Anthropic Conway: Claude's Always-On AI Agent That Runs While You Sleep

What Is Conway?

Conway is Anthropic's internal codename for a new persistent agent platform built on top of Claude. Unlike the standard Claude interface — where you send a message, get a response, and the session ends — Conway is designed to run continuously in the background, operating like a long-running process rather than a single-turn conversation.

The name is thought to be a reference to Conway's Game of Life — cellular automata that evolve continuously through simple rules without external intervention. Fitting for an AI designed to operate autonomously.

Details surfaced through a code leak and developer discoveries in early April 2026. Anthropic has not officially announced the project, but the technical architecture that emerged paints a detailed picture.

How Conway Works: The Key Features

1. Always-On Background Operation

Conway's defining characteristic is persistence. Rather than waiting for user input, a Conway agent can be woken by external webhooks — triggers from calendar events, email arrivals, database changes, or scheduled timers. Once triggered, it executes tasks, then sleeps again until the next event.

The practical applications are significant: an agent that sends you a weekly financial summary every Monday morning, one that monitors a competitor's product page and alerts you to changes, or one that processes customer inquiries overnight and drafts responses for your review.

2. Dedicated Sidebar UI

Conway has its own sidebar interface — separate from Claude.ai's main chat window — where users can manage running agents, view logs, and configure tasks. This suggests Conway agents are meant to be ongoing, managed entities rather than one-off conversations.

3. Chrome Browser Integration

Like Claude.ai's existing computer use capability, Conway integrates with Chrome to enable web-based task execution. The difference is autonomy: rather than requiring you to initiate and supervise browsing tasks, Conway can be configured to execute them on a schedule or in response to triggers.

4. The .cnw.zip Extension Format

Conway introduces a new file format, .cnw.zip, which functions as an extension or plugin package for Conway agents. These files define custom tools, UI tabs, and agent behaviors — essentially creating a standardized way to distribute and install custom agent capabilities.

If this system launches publicly, it could become an "app store" for AI agents: developers create .cnw.zip extensions, users install them, and Conway agents gain new skills. Think of it as the equivalent of VS Code extensions, but for AI agents.

Conway vs. Cowork: What's the Difference?

Anthropic has another agent project called Cowork, which also enables multi-step task execution. The key distinction is presence:

Why Conway Matters: The Bigger Shift

The current generation of AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — are reactive. You ask, they answer. Even with "memory" features, each session is essentially a new interaction. Conway represents a fundamental shift: AI as a persistent, proactive operator.

This is the difference between a smart calculator and a smart employee. A calculator processes what you put in. An employee shows up every day, remembers what happened yesterday, notices things you didn't ask about, and takes initiative on tasks you've delegated.

If Conway launches publicly, it would put Anthropic in direct competition with emerging "AI employee" startups — companies like Lindy, Relay, and various enterprise AI workflow platforms — but with the advantage of Claude's model quality as the underlying intelligence.

When Will Conway Launch?

As of April 2026, Conway is in internal testing only. Anthropic has not announced a public release date. However, the company has a track record of moving quickly: Claude Projects went from internal preview to general availability in under three months, and computer use followed a similar trajectory.

The fact that a detailed technical architecture has already leaked — including the extension format specification and UI designs — suggests development is well advanced. A preview or limited beta in Q2 or Q3 2026 seems plausible.

For now, the closest approximation you can build is using Claude's API with your own persistent task runner — scheduling Claude API calls via cron jobs or serverless functions triggered by webhooks. It's not seamless, but it previews what Conway will likely make much easier.

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