Anthropic has opened a research preview of Claude Duet, an app in which Claude acts as a proactive assistant rather than waiting to be asked. Announced on 21 October, it is aimed at professionals and small business owners and is available by waitlist, starting in the US, on Pro and Max plans through iOS, Android and claude.ai.
Duet connects to work apps such as Gmail, Slack, QuickBooks, Stripe and Shopify. Each morning it sends a short brief on what needs attention, it checks connected accounts every few hours, and it keeps working on its own virtual machine and browser, so your laptop or phone does not need to stay on. Before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document or deletes anything, Anthropic says it shows exactly what it is about to do and waits for approval. It can also buy things through Stripe’s Link wallet using a virtual card.
Anthropic is open about the limits: Duet may misread a thread or misjudge urgency, and it is weaker at personal errands than at work tasks.
Why it matters: most AI assistants still wait for a prompt. Duet tests whether people will let an agent watch their inboxes and accounts all day, and whether approval gates are enough to make that safe.
Source: Claude Duet (Anthropic)