Claude Duet
Claude Duet is a proactive AI agent application from Anthropic, introduced on October 21, 2026. It monitors connected services, prepares work and asks for decisions through messages. The research preview targets professionals and small business owners and runs on Claude Opus 5.5.[1] Access initially requires a US Claude Pro or Max account and a waitlist invitation.[2]
Availability and usage
| Item | Research preview |
|---|---|
| Interfaces | Standalone iOS and Android apps, plus web access at claude.ai.[3] |
| Eligible plans and region | Pro and Max in the United States; Team and Enterprise are excluded.[3] |
| Admission | Invitations issued in waves; joining the waitlist does not establish an access date.[2] |
| Model selection | Opus 5.5; users cannot select another model.[2] |
| Additional charge | Included with Pro and Max during the preview.[2] |
Duet shares Claude's five-hour session and weekly usage limits. Background activity counts toward those limits, including briefs and account checks, so adding Duet can exhaust a subscription's allowance sooner. Anthropic checks accounts periodically rather than continuously to limit this consumption.[2]
Background work and interaction
Duet operates in a cloud virtual machine with its own browser and continues after the user's phone or laptop is switched off. It checks connected accounts every few hours and sends notifications when work finishes or requires review. Users can tell it what warrants a notification and how often to check in.[1]
Requests can be typed or spoken. The application carries over memory, skills and connected apps from the user's Claude account. Its ongoing message thread supports both brief requests and longer assignments. Advertised outputs include documents, spreadsheets, slide decks and dashboards, while routine work includes morning briefs, inbox triage, meeting preparation and scheduling.[3]
These are product capabilities described by Anthropic, rather than independently measured completion rates. The company warns that the preview can misunderstand a conversation or misjudge urgency, and that an item can arrive between account checks.[3]
Connected services and purchases
Anthropic advertises access to more than 6,000 connectors and plugins. Examples include Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks, HubSpot and Docusign. Availability varies: the help documentation says Slack has limitations and Microsoft 365 is not yet supported in Duet.[2][3] The launch announcement also describes business workflows involving Gusto, Canva and Shopify; saved-login access through 1Password was announced as forthcoming.[1]
Duet's payment wallets are separate from business-data connectors. The Stripe connector supports work inside a Stripe account, while Link pays for approved purchases. Similarly, the Shopify connector operates on a store, while Shop Pay is a purchase wallet. Users connect the wallets inside Duet.[4][5]
| Wallet | Approval and payment behavior | Preview limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Link by Stripe | The user approves a maximum amount in Link. Payment uses a one-time card scoped to the merchant and amount.[4] | Requires a US payment method; recurring payments are unsupported, and merchants can reject checkout.[4] |
| Shop Pay | The user reviews the purchase in Shop Pay. A one-time card is scoped to the approved amount.[5] | A site can block payment and require the user to finish checkout.[5] |
The wallet help pages say Duet can receive limited payment-method metadata and shipping addresses, but is not given the full underlying card or bank-account number. Purchase approvals do not guarantee that a merchant will complete an order.[4][5]
Approval controls and security
Duet is designed to request approval before sending messages, paying, signing documents or deleting material. Approval does not authorize every activity: trading securities and transferring money between accounts remain prohibited. Anthropic says the product uses its auto-mode action classifier and a separate classifier and system prompt for sensitive information. The latter are designed to block disclosure of information such as card numbers and government identification, and to require explicit instructions before sharing other sensitive material.[1]
Connected mail, documents and websites can contain prompt injection, where external content attempts to redirect an agent's behavior. Anthropic's agent-security framework describes layered defenses involving model training, monitoring and adversarial testing, while warning that these do not guarantee protection. This is relevant to Duet's combination of access to private information and the ability to act through external services.[6]
The preview does not let users watch or take over its browser. It cannot access local computer files or all Claude projects, make telephone calls or send text messages to other people.[2]
Relationship to Claude and Cowork
Duet uses the same account as Claude, but presents a separate application centered on proactive briefs and messages.[3] Background task execution is also available through the main Claude application following its integration with Claude Cowork. In September 2026, Anthropic announced that Cowork and chat were merging into the main Claude application, including work that continues after a laptop closes and scheduled reports. Duet adds a separate interface organized around ongoing attention management and handoffs.[7][3]
References
- ^1 ^2 ^3 ^4Anthropic. Introducing Claude Duet. October 21, 2026.
- ^1 ^2 ^3 ^4 ^5 ^6 ^7Claude Help Center. Get started with Claude Duet. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- ^1 ^2 ^3 ^4 ^5 ^6 ^7Anthropic. Claude Duet. Product page and FAQ. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- ^1 ^2 ^3 ^4Claude Help Center. How to use Link by Stripe with Claude Duet. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- ^1 ^2 ^3 ^4Claude Help Center. How to use Shop Pay with Claude Duet. Accessed October 23, 2026.
- ^Anthropic. Trustworthy agents in practice. April 9, 2026.
- ^Anthropic. Claude Cowork and chat are now one Claude. September 16, 2026.
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Cite this page: AI Wiki. "Claude Duet." aiwiki.ai, updated 22 Oct 2026. CC BY 4.0. https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/claude_duet