Anthropic Unveils Claude Duet, an Always-On AI Agent That Works in the Background

Anthropic has introduced Claude Duet, a new AI assistant designed to handle tasks proactively across connected apps, keep watch over email and calendars, and carry on working even when the app has been closed. The company announced the product on 2026-10-21, and 9to5Mac reported on the details.

Claude Duet is launching as a research preview for Pro and Max subscribers in the US. Access is being handed out gradually through a waitlist, with invitations going out in waves. It is not yet available on Team or Enterprise plans, though Anthropic says it intends to extend it to those subscriptions later.

The feature carries no extra charge, but it counts toward the usage limits of a user's existing plan. That includes work done in the background, which Anthropic warns could lead people to hit those limits "sooner than with chat alone."

Anthropic describes Claude Duet as a version of Claude that users message the way they would message a person, whether by typing or by voice. It operates in the apps a user has connected, alerts them when something needs their input, and is designed to ask before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything.

The assistant draws on the same memories, skills, and connectors as regular Claude and can search past conversations so users do not have to repeat themselves. It runs on its own cloud-based computer, which is what allows it to keep working after the app is shut. Integrations include Stripe, for checking unpaid invoices and drafting payment reminders, and Link and Shop Pay, for making purchases with the user's approval.

Anthropic outlined several ways the tool can be used. Users keep a single main thread, so the assistant resumes where they left off, and can open separate channels for different topics that share the same memory. Each morning it can review email and calendar, pick out what most needs attention, and begin first steps such as drafting replies for review. During the day it sends progress updates and follows up on threads that have gone quiet.

For larger jobs, users describe what they need and Claude Duet decides which apps to use and how much effort is required. Results come back as files that can be reviewed and edited, such as a research brief, a financial model, a slide deck, or a dashboard, and finished work appears in a Make tab. The assistant also supports plugins, such as a small business plugin, and can suggest ones suited to a user's work. For websites without a connector, it uses its own cloud browser.

According to the support page, there is also a dedicated Tasks tab where users can follow ongoing work and see which items need attention. Claude Duet posts updates to the main conversation when a task is finished or a decision is required, and only users can mark a task as complete.

Anthropic says Claude Duet is powered by Claude Opus 5.5. Invited users can reach it through standalone iOS and Android apps, or on the web at claude.ai.