ai-toolstutorials

How to Set Up Claude Duet Proactive AI Agent

Step-by-step guide to join the Claude Duet waitlist, connect apps, and hand off tasks to Anthropic's proactive AI agent on Pro and Max plans.

October 22, 2026 Yum News

Claude Duet arrived as a research preview on October 21, 2026. Anthropic built it so Claude comes to you first instead of waiting for prompts. It sends morning briefs, drafts replies, and finishes larger jobs while you stay offline. This guide shows how to join the waitlist, connect your apps, and start handing off real work.

What Claude Duet Does

Claude Duet is a standalone app for iOS, Android, and the web at claude.ai. It runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and uses the memory, skills, and connectors already set up on your Claude account. You message it by typing or voice in one ongoing thread. Separate channels exist for different topics, but they share the same memory.

It checks connected accounts every few hours and messages you only when something needs attention. Larger results arrive as files you can review in the Make tab. Tasks appear in a dedicated Tasks tab so the main thread stays quieter. Only you can mark a task complete.

Claude Duet works on its own cloud computer and browser. Your phone or laptop can stay off while it continues. It asks before sending messages, making payments, signing documents, or deleting anything.

Person using a smartphone with an AI assistant interface open

Who Can Get Access Right Now

Access is limited during the research preview. You need a Claude Pro or Max plan, a Claude account in the United States, and an invitation from the waitlist. Team and Enterprise plans do not have access yet. Anthropic plans to expand later.

Invitations go out in waves. Joining the waitlist does not lock in a date. Use the same email address on the waitlist, your Claude account, and the Apple or Google account on your phone. Access is tied to that email.

Join the Waitlist and Install the App

Go to the Claude Duet product page and select Join the waitlist. Enter your name and the email on your Claude account. Choose your plan (Pro or Max) and your phone type. You can also note what kind of work you want to hand off first. Submit the form.

When your invitation arrives, open the email on your phone. Follow the steps for iPhone or Android. Sign in to Claude Duet with your Claude account. The app may take a few minutes to appear after you accept the invitation.

Once inside, Claude Duet already knows your prior memory and skills. You do not rebuild context from scratch.

Connect Apps and Manage Access

Claude Duet uses the connectors you already linked in Claude. Manage them in Claude settings. Supported examples include Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Slack, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Docusign, and Calendly. You start every connection yourself and can disconnect any app at any time. Disconnecting stops new access, but earlier conversation memory stays.

Partner integrations work differently. Stripe lets Claude Duet check unpaid invoices and draft reminder emails for your approval. Link (Stripe’s wallet) and Shop Pay handle purchases you approve. Each purchase uses a one-time card. You connect Link and Shop Pay inside Claude Duet, not the main connectors directory. Claude Duet asks before every purchase.

It can also search your past Claude chats (outside projects) for context. Turn this off under Settings > Memory by disabling Search and reference chats if you prefer.

Hand Off Tasks and Review Results

Start simple. Ask it to clear non-essential messages from your inbox or pull a short brief on a company before a meeting. For larger work, describe the outcome. It decides which apps and effort level to use. Finished items land in the Make tab as research briefs, financial models, slide decks, or dashboards.

The Tasks tab shows active work and flags items that need your input. Claude Duet posts in the main thread only when a task finishes or needs a decision. You can start separate channels for different projects. They share memory so context carries across.

Plugins such as the small-business plugin are supported. Claude Duet can suggest ones that fit your work.

Safety Controls and Current Limits

Claude Duet is designed to ask before sensitive actions. Some actions stay blocked even with approval, including trading securities, moving money between accounts, or accessing someone else’s account. It never sees your passwords or sign-in tokens directly.

A dedicated classifier and safety system prompt check messages to limit leaks of the strictest sensitive data such as credit card numbers or government IDs. Other personal information passes only when you explicitly instruct it to share.

During the research preview you cannot choose the model. Claude Duet runs on Opus 5.5 and decides effort itself. You cannot watch or take over its browser. It checks accounts on intervals, so urgent items can arrive between checks. It cannot see all projects or files on your computer, and it can read but not change work already in Claude. It does not make phone calls or send text messages to other people. Slack has limits. Microsoft 365 is not available yet.

Background checks and larger tasks count against your Pro or Max usage limits.

Smartphone resting on a desk next to papers in a workspace

Tips for Better Results

Connect only the apps you actively use. Start with email and calendar so morning briefs stay relevant. Tell Claude Duet what you want to hear about and how often. This helps it calibrate when to message you.

Review drafts before approving sends or payments. Larger jobs benefit from clear outcomes rather than step-by-step instructions. Because it shares memory with regular Claude, keep your main Claude skills and connectors up to date.

If you already use Claude for coding or document work, Duet can pick up related context from past chats. See our guide on using Claude Haiku 5.5 as a coding subagent for related task patterns.

Conclusion

Claude Duet turns Claude into a partner that initiates. Join the waitlist if you have a US Pro or Max plan, connect the apps that matter, and start with small hand-offs. Watch the Tasks and Make tabs, approve only what you intend, and adjust what it reports. The research preview will evolve based on early feedback. For the latest details, check Anthropic’s official pages.

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