Anthropic launches Claude Duet, a proactive AI agent that briefs you before you ask

Full report

Anthropic introduced Claude Duet on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, a proactive AI agent that "reaches out before you ask." Built on the Opus 5.5 model, it is aimed at professionals and small-business owners.

Each morning, Duet sends a short brief on the most important items across connected apps; during the day it checks those apps every few hours and sends an alert only when something needs attention. It can handle simple administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings, as well as complex ones such as building dashboards with dozens of tools, financial forecasts, or even full web apps. A dedicated virtual machine in the cloud lets it keep working after the laptop is closed or the phone is turned off.

On safety: Duet must get user approval before sensitive actions such as sending a message, making a payment, signing a document, or deleting a file. It does not see passwords or logins, and a dedicated classifier and safety system prompt check each message against sensitive-information leaks. Anthropic acknowledged, however, that Duet can misjudge urgency and remains less effective at personal tasks such as booking tickets.

Availability: research preview with access via waitlist, initially limited to U.S. subscribers on Claude Pro and Max plans, usable via standalone iOS and Android apps or claude.ai; background operations count toward existing plan limits. Duet integrates with more than 6,000 connectors in the Claude Marketplace, including Gmail and Slack, and can make purchases through Stripe's Link digital wallet and Shopify's Shop Pay.