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Claude Duet can keep working while your laptop is closed because the main agent runs on an Anthropic-hosted virtual machine, not on your laptop. That cloud machine has its own browser and uses the connected services you authorize. Your phone or computer can sleep while a delegated task continues. The exception is any task that must read a local file, use a local application, or click and type on your screen. Those actions use Claude Desktop as a bridge to your computer, so the computer must remain awake and the app must stay open. Understanding that split explains why one Claude task can run overnight while another stops as soon as you close the lid.
What actually runs when Claude Duet continues after you leave?
Claude Duet separates the agent’s work from the device you use to start or monitor it. Anthropic describes Duet as operating inside a virtual machine with its own browser. The agent can sign in to connected services, gather information, draft work and complete multi-step tasks in that hosted environment while you are away.
Your laptop is therefore a control and notification surface, not the computer doing the cloud work. Once a task has been delegated, the virtual machine keeps the agent loop running even if your laptop is asleep, its lid is closed or you switch to your phone. Anthropic team lead Karan Ahuja summarized the design this way: “Work continues when you step away. Claude Duet has a virtual machine with its own browser, so it doesn’t require your laptop or phone to be on.”
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How can a cloud task run while a laptop is closed or asleep?
A delegated cloud task runs on Anthropic’s servers in an isolated environment. The laptop is involved when you submit the task and when you review results, but it does not have to maintain the session continuously.
The cloud execution sequence
- Describe the job. You give Claude a goal involving services connected to your Claude account, such as reviewing information or preparing a draft.
- Authorize the required connections. Duet uses the accounts and permissions you have linked. It does not need access to every service on your computer.
- Let the hosted agent work. The virtual machine uses its browser and the connected services to carry out the steps. The work continues after your device sleeps.
- Review a completion or notification. Claude reports when the work is done or when it needs a decision. You can reopen Claude later to inspect the result.
This model is closer to leaving a job on a remote server than to leaving a desktop program running in the background. Closing the lid does not shut down the virtual machine.
What kinds of work can Claude Duet perform unattended?
Duet is intended for work that can be completed with connected cloud accounts and that does not require a physical view of your desktop. Its useful strengths are persistence, multi-step navigation and the ability to wait for you when an important action requires approval.
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Duet does not continuously watch every connected account. Anthropic’s launch material says it checks accounts “every few hours.” That polling schedule lets it look for changes without consuming the plan’s allowance as quickly as constant monitoring would. It also means an event can arrive between checks and remain unseen until the next scheduled check.
Research and preparation
The hosted browser can collect information from authorized services and prepare a result while you are offline. Preparation might include organizing material, drafting a response or assembling the next steps for your review. The agent can work independently, but you remain responsible for checking that its interpretation matches the situation.
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Approval-gated actions
Anthropic says Duet is designed to ask before sending a message, making a payment, signing a document or deleting anything. Sensitive actions therefore do not silently complete just because the agent is running overnight. A task can reach the approval point, notify you and wait for your decision before it proceeds.
What is different about Claude’s computer-use mode?
Computer use is local control, not cloud-only execution. In this mode Claude can click, type and navigate applications on your own screen. The agent needs a live connection to that screen, so the desktop must be awake and Claude Desktop must be open.
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Why local files change the requirement
A file stored only on your laptop, a locally installed program or a browser tab that exists only on your desktop cannot be reached by a cloud-only session. Claude Desktop provides the path to those local resources. If the computer sleeps, that path disappears even though other cloud tasks may continue normally.
What is the difference between cloud Cowork and local computer use?
Both modes may appear in the same Claude product, but they have different execution locations and failure conditions.
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| Operating mode | Where the agent runs | Required device state | What it can access | Monitoring pattern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Cowork or Claude Duet task | Anthropic servers in an isolated virtual environment | Your laptop or phone may be asleep or offline after submission | Connected cloud apps and the hosted browser | Background work and notifications when complete or when a decision is needed |
| Computer-use session | Your computer through Claude Desktop | Computer awake, Claude Desktop open; the display may turn off | Local files, local apps and the visible desktop | Active desktop connection during the session |
Anthropic’s official Cowork help page says new Pro and Max tasks run in the cloud as of October 6, 2026. If a Cowork task needs local files or applications, Claude reaches the computer through Desktop instead, so the local requirements apply.
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Use the following checklist when the work can be completed entirely through connected services.
- Confirm the task is cloud-suitable. Remove steps that require a file on your hard drive, a locally installed application or visual control of your screen.
- Connect only the accounts the task needs. Duet’s hosted browser works with authorized services, so check the account and permission scope before starting.
- State the desired output and boundaries. Explain what to gather, what to draft and which actions must wait for your approval.
- Start the task and verify its status. Make sure Claude reports that the delegated work has begun rather than leaving an unsent instruction in a chat.
