Claude Duet messages you first. Decide what it may touch before you connect it.

On October 21, 2026, Anthropic opened a research preview of Claude Duet, a new app where Claude works as a proactive agent. Anthropic says it "comes to you with what needs your attention, completes tasks you ask of it, keeps working even when you step away, and checks with you before it acts on your behalf." It is built, in Anthropic's words, "for professionals and small business owners with more on their plates than they can track."

It is a preview, not a finished product. Here is what it does, how it works, how it compares with similar agents, and the rules to set before you connect anything.

What Anthropic announced

1. 01

   Where it runs.

   A standalone app on iOS and Android, and on claude.ai.

2. 02

   Who can get it.

   Pro and Max subscribers in the US, through a waitlist. Anthropic's help center says it "isn't available on Team or Enterprise plans yet."

3. 03

   What it costs.

   During the research preview it is included with the Pro and Max plans at no extra cost, and it "uses the same usage limits as the rest of Claude."

4. 04

   What powers it.

   Anthropic says it designed Duet around Claude Opus 5.5.

5. 05

   What it reaches.

   The over 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace.

How it works, in five steps

Here is the loop in plain words, checked against Anthropic's announcement and its Help Center.

1. 01

   1. You connect your apps.

   Duet starts with the memory, skills and connected apps already in your Claude account. You start every connection yourself, and you can disconnect any app at any time.

2. 02

   2. It checks in every few hours.

   Each morning it sends a short brief on what matters most. Through the day it checks your connected accounts every few hours, not nonstop, because checking nonstop "would use up your plan's limits much faster." Something urgent can arrive between checks.

3. 03

   3. It reads, drafts and prepares the work.

   Duet works on its own virtual machine with its own browser, so your laptop or phone can be off. It drafts replies, reminders and files for you to review.

4. 04

   4. It asks before it sends, pays, signs or deletes.

   It shows you exactly what it is about to do and waits for your approval. If you cannot approve right away, it finishes the rest of the task and brings the approval back to you later.

5. 05

   5. Some things stay off-limits, even if you approve.

   Anthropic names trading securities, moving money between accounts and accessing someone else's account. A separate classifier is designed to reject requests to share the strictest tier of information, such as credit card numbers and government identification.

Steps 2 to 4 repeat through the day. Step 5 holds even if you approve.

Where an owner could use it

Anthropic lists these jobs for Duet, grouped here the way an owner's week runs:

1. 01

   The morning catch-up.

   Find the Gmail and Slack messages you missed and help you reply. One tester, Jess Provencher, broker and owner at Pro Homes, said Duet flagged, without being asked, a property showing on her calendar for the wrong day: "[This is] exactly the kind of thing I want caught without having to ask."

2. 02

   Money coming in.

   Check Intuit QuickBooks or Stripe for unpaid invoices and draft reminders. Amin Ebrahimi, owner of Shahs of Kabob in South Florida with about 110 employees, has worked through his invoices store by store. "It brings it all together," he said. "I don't need to open up 100 tabs."

3. 03

   Payroll.

   Prepare and run payroll in Gusto, with hours, bonuses and reimbursements filled in.

4. 04

   Sales follow-up.

   Draft follow-up emails using the contact and deal history in HubSpot. Anthropic also lists building dashboards and creating financial or sales forecasts.

5. 05

   Your calendar.

   Scheduling meetings is on the list. Mya Dalton, a brand strategist, got a brief for a client call, and Duet offered to move the call because it fell right before her flight. "I didn't realize that it was right before my flight," she said.

6. 06

   Hiring, contracts and marketing.

   Post an approved job listing to LinkedIn, send agreements for signature through Docusign, turn a launch into a Canva campaign, or manage a Shopify store.

These are Anthropic's examples and early-tester accounts, not measured results from a broad rollout.

How Duet compares with other personal agents

Duet is not the only agent that keeps working in the background and checks with you before it acts. OpenAI, Meta, Google and Microsoft have each announced one in recent months. The comparison shows what each company says on its own announcement or help pages, as of October 22, 2026. "Not stated" means we did not find it there. These are company statements, not our tests.

1. 01

   Claude Duet (Anthropic)

   Announced: Oct 21, 2026. Who can get it now: Research preview by waitlist, US Pro and Max plans. Works while you step away: Yes, on its own virtual machine with a browser. Before key actions: Asks before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document or deletes anything. Apps it works with: Over 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace. Microsoft 365 isn't available yet.

2. 02

   Dots (OpenAI, in ChatGPT)

   Announced: Sep 29, 2026. Who can get it now: Rolling out to Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets. Enterprise beta when an admin turns it on. Works while you step away: Yes, on its own cloud computer. Before key actions: Built-in rules for when to act and when to ask. Custom Rules let you allow an action, require approval or block it. Apps it works with: Over 4,000 apps through plugins. You can message it in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams.

3. 03

   Muse (Meta)

   Announced: Sep 8, 2026. Who can get it now: Rolling out in the US on iOS, Android, muse.ai and WhatsApp. Free for most uses, with subscription plans. Works while you step away: Yes, on Muse Secure VM, its own computer in the cloud. Before key actions: Checks before sensitive actions like sending an email or making a purchase. Apps it works with: The apps you choose to connect, with access you set per app. Number not stated.

