Google adds reusable skills to Gemini chat as Gems phase out
By Automate Basics, written with AI from Google's original
Google is rolling out skills in Gemini chat so people can save instructions for recurring tasks and use them again. Skills will replace Gems, with access for Google Workspace customers planned in the coming weeks.
What changed in Gemini
Google says skills are rolling out in Gemini chat globally. A skill stores instructions for a task you expect to repeat, such as preparing presentation talking points or generating several perspectives on an idea. After creating one, you can call it up by typing a forward slash followed by its name in the prompt bar.
Google also says Gemini can help turn a chat into a skill and can run a skill when a prompt matches it. People can use more than one skill for a task and can now include plain text files, PDFs or images as references. Skills will take the place of Gems. Google says existing Gems will move over automatically when support for Gems ends.
Who can use Gemini skills?
Google says skills are already available in Gemini Spark and are now rolling out in Gemini chat worldwide. Google Workspace business, enterprise, nonprofit and education customers are due to receive the feature in the coming weeks. The announcement does not give a price or say whether a particular paid plan is required.
For people who already use Gems, the timing depends on the account. Google plans to end Gems support for personal accounts in November, for Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts in March 2027, and for education accounts in June 2027. Google says it will transfer existing Gems into skills when Gems support ends. Sharing skills and adding files from Google Drive or Gemini Notebook are planned for the coming weeks, rather than available as part of the initial rollout.
How do I try Gemini skills at work?
A recurring presentation task is a useful first test for Gemini skills. You could create instructions for drafting a slide outline, talking points and likely questions, then reuse the skill when preparing another presentation. Google says a saved skill can be called from the prompt bar with a forward slash and its name. You can also attach a reference file when the task needs source material.
Check the output against the actual brief before using it. Look for missing points, claims that the reference material does not support and talking points that do not fit the audience. If you combine skills, check that their instructions do not pull the answer in conflicting directions. The benefit to assess is whether the saved instructions spare you from restating the same requirements each time.
Frequently asked questions
Will my existing Gemini Gems disappear?
Google says skills will replace Gems and that it will move existing Gems into skills automatically when Gems support ends. The change is scheduled first for personal accounts in November, followed by eligible Workspace organizations in March 2027 and Workspace education customers in June 2027.
Can a Gemini skill use my own files?
Google says skills can now include plain text documents, PDFs and images as reference files. Support for adding files from Google Drive and notebooks from Gemini Notebook is planned for the coming weeks. Check any output against the files before using it for work.
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Written with AI from Google's original and published after automatic checks: every figure here appears in the original, and no sentence is copied from it. The picture is AI-generated. The original is the authority.
Source: Let skills in Gemini tackle your most repetitive tasks, Google, 30 Sept 2026.