Claude Duet Setup Guide: Join the Waitlist and Get Started

Anthropic launched Claude Duet on October 21, 2026, as a research preview of a proactive AI agent. It messages you first with what needs attention, handles tasks in the background, and waits for your approval on sensitive actions. Built for professionals and small business owners, it runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and lives in its own app.

Unlike regular Claude chats that wait for you to start, Duet checks your connected accounts every few hours and surfaces items that matter. It keeps working on its own cloud computer even after you close the app. Access starts with US users on Pro or Max plans via a waitlist.

What Claude Duet Does

Claude Duet carries over your memory, skills, and connected apps from your main Claude account. You message it by text or voice in one ongoing thread. It can also create separate channels for different topics that share the same memory.

Each morning it sends a short brief on the most important items across email, calendar, and other apps. Through the day it messages you only when something needs attention. You can hand it tasks from scheduling meetings to building dashboards, financial forecasts, or web apps. Larger results appear as files in the Make tab that you can review and edit.

Before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything, it shows you exactly what it plans to do and waits for approval. Some actions stay off-limits even with approval, such as trading securities or moving money between accounts.

Who Can Access Claude Duet Right Now

You need three things:

• A Claude Pro or Max plan
• A Claude account based in the US
• An invitation from the waitlist

Team and Enterprise plans are not included yet. Anthropic plans to expand later. Invitations go out in waves, so joining does not guarantee a specific date. The email you use on the waitlist must match your Claude account and the Apple or Google account on your phone. Access is tied to that address.

How to Join the Waitlist and Install the App

1. Go to the Claude Duet product page at claude.com/product/claude-duet and select Join the waitlist.
2. Enter your name and the email address on your Claude account.
3. Choose your plan (Pro or Max) and phone type (iPhone or Android). You can optionally note what you do and what you would hand off first.
4. Submit. Anthropic adds people gradually and emails you when it is your turn.
5. When the invitation arrives, open it on your phone. Follow the setup steps for iPhone (TestFlight) or Android (Google Play tester). Use the matching Apple or Google account.
6. Open Claude Duet and sign in with your Claude account. The app may take a few minutes to become available after you accept.

You can also open it on the web at claude.ai once invited. During the research preview it shares your plan’s usage limits. Background checks and larger tasks consume those limits differently than normal chats.

Connect Your Apps and Tools

Claude Duet uses the connectors you have already set up in Claude, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Docusign, and Calendly. Manage access in Claude settings. You start every connection yourself and can disconnect any app at any time. Disconnecting stops future access but keeps memory from earlier conversations.

It supports over 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace. Examples include:

• Finding missed Gmail or Slack messages and helping you reply
• Checking QuickBooks or Stripe for unpaid invoices and drafting reminders
• Preparing payroll in Gusto
• Drafting job postings and posting to LinkedIn after you approve
• Helping prepare agreements for Docusign
• Drafting follow-ups from HubSpot deal history
• Turning a product launch into a Canva campaign
• Setting up and managing a Shopify store

Partner services include Link by Stripe and Shop Pay for approved purchases. Each uses a one-time virtual card so your real card number stays private. Claude Duet asks before every purchase.

For sites without a connector, it uses its own browser in the cloud. You cannot watch or take over that browser during the research preview.

Daily Workflow Tips

Start the day by reading the morning brief. Approve or edit any drafted replies. Hand off larger jobs with a short description of the outcome you want. Check the Tasks tab to see what is running and what needs your input. Only you can mark a task complete.

Tell Duet what subjects to flag and how often. It checks accounts every few hours rather than continuously to conserve usage. You can search past chats for context; turn this off in Settings > Memory if preferred.

Plugins such as a small business plugin can be added and suggested based on your work. Finished deliverables like research briefs, models, decks, or dashboards land in the Make tab.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

• You cannot choose the model. It runs on Opus 5.5 and decides effort level.
• It checks at intervals, so urgent items can arrive between checks.
• It cannot see all your projects or local computer files, and it can read but not change work in main Claude.
• It does not make phone calls or send texts to others. Emails from connected accounts require approval.
• Personal errands like booking tickets are weaker than work tasks.
• Some connectors have limits; Microsoft 365 is not available yet.
• It may misread urgency or a thread. Treat outputs as drafts you review.

Safety features include a classifier that blocks sharing of the strictest sensitive data such as credit card numbers and government IDs unless you explicitly instruct it. Credentials never leave Anthropic’s managed design. Actions go through an auto mode classifier. Red teams and an external firm tested the infrastructure, and it is covered by the public bug bounty program.

Related Resources

For more on building with Claude skills and connectors, see our guide on how to create custom skills in Claude (adjust slug if needed; link to an existing relevant post such as one on AI tools).

Sources

• Anthropic, Introducing Claude Duet, October 21, 2026: https://claude.com/resources/articles/claude-duet
• Claude Help Center, Get started with Claude Duet: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17631495-get-started-with-claude-duet
• Official launch video: Introducing Claude Duet, Claude YouTube channel

Claude Duet is an early research preview. Features and availability will change based on tester feedback. Join the waitlist if you meet the criteria and experiment with handing off work that currently fills your day.