Claude Duet: what Anthropic's new proactive AI agent does, and who it's for

Short answer: Claude Duet is a new app from Anthropic, announced on October 21, 2026, in which Claude works as a proactive agent: it sends you a morning brief, watches your connected apps, keeps working on its own cloud computer while you are away, and asks for your approval before it sends, pays, signs or deletes anything. It is a US-only research preview for Claude Pro and Max subscribers, by waitlist, and is included in those plans during the preview.

Duet is built on Claude, which is listed on Unloc: see the Claude card. It goes up against OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and xAI's Grok Bot, all of which give an AI agent its own computer to work on.

What Anthropic announced

Anthropic announced Claude Duet on October 21, 2026, as a research preview, describing it as an app that "comes to you with what needs your attention, completes tasks you ask of it, keeps working even when you step away, and checks with you before it acts on your behalf." It says it built Duet for professionals and small business owners with more on their plates than they can track.

Duet is a standalone app on iOS and Android, and you can also open it on the web at claude.ai. For now it lives in its own app, separate from the main Claude app, and Anthropic says what it learns from early users will shape how the two work together.

How Claude Duet works

• It starts from your Claude account. Duet carries over the memory, skills and connected apps you already set up in Claude, so there is little to configure.
• You message it like a person. You type or send a voice message in one ongoing thread, and you can open separate channels for different topics that share the same memory.
• It comes to you first. Each morning it looks across your email and calendar, picks what most needs your attention and can start first steps, such as drafting replies for you to review. Through the day it checks your connected accounts every few hours and messages you when something needs you.
• It takes on bigger jobs. Describe a task and it works out which apps to use. Larger results, such as a research brief, a financial model, a slide deck or a dashboard, come back as files you can review and edit, in a Make tab.
• It has its own computer. Duet runs on a virtual machine in the cloud with its own browser, so your phone or laptop does not need to be on, and it uses that browser for sites that have no connector.

Anthropic says Duet can use the more than 6,000 connectors and plugins available to Claude. Its examples include finding missed Gmail and Slack messages, checking QuickBooks or Stripe for unpaid invoices and drafting reminders, preparing payroll in Gusto for you to review, sending agreements for signature through Docusign and drafting follow-ups from HubSpot deal history. It can also buy things for your business with Link, Stripe's digital wallet, or Shop Pay, using a one-time card for each purchase you approve.

Approvals and safety

Duet reads, drafts and prepares work on its own, but before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document or deletes anything, it shows you exactly what it is about to do and waits for your approval. Some actions are off-limits even with your approval, including trading securities, moving money between accounts and accessing someone else's account.

Anthropic is also launching Duet with a new classifier and safety system prompt that checks each message and is designed to refuse to share the most sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and government ID. Duet never sees your passwords directly: when a site asks for one, you type it into a separate form on your device. Anthropic still warns that Duet can misread a thread or misjudge what is urgent, so review drafts and approval requests before you confirm them.

Who can get it, and what it costs

During the research preview, Claude Duet is open to Pro and Max subscribers in the US through a waitlist, with invitations going out in waves. It is not available on Team or Enterprise plans yet; Anthropic says it plans to bring it to those plans later.

Duet is included in Pro and Max at no extra cost during the preview, but it is not free to run: it shares your plan's usage limits with the rest of Claude, and its background work, such as the morning brief and check-ins, counts toward them. Anthropic's help article says people admitted to the preview get one full limit reset, available until November 30, 2026. Check the live Claude pricing page for current plans.

What it can't do yet

• You can't choose the model. Duet runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and decides how much effort each job needs.
• You can't watch it work in its browser or take over the browser.
• It checks your accounts at set intervals, so something urgent can arrive between checks.
• It can't see the files on your computer, and it can read your work in Claude but not change it.
• It doesn't make phone calls or text other people, though with your approval it can send email from accounts you've connected.
• Microsoft 365 isn't available yet, and some connectors, such as Slack, work with limits.
• Anthropic says personal errands, such as booking tickets, aren't as strong yet, because it built Duet's core around work.

How it compares with Dots, Muse and Grok Bot

Claude Duet arrives a few weeks after two similar launches. Meta announced Muse on September 8, 2026, and OpenAI announced dots on September 29, 2026. All three give an agent its own cloud computer and browser, keep working after you close the app, and check with you before consequential actions. The differences are in who each one is for and where you talk to it.

xAI's Grok Bot takes a different angle: you create several named Bots that work in parallel on their own computer, pass work between each other and can learn a workflow you show them once, from desktop or iOS. If you want a team of agents rather than one, compare it in Grok Bot vs OpenAI Dots and Grok Bot vs Meta Muse.

What it means if you're choosing an AI agent

• Already pay for Claude Pro or Max in the US? Join the waitlist. Duet reuses the memory and connectors you have, so the main cost is the usage its background work takes from your plan.
• Run a small business on tools like QuickBooks, Stripe, Gusto or HubSpot? Duet's examples are aimed squarely at invoices, payroll, contracts and follow-ups, which is a narrower, more work-focused pitch than Muse.
• Live in Slack, Teams or Microsoft 365? Dots reaches you in Slack and Teams today, while Duet's Slack support is limited and Microsoft 365 isn't available yet.
• Outside the US, or on a Team or Enterprise plan? You can't use Duet yet, so compare Dots and Grok Bot, which already offer business and enterprise access.

Still deciding on the assistant underneath? See Claude vs ChatGPT.

FAQ

What is Claude Duet?

Claude Duet is a new Anthropic app, announced on October 21, 2026, in which Claude works as a proactive agent. It briefs you each morning, keeps an eye on your connected apps, completes tasks on its own cloud computer and asks for approval before it sends, pays, signs or deletes anything.

Is Claude Duet free?

During the research preview, Claude Duet is included in the Claude Pro and Max plans at no extra cost. It shares your plan's usage limits, and its background work counts toward them. It is not available on the Free plan.

How do I get Claude Duet?

Join the waitlist on the Claude Duet product page. Access is for Pro and Max subscribers in the US and opens in waves. When it's your turn you get an email invitation and set up the app on iPhone or Android.

Which model does Claude Duet use?

Anthropic says Claude Duet runs on Claude Opus 5.5 during the research preview, and you can't choose a different model.

How is Claude Duet different from Claude?

The Claude app waits for you to open a chat. Claude Duet uses the same account, memory, skills and connectors, but it comes to you: it tells you what needs your attention, takes tasks by message and reports back when work is done or needs a decision.

Is Claude Duet better than OpenAI Dots or Meta Muse?

It depends on where you work. Duet suits Claude Pro and Max users in the US who run a business on connected apps. Dots suits people who work in ChatGPT, Slack or Teams. Muse is aimed at everyday personal tasks and is reachable on WhatsApp.