Anthropic is introducing a new AI assistant that can proactively manage tasks across connected apps, keep track of emails and calendars, and continue working even when the app is closed. Here are the details.
’A proactive agent that understands what needs your attention’
Anthropic today announced Claude Duet, an always-on AI agent currently rolling out as a research preview to Pro and Max subscribers in the US, with access gradually rolling out via a waitlist.
The feature is included at no additional cost, but counts toward existing plan usage limits, including work performed in the background, which the company notes could cause users to reach those limits “sooner than with chat alone.”
Here’s Anthropic on its new proactive AI assistant:
Claude Duet is a research preview of Claude that you message the way you’d message a person. Tell it what you need, typed or spoken, and it works in the apps you’ve connected, lets you know when something needs you, and is designed to ask before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything.
The company says invitations will go out in waves and adds that “Claude Duet isn’t available on Team or Enterprise plans yet,” though it plans to expand availability to those subscriptions in the future.
— Claude (@claudeai) October 21, 2026We’re opening a research preview of Claude Duet, a new app where Claude works as a proactive agent.
It comes to you with what needs your attention, completes tasks you ask of it, keeps working when you step away, and checks with you before it acts on your behalf. pic.twitter.com/kt8gAbWuX8
Anthropic says that Claude Duet uses the same memories, skills, and connectors as regular Claude, and can even search past conversations so users don’t have to repeat themselves.
Claude Duet runs on its own cloud-based computer, allowing it to continue working even after users close the app.
Additionally, Claude Duet offers integrations with Stripe to check for unpaid invoices and draft payment reminders, as well as Link and Shop Pay to make purchases with user approval.
Here are a few use cases described by Anthropic:
- Message it like a person. Type a message or record a voice message. Your main thread stays in one place, so Claude Duet picks up where you left off. You can also start separate channels for different topics, and they share the same memory.
- Start the day with a brief. Each morning, it looks across your email and calendar, picks what most needs your attention, and can start the first steps, like drafting replies for you to review. Through the day, it sends updates on the work it’s doing and follows up on threads that have gone quiet.
- Hand it larger jobs. Describe what you need, and it works out which apps to use and how much effort the job takes. Bigger results come back as files you can review and edit, such as a research brief, a financial model, a slide deck, or a dashboard. Finished work appears in the Make tab.
- Add plugins. Claude Duet supports plugins, such as the small business plugin, and can suggest ones that fit your work.
- Use websites without a connector. For sites that don’t have a connector, Claude Duet uses its own browser in the cloud.
According to Claude Duet’s support page, the assistant also has a dedicated Tasks tab where users can track ongoing work and see which tasks need their attention.
Claude Duet also sends updates to the main conversation when a task is completed or requires a decision. Importantly, only users can mark tasks as finished.
Anthropic says Claude Duet is powered by Claude Opus 5.5 and is available through standalone apps for iOS and Android, as well as on the web at claude.ai, for users who receive an invitation.
To learn more about Claude Duet and join the waitlist, follow this link.
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