and Android, and on claude.ai

Model

Claude Opus 5.5

Price

"included with the Pro and Max plans at no extra cost" during the preview (help center)

The help center says "Access opens in waves," and "joining the waitlist doesn't guarantee a specific date." For now, Claude Duet lives in its own app, separate from the main Claude app.

On usage, Anthropic says Claude Duet "shares your plan’s usage limits with the rest of Claude." The help center adds that background work "like the morning brief and check-ins, also counts, so you may reach your limits sooner than with chat alone." After you are admitted, you get "one full usage limit reset."

#How to get it

Per the help center:

  1. Go to the Claude Duet product page and select "Join the waitlist."
  2. "Enter your name and email address. If you already use Claude, enter the email address on your Claude account."
  3. "Choose your Claude plan and your phone type (iPhone or Android)."
  4. Select "Submit". You will "get an email when it's your turn."
  5. "Open Claude Duet and sign in with your Claude account."

You need a Pro or Max plan, a Claude account in the US and an invitation from the waitlist.

#How does it compare?

The Verge called Claude Duet "an AI agent competitor to Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots." Reuters reported it is "initially available to US subscribers on Pro and Max plans, sharing existing usage limits." For background on those rivals, see what OpenAI Dots are and our Dots vs Meta Muse comparison. More is in our Assistants and Chatbots hub.

#What is still unclear?

  • Wider rollout. Anthropic gives no date for Team and Enterprise, or for access outside the US.
  • Waitlist size. Anthropic has not said how many people are admitted in each wave.
  • Coming features. Anthropic says 1Password sign-in and a richer Shopify storefront editor are "Coming soon," with no dates.
  • Safety details. Anthropic says it will share more about how Claude Duet is designed for safety, without a date.
  • Known gaps. Anthropic says "it still might misread a thread or miscalibrate what’s urgent," and the help center says "Microsoft 365 isn't available yet."