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Instead of answering questions, Claude Duet is designed to take the initiative: monitoring inboxes and calendars, coordinating appointments, tracking invoices, and getting in touch when a decision is needed. Anthropic has released a preview of the new assistant – but for now, only for subscribers in the US.
On October 21st, Anthropic unveiled Claude Duet, an AI agent that allows users to communicate with it via messaging, much like a human. According to Anthropic's product page, Duet runs as a standalone app on iPhone and Android, as well as in a browser at claude.ai, and continues to operate on a dedicated server in the cloud even when the app is closed. It is based on Claude Opus 5.5, which Anthropic released in September. The designation "Research Preview" clearly indicates that it is a preview version.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Claude Duet is an AI agent that is controlled via messages and works independently in the background.
- He provides a daily briefing via email and calendar, follows up on outstanding issues, and creates documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
- Duet asks for your permission before sending messages, payments, signatures, and deletions.
- Access is only available via a waiting list for Pro and Max subscribers with a US account.
- Duet doesn't cost anything extra, but it uses up the usage allowance of the respective tariff.
What Claude Duet can do
Anthropic describes Duet itself as follows:
Claude Duet is a preview of Claude, who is written to in the same way as one would write to a person.
Writing or dictation takes place in a main flow, and users can also create separate channels that share the same memory. In the morning, a briefing arrives from email and calendar entries, after which, according to Anthropic, Duet only notifies users again when something requires attention. Larger tasks such as research, financial models, presentations, or dashboards are stored as editable files in a dedicated section of the app, while ongoing tasks are kept in a second section.
Duet inherits reminders, skills, and connected services from the regular Claude app. According to Anthropic's getting started guide, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks, HubSpot, DocuSign, and Calendly are among the available services; Microsoft 365 is not yet supported. For websites without their own integration, Duet uses a cloud-based browser.
The agent uses Stripe to check outstanding invoices and create payment reminders. With Link and Shop Pay, they can complete pre-approved purchases – payment is made using a card number valid only for that single purchase.
Where Duet asks questions and where it doesn't
An agent who sends emails and makes purchases needs clear boundaries. Duet asks for your permission before sending messages, making payments, signing documents, and deleting anything. If you can't respond immediately, Duet completes the remaining steps and asks again later.
Some actions are also excluded even with authorization, including trading securities, transferring money between accounts, and accessing other people's accounts. Passwords are entered in a separate form on the device, not in the chat.
Anthropic itself points out the limitations. Duet checks accounts at fixed intervals, so urgent matters may arrive late. The agent might misread a message history or misjudge the urgency. There's also the risk of manipulated content: emails or websites can contain hidden instructions, which the approval requirement is designed to prevent.
| Area | Claude Duet |
|---|---|
| Platforms | App for iPhone and Android, browser at claude.ai |
| Model | Claude Opus 5.5, not selectable |
| Plans | Pro and Max, Team and Enterprise not yet |
| Region | USA, access via waiting list |
| Cost | no extra charge, counts towards the usage quota |
| Calls and SMS | not possible |
| Microsoft 365 | not yet connected |
Not usable in this country for the time being
Duet requires a Pro or Max subscription, a Claude account in the US, and an invitation from the waitlist. Therefore, the preview is not accessible to users in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, even with an existing subscription.
The invitation is linked to the specified email address. It must be associated with the Claude account or the Google or Apple account on the smartphone.
From tool to employee
I consider Duet a more consistent step compared to the previous approach. Back in July, Anthropic launched Claude Cowork on iPhone, iPad, and the web, an agent to whom you assign a task. Duet reverses this relationship: The agent observes and contacts you instead of waiting for assignments.
But that's precisely the problem in practice. According to Anthropic, those who use Duet for their own purposes will use up their quota faster because the briefing and background checks also count towards it. And the more accounts are connected, the more reliance there is on the approval process, which Anthropic itself cites as a safeguard against manipulated content.
Would you give an AI agent access to your inbox, calendar, and shopping cart if it asked for permission before every critical step—or is that fundamentally too much for you? Tell us in the comments where you draw the line.
