Anthropic said on 21 October 2026 that Claude Duet, a new agent app, runs on a virtual machine with its own browser in the cloud, so it does not require the user’s laptop or phone to be on.

The company has opened a research preview by waitlist for Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the US.

Claude Duet is designed around Claude Opus 5.5, Anthropic said. Each morning it sends a short brief on items across the user’s connected apps.

The user describes a task in a short message, and the agent works out which apps to use and what steps to take in the background, then sends a notification when the task is complete or needs review.

A computer of its own

According to the product page, approvals, logins and safety checks run in the user’s own cloud computer, which Anthropic says keeps sensitive details private. Credentials are handled the same way as for Claude Managed Agents, so the agent never directly sees passwords or sign-in tokens, the company said.

It checks connected accounts every few hours because checking nonstop would use up a plan’s limits much faster, Anthropic said.

Anthropic is also releasing a new classifier and safety system prompt that checks each message. The company says it is designed to reject requests to share the strictest tier of information, including credit card numbers and government identification.

Other sensitive information, such as health or personal finances, is let through only when the user has explicitly told Claude Duet to send it, Anthropic said.

Before it sends a message, makes a payment, signs a document or deletes anything, the agent shows the user what it is about to do and waits for approval, Anthropic said. Trading securities and moving money between accounts are off limits even with approval, the company said. Users can disconnect any app it has access to.

Red teams and an external firm penetration tested Claude Duet, and it is covered by Anthropic’s public bug bounty, the company said.

The product page carries the company’s own caveat. “It may misread a thread or miscalibrate what’s urgent, and it can miss something that arrives between checking in with you,” it says. Anthropic also said the agent cannot yet show the user its browser, and that personal errands such as booking tickets are weaker than work tasks.

Who can get it

The research preview is open by waitlist to Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the US. Claude Duet is a standalone app for iOS and Android, and on a computer it can be opened on the web at claude.ai. It lives in its own app, separate from the main Claude app.

Setup carries over memory, skills and connected apps from the user’s Claude account.

During the preview, Claude Duet shares the plan’s usage limits with the rest of Claude, and its background checks count toward those limits. Larger tasks, such as building a financial model or a deck, require more model turns and background work, Anthropic said.

Team and Enterprise plans are not included yet.

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