Gemini Skills in Workspace (Replacing Gems)
Google announced on 30 September 2026 that skills, reusable prompts, are coming to the Gemini app and Workspace, and says they will eventually replace Gems; skills begin rolling out in Workspace on 5 October 2026.
Tool Overview
Features, steps and FAQ below
Features
- ✓ Google says skills are reusable, custom instructions you can invoke any time you prompt Gemini in the Gemini app and most Workspace apps, such as a brand-voice skill or a lesson-planning skill
- ✓ Google says skills are built on the open, Markdown-native SKILL.md standard, so you can copy skills created on other platforms into the Gemini app and Workspace apps
- ✓ Google says that unlike Gems, skills function inline in unified chat threads, letting you layer or stack multiple sets of custom instructions in a single prompt
- ✓ Google says skills begin rolling out in Workspace on 5 October 2026 (Rapid Release domains completing by 12 October) and in the Gemini app on 13 October 2026
- ✓ Google says Gems will gradually be retired: they move to the Gemini app Settings panel on 17 November 2026 and stop being creatable, editable or usable no sooner than 1 March 2027 for business and enterprise and 1 June 2027 for education, auto-migrating to draft skills
How to Use
- Admins should first review the official Gems migration guide and turn on the skills permission toggle in Studio and Gemini in Workspace
- Create and try skills in the Gemini app using the skill builder, for example the skill builder in Google Docs
- Google says skills do not sync between the Gemini app and Workspace, so you must create them separately in each if you want to use them in both
- Watch the official rollout pace and recreate or migrate your most-used Gems as skills before 17 November 2026
FAQ
What are skills?
Google says skills are reusable, custom instructions you can invoke any time you prompt Gemini in the Gemini app and most Workspace apps, such as a brand-voice or lesson-planning skill.
How do skills differ from Gems?
Google says that unlike Gems, skills function inline in unified chat threads so you can stack multiple instruction sets in one prompt, and they are built on the open, Markdown-native SKILL.md standard so they can be copied across platforms.
When are skills available?
Google says skills begin rolling out in Workspace on 5 October 2026 and in the Gemini app on 13 October 2026, with both expected to complete by mid-November.
Will Gems be removed?
Google says Gems will gradually be retired: they move to the Gemini app Settings panel on 17 November 2026 and stop being creatable, editable or usable no sooner than 1 March 2027 for business and enterprise and 1 June 2027 for education.
Do skills sync across platforms?
Google says skills currently do not sync between the Gemini app and Workspace apps; if you want a skill in both, you must create it separately in each.