Anthropic launches Claude Duet: a proactive agent that buys business supplies on your behalf

#What happened

Anthropic unveiled Claude Duet, an app where Claude works as a proactive agent for professionals and small business owners. It comes to the user when something needs attention, completes requested tasks, keeps working even when the user steps away, and checks with the user before acting. Anthropic designed it around Claude Opus 5.5, built for resourcefulness and judgment about what needs the user, what can wait, and when to check first. It was made available by waitlist to Pro and Max subscribers in the U.S. on Wednesday, October 21. Duet accesses the user's memory, skills and connected apps for context; works even when the user's laptop or phone is off; sends notifications when a task completes or needs review; periodically checks connected accounts and messages the user when something requires attention; waits for approval before sending a message, making a payment, signing a document or deleting anything; and uses the more than 6,000 connectors and plug-ins in the Claude Marketplace.

#Why it matters

Duet puts spending into the agent loop: it can purchase business supplies using Stripe's Link digital wallet (Duet confirms the item, Link asks the user to approve the spend, then pays with a virtual card so the real card number is never shared) and use Shopify's Shop Pay to check out at online stores. It is the latest entry in the personal-agent wave alongside OpenAI's Dots (Sept. 29), Meta's Muse (10M+ downloads in the U.S. and Canada in its first 35 days per Sensor Tower), Instinct's agent, and xAI's Grok Bot finance features.

Verified October 21, 2026.