Stop prompting?
Anthropic's new app turns Claude into a proactive agent: it sends you a morning brief, checks your apps every few hours, runs on its own computer in the cloud and asks before it acts. What it is, how it works, what it can and can't do, and how to get on the waitlist.
- TL;DR and key facts
- Chatbots, agents and scheduled tasks
- The problem: AI that waits
- The idea: an agent that comes to you
- How Claude Duet works
- Approvals and safety
- Duet vs other ways to automate
- What you can hand it
- How to get it
- So, should you stop prompting?
- Who it's for
- Caveats and limits
- FAQ
- Glossary and sources
TL;DR
- On 21 October 2026 Anthropic opened a research preview of Claude Duet, "a new app where Claude works as a proactive agent."
- Instead of waiting for your prompt, it comes to you: a short morning brief, then it checks your connected apps every few hours and messages you only when something needs you.
- It runs on its own virtual machine with its own browser, so the work carries on while your laptop or phone is off.
- You give it work the way you'd message a person, by text or voice. It picks the apps and the steps, and returns finished work (documents, spreadsheets, decks) for you to review.
- It asks before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document or deletes anything, and some actions (trading securities, moving money between accounts) are off-limits even with approval.
- For now: a waitlist, US only, Pro and Max plans, running on Claude Opus 5.5.
Chatbots, agents and scheduled tasks
Three ways of working with an AI model are worth separating, because Duet sits in a new spot between them.
You open a chat, type a prompt, read the answer. Nothing happens until you ask again. In Anthropic's words, the Claude app "waits for you to open a chat".
You hand over a task; the model plans steps, uses tools (email, calendar, a browser) and works until it's done. Still, you start it, and it stops when the job is finished.
The same prompt runs at a fixed time, for example "every day at 9:00, summarise my inbox". It always runs and always does the same thing.
It keeps watching your connected apps on its own, decides what matters at each check, does the first steps, and reaches out when something needs your attention or your approval.
The problem: AI that waits
A chatbot is only as useful as the questions you remember to ask. The work that actually piles up lives in your apps: the email that needs a reply, tomorrow's meeting you haven't prepared for, the invoice nobody has chased.
The hard part, keeping track of what's pending, stays with you. Anthropic built Duet for "professionals and small business owners with more on their plates than they can track."
The idea: an agent that comes to you
Anthropic's own one-line description: 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."
The product page puts the difference with the normal Claude app plainly: "The Claude app waits for you to open a chat, and you work on something alongside Claude. Claude Duet comes to you."
How Claude Duet works
A morning brief
"Each morning, it sends you a short brief on the most important items across your connected apps." It looks across email and calendar, picks what most needs you and can start the first steps, such as drafting replies for you to review.
Check-ins every few hours
"Claude Duet checks your connected accounts every few hours" and messages you only when something needs attention. It drafts next steps, then stays quiet until something needs you.
Tasks by message
"Describe a task in a short message, and it works out which apps to use and what steps to take in the background." You can message it by text or voice, in one continuous thread.
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." It works through connectors or that cloud browser.
Where your work shows up
What Duet is working on, with the tasks that need your input highlighted. Only you can mark a task complete.
Finished bigger work: a research brief, a financial model, a slide deck or a dashboard.
What it connects to
Some of the apps on the product page (Slack too); more than 6,000 connectors and plugins in all.
It uses your existing Claude account: memory, skills and connectors carry over. The model is Claude Opus 5.5, and Duet decides how much effort each job needs ("You can't choose a model").
Approvals and safety
An agent that acts on your accounts needs firm limits. Duet's are spelled out in the help centre and the coverage:
Asks first
It "shows you exactly what it's about to do and waits for your approval" before sending a message, making a payment, signing a document or deleting anything.
Never, even with approval
Trading securities and moving money between accounts are off-limits.
Credentials kept apart
Approvals, logins and safety checks run in its own cloud environment; credentials stay outside the place where its code runs.
Leak checks
A new classifier checks each message so sensitive information doesn't slip out, and by default it declines requests for card numbers and government ID numbers.
Purchases go through Stripe's Link or Shop Pay, each with a one-time card scoped to the merchant and the amount, after you approve.
