Anthropic introduces Claude Duet, an AI assistant that checks in first

Anthropic has introduced Claude Duet, a separate assistant that monitors connected apps and brings tasks to users’ attention without waiting for a prompt.

Built around Claude Opus 5.5, Duet prepares a morning briefing and checks connected accounts every few hours. It can flag missed messages, help schedule meetings, and take on longer assignments, including building dashboards, financial forecasts, and web apps.

The agent has its own virtual machine and browser, allowing work to continue when the user’s phone or laptop is off. Memory, skills, and connected apps carry over from an existing Claude account, with text and voice conversations taking place in one ongoing thread. Duet nevertheless remains a separate app, following Anthropic’s September merger of Claude chat and Cowork into a unified experience.

According to Anthropic, Duet can use more than 6,000 connectors and plugins from the Claude Marketplace. Supported services include Gmail, Slack, QuickBooks, Stripe, Gusto, LinkedIn, HubSpot, Canva, Shopify, and Docusign. Tasks range from identifying unpaid invoices and drafting reminders to preparing payroll or managing an online store.

Duet can read information and prepare work independently, but must request approval before sending messages, making payments, signing documents, or deleting anything. Securities trading and transfers between accounts are prohibited even with permission, and Anthropic says the assistant does not directly see users’ passwords or sign-in tokens.

For purchases, Duet can use Stripe’s Link wallet, which asks the user to approve spending and pays through a virtual card without sharing the real card number. The agent also supports Shopify’s Shop Pay for online checkout.

Background activity counts toward the same subscription limits used by regular Claude conversations. Checking accounts and completing assignments therefore leaves less capacity for other Claude use, with larger projects consuming more of the allowance.

The research preview is opening through a waitlist for Pro and Max subscribers in the United States, with access through standalone iOS and Android apps and claude.ai. Anthropic warns that Duet can still misread conversations or misjudge urgency.