Google brings reusable skills to Gemini as Gems phase out
Google is rolling skills into Gemini chat, with separate Workspace schedules, tool gaps and migration work for existing Gems and Opal workflows.
Google began rolling reusable skills into Gemini chat on September 30, giving users a way to apply saved instructions without opening a separate custom assistant. The Google announcement also sets out how Gems will give way to skills, with different migration schedules for personal, work and school accounts.
A skill can hold recurring guidance such as a preferred writing style or a company’s brand rules. Users can call it from the prompt box, combine it with another skill or let Gemini apply it when the instructions match the task.
Saved instructions with some missing tools
The initial chat rollout covers adults with personal Google accounts. Skills can include reference material such as text documents, PDFs and images. Google says sharing and support for files from Drive and Gemini Notebook will arrive in the coming weeks. Those additions should not be treated as launch features.
The Gemini transition guide spells out the current gaps. Skills do not yet work with Canvas, Deep Research, Create video, Create music or Guided learning. GitHub knowledge files are also unsupported. Anyone who relies on those tools inside a Gem should check the replacement workflow before moving it.
Users can import skills through the open SKILL.md format in Gemini on the web or Mac. Google permits only 100 active skills at once, although users can create more and disable those they do not need.
Workspace follows its own schedule
According to the Workspace rollout notice, skills begin reaching Rapid Release domains on October 5, with completion expected by October 12. Scheduled Release domains start on October 19 and should finish by the middle of November. The Gemini app rollout for Workspace users begins October 13.
Personal account Gems begin transitioning in November. For Workspace accounts, November 17 moves Gems into Settings while leaving them usable. Business and enterprise removal will happen no sooner than March 1, 2027. Education accounts have a later boundary of June 1, 2027.
There is also a setup cost for teams using both products. Skills in the Gemini app and Workspace do not synchronize. Google’s admin guidance says users must recreate skills in Workspace separately. Automatically migrated Gemini app Gems will become inactive drafts that their creators must review and activate.
Existing automations need attention
Google has already stopped users from adding Ask a Gem steps to Workspace Studio flows. Existing steps remain functional until deprecation. The Studio migration instructions tell owners to replace them with Ask Gemini and reconnect any later steps that depend on their output.
Opal has a separate, firm shutdown date. Google’s Opal FAQ says the service and Gems made by Labs will stop on November 17, 2026. Those workflows will not migrate automatically. Their files will remain in Drive, but they will no longer run interactively after the service closes.
The useful next step is to test one important Gem as a skill, checking its reference files and required tools. Teams should also identify Studio flows that need rebuilding. Saved instructions may be easier to reuse, but a successful migration still depends on the features each workflow uses.
For more on Google’s recent releases, see our coverage of Gemini 4 Argon’s restricted rollout.
Original AI generated conceptual illustration of reusable instructions combined in a chat. Created for ByteForward.
