Anthropic takes on ChatGPT Dots and Meta Muse with Claude Duet
Anthropic is introducing a new AI assistant that can manage tasks across connected apps, keep track of emails and calendars, and keep working even when the app is closed. Here is what you need to know.
‘An AI agent that notices what needs your attention’
Anthropic announced Claude Duet today. It is an AI assistant that can work on its own in the background. It is now becoming available as an early research preview for Pro and Max subscribers in the US. Access is being offered gradually through a waitlist.
The feature is included at no extra cost, but its use counts toward the limits of users' existing plans. This includes work done in the background. Anthropic warns that users could reach their limits sooner than they would by using chat alone.
Here is how Anthropic describes its new AI assistant:
Claude Duet is an early research version of Claude that you can message just as you would message a person. Tell it what you need by typing or speaking, and it will work in the apps you have connected. It will let you know when something needs your attention. It is designed to ask for your approval before sending a message, making a payment, signing a document, or deleting anything.
Anthropic says it will send invitations in several rounds. It also says that Claude Duet is not yet available on Team or Enterprise plans, but it plans to offer it to those subscribers in the future.
We’re opening a research preview of Claude Duet, a new app where Claude works as an AI agent that takes action on its own.
— Claude (@claudeai) October 21, 2026
It tells you what needs your attention, completes tasks you give it, keeps working when you step away, and checks with you before doing things on your behalf. pic.twitter.com/kt8gAbWuX8
Anthropic says Claude Duet uses the same memories, skills, and connections to other apps as regular Claude. It can also search earlier conversations, so users do not have to explain things again.
Claude Duet runs on its own computer in the cloud. This means it can keep working even after users close the app.
Claude Duet also works with Stripe to find unpaid invoices and prepare payment reminder messages. It connects with Link and Shop Pay to help users make purchases, but it asks for their approval first.
Here are some examples of how Anthropic says people can use Claude Duet:
- Message it like a person. Type a message or record a voice message. Your main conversation stays in one place, so Claude Duet can continue where you stopped. You can also create separate channels for different topics, and they all share the same memory.
- Start the day with a summary. Each morning, it checks your email and calendar, identifies what needs your attention most, and can begin tasks such as writing draft replies for you to review. During the day, it sends updates about its work and follows up on conversations that have gone quiet.
- Give it bigger jobs. Explain what you need, and it works out which apps to use and how much work the task will take. For larger tasks, it creates files that you can review and edit, such as research reports, financial models, slide presentations, or dashboards. Completed work appears in the Make tab.
- Add plugins. Claude Duet supports plugins, including one for small businesses. It can also suggest plugins that suit your work.
- Use websites without a connector. If a website does not have a connector, Claude Duet can use its own browser in the cloud to work with it.
According to the Claude Duet support page, the assistant also has a separate Tasks tab. Users can use it to track work in progress and see which tasks need their attention.
Claude Duet also sends updates to the main conversation when a task is finished or needs the user to make a decision. Importantly, only users can mark tasks as finished.
Anthropic says Claude Duet runs on Claude Opus 5.5. People who receive an invitation can use it through separate apps for iOS and Android or on the web at claude.ai.
To learn more about Claude Duet and join the waitlist, visit this page.