- Close the lid or let the device sleep. The server-side agent continues independently.
- Review notifications and the finished work. Check the agent’s interpretation, drafts and any approval request before allowing a sensitive action.
Do not describe a local-screen operation as if it were a cloud operation. “Open the spreadsheet on my desktop and copy the figures” requires the local bridge; “review the spreadsheet in my connected cloud storage” may be suitable for hosted execution, depending on the service connection.
How do I keep a local computer-use session running?
When Claude must interact with your own screen, prepare the desktop rather than relying on sleep settings.
- Open Claude Desktop. The app is the bridge between Claude and the local screen.
- Keep the computer awake. Prevent automatic sleep for the expected duration, especially on a laptop running on battery.
- Leave required apps and files available. A local program or file must remain accessible to the desktop session.
- Allow the display to turn off if desired. Anthropic’s Academy guidance says the screen can turn off; the computer itself must not sleep.
- Keep the lid open on a laptop. Closing it normally triggers sleep, which disconnects computer use.
- Check the session after interruptions. If the computer slept, restarted or Claude Desktop closed, reopen the app and determine whether the task needs to be resumed.
How often does Duet check accounts, and how does that affect usage?
Duet’s checks are periodic rather than continuous. Anthropic describes the cadence as every few hours, so it is not an instant alerting system for urgent events. A message, calendar change or other update that appears just after a check may wait until the next one.
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Background work also counts against your Claude plan usage. The help material says Duet shares the Pro and Max five-hour session and weekly limits with ordinary Claude use; it does not publish a separate numerical Duet quota on that page. A long-running or frequently checking workflow can therefore reduce the allowance available for interactive chats.
What can go wrong when a task runs while you are away?
- An urgent event is missed. Periodic checks are not a real-time trigger. Use a service’s own urgent notification system when immediate response matters.
- The agent misreads a thread. Duet can misunderstand context or judge urgency incorrectly. Review the source conversation and the proposed response.
- A sensitive action is waiting. Sending, paying, signing and deleting are approval-gated. Open the notification, inspect the details and approve only the exact action you intend.
- A local step fails. If the task reaches for a local file, desktop app or screen, the computer must be awake and Claude Desktop must be running.
- Usage runs out sooner than expected. Background checks share the same plan limits as other Claude use. Reduce unnecessary monitoring and reserve Duet for tasks that benefit from delegation.
- The feature is unavailable. Duet is a changing research preview, so access, behavior and plan eligibility can change without the workflow itself being wrong.
What are the practical control and privacy boundaries?
Cloud execution means the agent works with the accounts and services you connect to the hosted environment, not with an unrestricted copy of your laptop. Local computer use expands the scope to whatever is exposed through the desktop session, including visible applications and local files, and therefore has a different risk profile.
Use the narrowest account connections that can complete the task. Treat drafts as drafts, particularly when the agent has inferred urgency from a long thread. Approval prompts are a control point, not a guarantee that the underlying interpretation is correct; read the recipient, amount, document or deletion target before confirming.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who should use cloud execution and who needs the local mode?
Choose cloud execution when
- The work uses connected online services.
- You want it to continue while traveling, sleeping or working from another device.
- You can tolerate checks that happen every few hours rather than instantly.
- The final result can be reviewed through a notification or later session.
Choose local computer use when
- The task must open a local file or installed application.
- Claude must click, type or navigate a specific desktop interface.
- The workflow depends on the current screen state.
- You can keep the computer awake with Claude Desktop open.
Who can use Claude Duet right now?
Anthropic’s Help Center describes Duet as a research preview for Claude Pro and Max users in the United States who are admitted through a waitlist. Team and Enterprise plans are not included in that description. Because the preview is changing, verify your account’s eligibility and the current execution defaults before designing an unattended workflow.
The distinction remains stable even as labels change: a hosted virtual machine can continue after your device sleeps, while computer use depends on an awake desktop connection. Selecting the mode that matches the task is more important than changing your laptop’s hardware or buying a sleep-prevention utility.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does my laptop use battery while a cloud Duet task is running?
The agent loop runs on Anthropic’s hosted virtual machine, so the sleeping laptop is not performing the cloud computation. Battery matters when you use local computer control, because that mode needs the desktop awake and connected.
What happens if Duet reaches an approval step overnight?
The task waits at the sensitive action instead of sending, paying, signing or deleting automatically. You can review the request when you return and decide whether to let that step proceed.
Can Duet notice an email the moment it arrives?
No. Anthropic describes account checks as occurring every few hours, so the system is not a continuous real-time monitor. An urgent message can arrive between checks.
How can I tell whether a task needs my computer awake?
Look at the requested resources: connected cloud services fit hosted execution, while a local file, installed app or direct screen interaction requires Claude Desktop and an awake computer. If the task crosses into local control, closing the lid can interrupt it.
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