Anthropic Launches Claude Duet: A Proactive AI Assistant Powered by Opus 5.5 Enters US Research Preview
Anthropic introduces Claude Duet, a proactive AI agent that works in the cloud but requires explicit user approval before sending messages or making payments.
Anthropic announced the research preview of Claude Duet on October 21, 2026. Defined as a "proactive agent," this personal AI assistant is designed to help users manage daily tasks and judgments. It not only completes assigned work but continues operating on a cloud-based virtual machine while the user is away, proactively notifying them when attention or decision-making is required.
Powered by the Claude Opus 5.5 model, Duet is specifically engineered to distinguish between matters requiring immediate response, those that can be deferred, and actions that must be confirmed first. To ensure safety, Anthropic has established strict execution boundaries: while Duet can autonomously read information, draft replies, or prepare documents, it must display specific content and wait for user approval before executing sensitive operations such as sending messages, making payments, signing documents, or deleting data. High-risk activities like securities trading and inter-account fund transfers are blocked entirely, even with user authorization.
Regarding privacy and security, Claude Duet does not directly access user passwords or sign-in tokens and includes defenses against malicious instructions embedded in external content. The system scans every message, refusing to share credit card numbers or government ID information. Transmission of health or personal financial data is permitted only upon explicit user instruction. Additionally, through integration with Stripe's digital wallet Link, Duet can use virtual cards for purchasing business supplies without exposing actual card details.
Currently, Claude Duet is available exclusively to US subscribers of Claude Pro and Max plans, accessible via standalone iOS, Android, and Web apps. As a research preview product, features are still being refined; for instance, users cannot currently view the browser interface Duet is operating, and the system may occasionally misjudge urgency levels. Users can connect over 6,000 apps from the Claude Marketplace, including Gmail, Slack, and QuickBooks, to enable cross-platform automated workflows.