Anthropic Claude Duet: Always-On AI Agent Joins the Race
Anthropic has launched Claude Duet, an always-on AI agent built on Opus 5.5 that briefs you every morning, works in your apps, and asks permission first.
Anthropic is entering the race for always-on AI assistants. The company has opened a waitlist for Claude Duet, a proactive AI agent built on a new model, Claude Opus 5.5, that keeps working on your tasks even after you close the app. The research preview is rolling out first to Pro and Max subscribers in the US, with invitations going out in waves.
What Claude Duet does
Unlike a chat window that waits for you to type, Duet comes to you. Every morning it sends a short brief of the most important items from the apps you have connected. Through the day it checks those apps every few hours and messages you only when something needs your attention. You give it work with typed or spoken instructions in a single ongoing thread, and a dedicated Tasks tab shows what it is doing and what needs your decision. When a job is done or needs approval, it updates the main conversation - only you can mark a task finished.
It works on its own computer in the cloud
Duet runs on its own cloud-based virtual machine with a built-in browser, so it keeps working when your phone or laptop is off. It uses the same memories, skills and connectors as your regular Claude account and can search your past conversations, so you do not have to repeat yourself. Typical jobs include scheduling meetings, drafting email replies, finding unpaid invoices in Stripe and drafting payment reminders, preparing payroll for review, getting contracts ready to send, and building dashboards, financial forecasts and web prototypes.
6,000-plus connectors, with approval gates
Duet plugs into more than 6,000 connectors and plugins from the Claude Marketplace, covering Gmail, Slack, QuickBooks, Gusto, DocuSign, HubSpot, Shopify, Canva, LinkedIn and Microsoft 365. For purchases it can use Stripe Link with a virtual card, so your real card number is never shared. Anthropic puts hard boundaries around the agent: it asks before sending a message, making a payment, signing a document or deleting anything. Some actions are blocked entirely - trading securities and moving money between accounts are forbidden even if you approve them. The company says the agent never gets direct access to passwords or login tokens, and a new classifier stops it from sharing the most sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and government ID details. Health or financial information is passed on only when you specifically tell it to.
The limits of the research preview
Duet is free for invited users, but it is not free of cost: its background checks count toward your existing Pro or Max usage limits, and Anthropic says you may reach those limits sooner than with chat alone. The preview is not available on Team or Enterprise plans yet, though Anthropic plans to extend access later. And because it is a research preview, the company warns it can misread a thread, miscalibrate what is urgent, or miss something that arrives between its check-ins. It also does not work as a personal assistant for everything - Anthropic pitches it to professionals and small business owners and cautions it may be less functional outside work tasks. Duet is available as standalone apps for iOS and Android and on the web at claude.ai.
Why this launch matters
Duet lands in the middle of a sudden industry shift. Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta have all launched proactive personal agents within about six weeks - OpenAI's Dots, Meta's Muse and now Duet - converging on the same formula: a morning brief, background tasks and approval gates. The competition is no longer about who has the smartest chatbot, but about whose agent can quietly keep your work moving while you are away. With an unseen model, Opus 5.5, debuting behind it, Duet is also the first public window into Anthropic's next model generation.
Sources
- The Decoder - https://the-decoder.com/anthropic-takes-on-grok-bot-metas-muse-and-openais-dots-with-its-always-on-agent-claude-duet/ - NDTV Profit - https://www.ndtvprofit.com/technology/what-is-claude-duet-anthropics-new-ai-agent-can-manage-tasks-while-you-step-away-12219736/amp/1 - Mezha - https://mezha.net/eng/news/mezha-bf84e06876b320771cf4a083_anthropic_takes_on/ - AI Weekly - https://aiweekly.co/alerts/anthropic-opens-claude-duet-an-opus-55-agent-to-us-pro-and-max