Anthropic's Claude Duet agent links 6,000 apps, asks before paying or sending

Who can get it: Access is by waitlist only, starting with U.S. subscribers on Claude's Pro and Max plans, with invitations going out in waves. Team and Enterprise plans aren't included yet. Anthropic said Duet uses the same usage limits as the rest of a user's Claude plan, and that its background checks and bigger jobs, such as building a financial model or a slide deck, eat into those limits faster than a normal chat.

What it can do: Duet runs on Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 model and can use more than 6,000 connectors in the Claude Marketplace. Anthropic's examples include finding missed Gmail and Slack messages and drafting replies, checking QuickBooks or Stripe for unpaid invoices and drafting reminders, preparing payroll in Gusto, sending contracts through Docusign and setting up a Shopify store. It can buy things for a business through Stripe's Link wallet, which pays with a virtual card, and check out with Shopify's Shop Pay.

In Anthropic's words: "Before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document, or deletes anything, it shows you exactly what it's about to do and waits for your approval. A few things are off-limits even with your approval, like trading securities or moving money between accounts." The company also said a new classifier is designed to refuse requests to share credit card numbers and government ID, that Duet never directly sees users' passwords, and that red teams and an outside firm penetration-tested it.

How outlets framed it: Reuters led with the agent race, calling Duet a "proactive assistant for professionals and small-business owners" as rivals compete on autonomous AI. The Verge's headline cast it as Anthropic taking on Meta's Muse. Anthropic's own post focused on trust and judgment, saying it built Duet to "decide what needs you, what can wait, and when to check with you first."

What's still unknown: Anthropic called Duet "an early version" that "still might misread a thread or miscalibrate what's urgent," and said it is weaker at personal errands such as booking tickets and can't yet show users its browser. The company hasn't said how many people are on the waitlist, when the preview will widen beyond the U.S. or to business plans, or whether Duet will eventually cost extra. Anthropic said it will share more about Duet's safety design "in the coming days."

Features, limits and safeguards described here come from Anthropic's own announcement, product page and help center; they have not been independently tested by US Brief. Anthropic did not announce a separate price. Photos are file photos and do not show the launch.