Duet vs other ways to automate
| Approach | Who starts it | What it does each time |
|---|---|---|
| Chat (the Claude app) | You, every time | Answers the prompt, then waits |
| Task agent | You hand it a job | Works the steps until that job is done |
| Scheduled task | A clock | The same prompt at a fixed time, whether or not anything changed |
| Claude Duet | Duet, every few hours, and you by message | Looks at what's new, decides what matters, drafts first steps, asks before acting |
The comparison describes the approaches in general; the Duet row is from Anthropic's descriptions.
What you can hand it
Examples Anthropic gives, word for word:
- "Check Intuit QuickBooks or Stripe for unpaid invoices and draft reminders."
- "Prepare and run payroll in Gusto, with hours, bonuses, and reimbursements filled in."
- "Set up, design, and manage your Shopify store."
And the everyday version: a voice note saying "draft replies to my pending emails". Duet finds them, writes the drafts and leaves them for you to approve before anything is sent.
The product page also lists flagging inbox and calendar items, preparing payroll for review, and building briefs, decks or dashboards. Anthropic says it isn't aimed at errands like booking tickets.
How to get it
- Open claude.com/product/claude-duet and choose Join the waitlist.
- You need a Claude Pro or Max plan in the US. Team and Enterprise plans aren't included yet.
- Invitations go out in waves. Anthropic: "We'll email as soon as Claude Duet's ready for you."
- Once in, use it in the iOS or Android app or on claude.ai, and connect the apps you want it to watch.
Cost: it's included in Pro and Max during the preview. Pro is $20 a month billed monthly (before tax) and Max starts at $100. Background work, the morning brief and the check-ins count toward your usage limits, including the five-hour and weekly ones, so you may hit them sooner than with chat alone.
Duet changes who starts the conversation. The brief and the check-ins come to you without a prompt. You still hand it tasks, in a short message or a voice note, and you still approve anything that sends, pays, signs or deletes.
Who it's for
Good fit
- Inbox and calendar heavy work
- Small business admin: invoices, payroll, a store
- People who want first drafts waiting, not a blank chat
Not the point
- Personal errands and ticket booking
- Anything that must react the second it arrives
- Teams on Team or Enterprise plans (not yet)
Caveats and limits
- Not real-time. It checks at set intervals ("every few hours"), so something urgent can arrive between checks.
- It can misjudge. Anthropic says it may misread a thread or misjudge what's urgent.
- Preview limits: you can't watch or take over its browser; Microsoft 365 isn't available yet; it can't reach local files, make phone calls or send texts.
- Connector count ≠ every action. 6,000+ connectors doesn't mean every operation in every app is supported.
- Usage. Background work draws on the same limits as the rest of Claude.
- Availability. US only for now, and no India date has been announced.
FAQ
Can I use it in India?
Not yet. The preview is for Pro and Max subscribers in the US, by waitlist. Anthropic hasn't announced other countries.
Does it cost extra?
No, it's included in Pro and Max during the preview, but its background work counts toward your usage limits.
Can it send emails or pay for things on its own?
No. It drafts and prepares, then waits for your approval before sending, paying, signing or deleting.
Which model does it use? Can I change it?
Claude Opus 5.5, and no: Duet chooses how much effort a job needs.
Does my phone need to stay on?
No. It runs on its own virtual machine in the cloud.
How is it different from the normal Claude app?
The app waits for you to open a chat. Duet reaches out with daily briefs and updates, and works on tasks in the background.
Glossary
- Proactive agent
- An AI agent that starts work on its own schedule and reaches out to you, instead of waiting for a prompt.
- Research preview
- An early release to a limited group, to learn how the product is used before it's widely available.
- Connector
- A link between Claude and another app (Gmail, Calendar, Stripe…) that lets it read and act there.
- Virtual machine
- A computer that runs in the cloud. Duet's has its own browser.
- Morning brief
- Duet's short daily summary of what needs you across your connected apps.
- Usage limits
- How much you can use Claude in a five-hour window and in a week on your plan.
- Introducing Claude Duet. Anthropic, 21 Oct 2026.
- Claude Duet product page and FAQ. Anthropic.
- Get started with Claude Duet. Claude Help Center.
- Claude Duet app is Anthropic's bet on agents. TechCrunch, 22 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic takes on ChatGPT Dots and Meta Muse with Claude Duet. 9to5Mac, 21 Oct 2026.
- A deep dive into Claude Duet. Flavio Copes (compiled from the official docs).
