Claude Duet Opens a US Research Preview for Proactive AI Work, With Approval Gates

Anthropic has introduced Claude Duet, a separate app designed to notice work that needs attention and carry out tasks in the background. Access begins through a waitlisted research preview for Pro and Max subscribers in the United States, not a general worldwide release.

The app is available on iOS, Android and claude.ai. Built around Claude Opus 5.5, it can deliver a morning brief, prepare forecasts, organize administrative work and build web apps, according to Anthropic. Those are the company’s stated capabilities, rather than results of independent testing.

Background work is not constant monitoring

Duet draws on connected apps, memory and skills from a user’s Claude account. It runs through its own virtual machine and browser, so tasks can continue when the user’s device is off.

Anthropic says it checks connected accounts every few hours, not continuously. Background checks and larger projects count against the same plan limits used by other Claude activity. A preview invitation therefore does not include a separate unlimited allowance for autonomous work.

Sensitive actions need approval

The company says Duet can read, draft and prepare independently but must show the intended action and wait before sending messages, making payments, signing documents or deleting material. Some activities, including trading securities and transferring money between accounts, remain off-limits even with permission.

Supported business purchasing can use Stripe’s Link wallet or Shopify’s Shop Pay. Anthropic says Link requires spend approval and uses a virtual card; these are controlled payment flows, not permission for an agent to spend without oversight.

The announcement also describes access to more than 6,000 marketplace connectors and plugins. That catalog is not a promise that every integration is automatically authorized on a user’s account.

An early product with admitted weaknesses

Anthropic acknowledges that Duet can misunderstand a conversation or misjudge urgency. Personal errands such as ticket booking are less developed, and the preview cannot yet show users its browser. Those limitations matter when deciding which work to delegate and which decisions to keep under direct supervision.

Sources

• Anthropic: Introducing Claude Duet
• Reuters: Claude Duet launch report