THE STARTER GUIDE · REVIEWED 24 OCTOBER 2026

Know the pieces.
Choose with confidence.

Claude Duet is a proactive agent that can work in the background, draw on connected apps and ask for approval before consequential actions. A skill teaches a workflow; a connector gives access to an app; a plugin bundles capabilities.

This guide is independent. The official announcement is the source for the Duet-specific facts below.

What is Claude Duet?

Claude Duet is a research-preview app from Anthropic in which Claude works as a proactive agent for professionals and small business owners. It prepares briefs, watches connected apps and asks before it acts.

Anthropic describes Duet as a research-preview app for professionals and small business owners. It provides briefs, watches for items that need attention and continues tasks in its own virtual machine while you are away. It is available through standalone iOS and Android apps and on claude.ai.

The announcement starts with Pro and Max users in the US via a waitlist. Duet shares the plan's usage limits with the rest of Claude; background checks and complex work use those limits. Preview availability may change, so check the official product page before subscribing for this purpose.

Check official access & waitlist ↗

What is the difference between skills, plugins and connectors?

Skills teach Claude a method for a task, plugins bundle a workflow with its parts, and connectors give Claude access to an app or service within the permissions you grant.

Skills teach the method

Instructions, scripts and resources describe how to handle a recurring task. Examples: working with PDFs or building a spreadsheet.

Browse skills →

Plugins package a workflow

A bundle can include skills, commands and tool connections for a job such as sales or data analysis. Components and supported environments differ.

Browse plugins →

Connectors reach your apps

Connections let Claude work with an external service and its data, within granted permissions. Access is not unlimited authorization.

Browse connectors →

Sources: Anthropic skills repository, knowledge-work plugins and the official unified directory guide.

What our compatibility labels mean

● Duet documented

The named integration is explicitly described in official Duet material. This is a documentation-backed compatibility check, not a claim that we installed it, tested it or verified it for your account. Permissions, plan and preview access still matter.

◌ Claude ecosystem

The resource has an official Claude ecosystem source, but we have not confirmed the exact package in Duet. The Duet announcement says account skills and connected apps carry over and references marketplace plugins. That broad statement does not prove that a particular repository package, local tool or command works unchanged.

No listing currently claims a hands-on Duet test. We prefer a visible uncertainty label to an invented checkmark.

Which integrations does the announcement name?

It names Gmail, Slack, Intuit QuickBooks, Stripe, HubSpot, Canva, Shopify, Docusign, Gusto, LinkedIn, plus Link and Shop Pay for purchasing. Each connector has its own page with the quoted sentence.

Gmail — Find missed messages and prepare replies from your connected inbox.
Slack — Surface missed conversations and help prepare replies in your workspace.
Intuit QuickBooks — Check unpaid invoices and draft reminders using connected accounting context.
Stripe — Use invoice context to identify unpaid items and prepare reminders.
HubSpot — Draft follow-up emails using contact and deal history.
Canva — Turn a product launch into a social campaign with connected design tools.
Shopify — Help set up, design and manage a store with connected commerce tools.
Docusign — Help prepare agreements and send them for review and signature.
Gusto — Prepare payroll with hours, bonuses and reimbursements filled in, under the announcement’s approval rules.
LinkedIn — Draft a job posting and publish it to LinkedIn only after you edit and approve it.

The announcement also describes purchasing with Link, Stripe’s digital wallet, and checking out with Shop Pay. Those are purchasing capabilities rather than marketplace connectors, so they are not separate entries here; the Stripe and Shopify pages quote the relevant sentences.

A safer first workflow

Pick a bounded task. Summarize one thread, inspect one document or draft one reply.
Read the source. Review the maintainer, license, dependencies and requested permissions. Never paste credentials into a prompt.
Check your account. In Claude's official directory, locate the resource and confirm the supported environment. Do not run a Claude Code command expecting it to configure Duet.
Test on non-sensitive inputs. Compare the output with your source and note failure cases. A plausible answer is not proof.
Keep approval boundaries. Review content, recipients and consequences before sending, signing, paying or deleting.

What Duet will not do automatically

According to Anthropic, Duet shows the intended action and waits for approval before sending messages, making payments, signing documents or deleting content. Trading securities and moving money between accounts are off-limits even with approval.

The research preview can still misread a thread or misjudge urgency. The announcement also says it cannot yet show you its browser; a richer Shopify visual editor and saved-login access through 1Password are described as coming soon, not current guarantees.

How do I install a skill or plugin?

Use the Customize area in Claude and its Skills, Connectors and Plugins tabs, following the current official directory instructions. The sources do not give a universal Duet install command.

Use the current official directory instructions. They describe Claude's Customize area and its Skills, Connectors and Plugins tabs. The exact resource page is the right place to check installation requirements. We do not publish a universal Duet install command because the sources do not establish one.

For repository examples, inspect the complete folder and license, not only the SKILL.md file. Some document skills are source-available rather than open source.

What does the announcement actually say?

These are the exact sentences behind the Duet-specific claims on this page, copied from the stored snapshot of the announcement.

Who can try it: A research preview is available by waitlist today, starting with US Pro and Max subscribers.
Where it runs: It’s available as a standalone app on iOS and Android, and on claude.ai.
Usage limits: For this research preview, Claude Duet is included in Pro and Max plans and uses the same usage limits as the rest of Claude.
What carries over: Claude Duet carries over your memory, skills, and connected apps from your Claude account
How often it checks: Claude Duet checks your connected accounts every few hours
Approval before acting: it shows you exactly what it’s about to do and waits for your approval
What stays off-limits: A few things are off-limits even with your approval, like trading securities or moving money between accounts.
Known limits of the preview: it still might misread a thread or miscalibrate what’s urgent
Its browser: it can’t yet show you its browser
Announced, not available yet (Shopify): Coming soon, a richer visual editor will let you design your storefront and preview it before anything goes live.
Announced, not available yet (1Password): Coming soon, with your permission, it will be able to sign in to sites with logins you’ve saved in 1Password.
Purchasing with Link: You can also use Claude Duet to purchase things for your business using Link, Stripe’s digital wallet.
Purchasing with Shop Pay: It can also use Shop Pay from Shopify to check out at online stores.

Source: Introducing Claude Duet, snapshot retrieved 24 October 2026; SHA-256 9002ca1e7956…. Announcements change, so check the live page before you rely on a detail.

Find your first resource →

Want a worked example? The workflow articles take one job at a time, with a validation checklist and the same documentation-review labels:

Know the pieces.Choose with confidence.