4. 04

   Gemini Spark (Google)

   Announced: Not stated on the pages we checked. Google posted Spark updates on June 30, 2026. Who can get it now: Launched in beta for Google AI Ultra subscribers 18 and over in the US. Current wider access not stated. Works while you step away: Yes, Google calls it a 24/7 personal AI agent. Before key actions: Manual confirmation for write actions in custom connected apps. Other approval rules not stated. Apps it works with: Google apps such as Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Keep and Tasks, plus Canva, Dropbox, Instacart, OpenTable, Zillow Rentals and custom MCP apps.

5. 05

   Copilot Autopilot (Microsoft)

   Announced: Sep 25, 2026. Who can get it now: Private preview, expanding from the end of September 2026. Works while you step away: Yes, cloud-hosted, with its own identity, memory, computer and workspace in your Microsoft 365 tenant. Before key actions: You set the objective and boundaries, with permissions, audit and governance behind it. Specific approval steps not stated. Apps it works with: Teams, Outlook, chats, channels and documents.

1. 01

   What it means for an owner.

   The pattern is the same across all five: the agent works on its own computer in the cloud, you choose what it connects to, and it brings consequential steps back to you. The differences that matter most are where you already work and who can get access today. If your business runs on Microsoft 365, note that Anthropic's Help Center says Microsoft 365 isn't available in Duet yet. If your team already works in ChatGPT, Slack or Teams, OpenAI says you can reach Dots there. Pick the agent that fits the apps you already use, then apply the same rules below. Plans and availability change quickly during previews, so check each company's page before you sign up.

Why it matters to a small business

Most owners do not lack tools. They lack someone watching all of them at once. An agent that reads the inbox, the books and the calendar first can catch the wrong-day showing or the overdue invoice. It also reads everything you connect, so the rules come first.

Five rules to set before you connect anything

1. 01

   Connect the fewest apps that do the job.

   Start with one workflow and add apps as it proves itself. You can disconnect any app at any time.

2. 02

   Keep approvals on, and read them.

   Duet waits for your approval before it sends, pays, signs or deletes. That protects you only if someone actually reads them, especially for payroll and contracts. Some actions are off-limits even with approval, like trading securities or moving money between accounts.

3. 03

   Decide what it may spend, and how.

   Duet can buy for your business with Link, Stripe's digital wallet, or with Shop Pay. Each purchase asks for your approval and uses a one-time card, so your real card number is not shared. Set a limit and a buy list first.

4. 04

   Watch your plan usage.

   Background checks count toward your plan's limits, and larger tasks, like building a financial model or a deck, use more.

5. 05

   Know what it guards, and what it does not.

   A new classifier is designed to reject requests to share the strictest tier of information, including credit card numbers and government identification. Health or personal finance details go out only when you explicitly say so. Keep customer and employee data out of reach until you decide what it may share.

Read with care

1. 01

   Early version.

   It is an early version. Anthropic says it "still might misread a thread or miscalibrate what's urgent."

2. 02

   Set intervals.

   It checks at set intervals, so something urgent can arrive between checks.

3. 03

   Personal errands.

   Personal errands, such as booking tickets, are weaker, and it cannot yet show you its browser.

4. 04

   Connectors.

   Microsoft 365 isn't available yet, and some connectors, such as Slack, work with limits.

5. 05

   Separate app.

   It lives in its own app, separate from the main Claude app, for now.

This week

1. 01

   1.

   Join the waitlist if you are on Pro or Max in the US.

2. 02

   2.

   Pick one job to hand it first: the morning brief, or unpaid invoices.

3. 03

   3.

   Write down which apps it may connect to and which it may not, before you connect any.

4. 04

   4.

   Decide who reads the approval requests, and what is never approved, such as payroll changes you have not reviewed.

5. 05

   5.

   After two weeks, check your plan usage and keep only the checks that earned their place.

Our take

An agent that comes to you first is useful only if you decided in advance what it may touch. Set the connections, approvals and spending rules now, and let the preview earn more.

This is Consultiply's independent reading of Anthropic's announcement and of the other companies' published pages. It is not a recommendation to buy any product.

Sources

Introducing Claude Duet (Anthropic, October 21, 2026)

Get started with Claude Duet (Claude Help Center, Anthropic, October 2026)

Introducing dots (OpenAI, September 29, 2026)

ChatGPT release notes: Meet your dot (OpenAI Help Center)

Introducing Muse (Meta, September 8, 2026)

Gemini Apps release updates (Google Gemini Apps Help)

Gemini Spark updates: macOS launch, connected apps and more (Google, June 30, 2026)

Connect and manage custom apps for Gemini Apps (Google Gemini Apps Help)

Introducing the new Copilot with Home, Code and Autopilot (Microsoft, Jared Spataro, September 25, 2026)

Anthropic preview of Claude Duet, personal AI agent take on Muse, Dots (CNBC, Ashley Capoot, October 21, 2026)