Claude Duet: what it is, how it works & how to set it up
On October 21, 2026 Anthropic released Claude Duet, an AI agent that doesn't wait for you to type. It reads the apps you connect, tells you what needs you, does the work you hand it and asks before it acts. Here's everything that matters, in plain English.
What is Claude Duet?
Claude Duet is a proactive personal agent from Anthropic, built around Claude Opus 5.5. Instead of you opening a chat and asking, Duet comes to you: a short brief every morning, a message during the day only when something actually needs you, and tasks it finishes in the background while your phone is in your pocket.
Anthropic built it for professionals and small business owners who have more on their plate than they can track.
Who can get it (and what it costs)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Status | Research preview, released October 21, 2026 |
| Who | Waitlist, starting with Pro and Max subscribers in the US |
| Where | Standalone iPhone and Android apps, plus claude.ai |
| Price | No extra fee during the preview. Included in Pro and Max |
| The catch | It shares your plan's usage limits, and background check-ins count |
| Join | The waitlist on claude.com/product/claude-duet |
Outside the US? Nothing has been announced for other countries yet. We'll update this page when it opens up.
How it works
Each morning, a short summary of the most important things across your connected apps: today's calls, what's overdue, what to do first.
Every few hours it looks through your apps and only messages you when something needs you. You decide what's worth a ping and how often, just by telling it.
You talk to it in one ongoing conversation, by voice or text. Each job you hand it becomes a task next to the main thread, and you can organize areas of your work into channels.
It carries over your memory, skills and connected apps from your Claude account, so there's almost no setup if you already use Claude.
Duet works on a cloud computer with its own browser, so your phone and laptop can be off. It tells you when a job is done or needs your review.
What it can do for a small business
Duet can use over 6,000 connectors and plugins. Examples Anthropic gives:
| App | Job |
|---|---|
| Gmail, Slack | Find missed messages and draft replies |
| QuickBooks, Stripe | Find unpaid invoices and draft reminders |
| Gusto | Prepare and run payroll |
| Docusign | Get an agreement ready to sign |
| HubSpot | Draft follow-ups from deal history |
| Canva | Turn a launch into a social campaign |
| Shopify | Set up and manage a store |
It also builds bigger things: dashboards, sales forecasts, decks and small web apps. It can even buy things through Stripe's Link wallet with a virtual card, after you approve.
5 asks to try on day one
Say these in the Duet thread. Each one becomes a task.
Tip: first ask it to learn how you write from your sent emails, so drafts sound like you, not like a robot.
Set it up properly in 10 minutes
The Claude Operator Playbook has a new Claude Duet module: what to connect (and what not to), the exact message that tells it what's worth a ping, how to keep it from eating your limits, 10 asks that pay for themselves, and when to use it vs Claude Code.
See the Operator Playbook →Safety: what it will never do
| It does alone | Only after you approve | Never, even if you approve |
|---|---|---|
| Reads, drafts, prepares work | Sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, deletes anything | Trades securities, moves money between accounts |
It never directly sees your passwords or sign-in tokens. A dedicated check refuses to share card numbers or government IDs, and health or personal finance details only go out when you explicitly tell it to. Anthropic says red teams and an outside firm tested it before launch.
Where it's still weak
- It can misread a thread or misjudge what's urgent.
- It's built for work. Personal errands like booking tickets or rides are weaker.
- You can't watch or take over its browser yet, so a captcha can stop it.
- It lives in its own app, separate from the main Claude app, and it shares your usage limits.
Claude Duet vs the rest
| Agent | Best at | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Duet | Most proactive out of the box, built for work, knows your Claude memory | US waitlist, one main thread |
| Claude Code | Building systems you own: automations, dashboards, scheduled jobs | Runs on a computer, not a phone app |
| Grok Bot | Separate agents for separate jobs | Paid; email reported as unreliable |
| Meta Muse | Free, polished, can call businesses for you | Not on a frontier model |
| ChatGPT Dots | Lives inside ChatGPT with its memory | Reviewers found it slow |
Comparison based on Anthropic's announcement and early hands-on reviews at launch.
Our take: Claude Code builds the machine, Claude Duet keeps an eye on it from your phone.
Get the full system
27 modules, 16 real builds and the new Claude Duet module: from "I use ChatGPT sometimes" to AI that runs parts of your business.
Get the Operator Playbook →or read 30 free AI shortcuts
Claude Duet FAQ
What is Claude Duet?
Claude Duet is a proactive AI agent from Anthropic, released as a research preview on October 21, 2026. It sends you a morning brief, checks your connected apps every few hours, does tasks you hand it on its own cloud computer, and asks for your approval before it sends, pays, signs or deletes anything.
Who can use Claude Duet?
Right now access is through a waitlist that starts with Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the United States. It runs as a standalone iPhone and Android app and on claude.ai. Anthropic has not announced dates for other countries yet.
How much does Claude Duet cost?
There is no extra fee during the research preview. It is included in the Pro and Max plans, but it shares your plan's usage limits, and its background check-ins count toward them.
Is Claude Duet safe to connect to my email?
Duet never directly sees your passwords or sign-in tokens. It shows you exactly what it will do before sending a message, making a payment, signing or deleting, refuses to share card numbers or government IDs, and cannot trade securities or move money between accounts even if you approve. You can disconnect any app at any time.
What is the difference between Claude Duet and Claude Code?
Claude Duet is an assistant that manages your day from your phone: inbox, calendar, invoices, briefs. Claude Code is an agent that builds things on your computer or server: automations, dashboards, pipelines and scheduled jobs that you own. Many people will use both.