Gemini Skills After Gems: Let Gemini Build, Auto-Run and Stack Your Skills

Turn the prompts you retype every week into skills Gemini uses on its own, move your old Gems over before November, and combine two or three skills for bigger jobs.

Checked October 19, 2026. Researched and drafted with help from Grok Bot.

Quick answer

• A skill is a saved set of instructions (plus optional files) that teaches Gemini how to do one job your way, like "write in my voice" or "turn a bank statement into a spreadsheet."
• Gems are going away. On personal Google accounts, Gems end in November 2026. Google will turn them into skills automatically. Work accounts follow in March 2027, and school accounts in June 2027.
• Skills do more than Gems did. Gemini can build a skill from your chat, use it automatically when your prompt matches, and stack several skills in one chat. You don't have to switch to a separate Gem window.
• Skills are free. You don't need a Google AI plan. You need to be 18+, signed in, with Keep Activity on.
• Find them under Customize. In the sidebar, click Customize, then Skills.

Gems vs skills at a glance

Should I switch now? The verdict

Quick questions

Are Gems really going away? Yes. Google says Gems end for personal Google accounts in November 2026, for Workspace business accounts in March 2027 and for education accounts in June 2027. Google's Opal (mini apps) and "Gems by Google Labs" also end in November.

Will I lose my Gems? No. Google says it will recreate your Gems as skills automatically, with supported files. GitHub files aren't supported in skills yet.

Do skills cost money? No. Google says skills work without a Google AI subscription.

Can I use a skill I made in Claude? Often, yes. Gemini lets you upload a SKILL.md file (or a folder or ZIP with one) on the web and in the Mac app. Scripts that need the internet won't run.

Can I share a skill? Not yet. Google says sharing and adding files from Google Drive and Gemini Notebook are coming in the next few weeks.

Before you start

• Check the basics: 18 or older, signed in to Gemini, and Keep Activity on. Skills work on gemini.google.com, the Gemini mobile app and the Gemini app on Mac.
• Collect your best prompts. Open your last 2 weeks of chats and copy any prompt you typed more than twice. Each one is a skill waiting to happen.
• Copy your Gem instructions. For each Gem: Open Sidebar → Gems → Edit, then copy the name, description and instructions into a note.
• Privacy reminder: don't put passwords, account numbers or other people's private details in a skill. Skills can be used automatically in any chat.

Step 1: Find the Skills page

1. Go to gemini.google.com (or open the Gemini app on your Mac).
2. In the sidebar, click Customize. (If you don't see it, click More first.)
3. At the top, click Skills.

Step 2: Create a skill (pick one of 4 ways)

Way 1: Let Gemini build it from a chat (easiest).

1. In any chat, type: Create a skill based on these instructions: and paste your prompt.
2. Click Submit. Gemini saves the skill to your Skills page.
3. Want changes? Just say them in the same chat: "Make it shorter" or "Always end with a checklist."

Way 2: Start from a prefilled template. On the Skills page, pick a template and edit it.

Way 3: Start from a blank template. Fill in the name, a description of when to use it, and the instructions.

Way 4: Upload a skill file.

1. On the Skills page, click Upload.
2. Choose a SKILL.md file, or a folder or .zip with SKILL.md in its main folder.
3. Click Open, review it, then click Create.

Upload rules: the skill name inside SKILL.md must be lowercase with hyphens (like weekly-meal-plan). The total upload can't go over 100 MB. Plain-text files, PDFs and images work. Word and Excel files don't. Remove hidden files like .DS_Store first.

Step 3: Use it

• Call it yourself: in a chat, type / (or @ if your app shows the newer shortcut), then pick the skill.
• Let Gemini use it: turned-on skills can run automatically when your prompt matches what the skill's description says.
• Stack skills: call two or more in one chat. Google's own example pairs a "Travel Booking" skill with a "Gmail Writing" skill.

Step 4: Manage it

From Customize → Skills, click a skill to:

• Edit the description and instructions, or choose More → Edit with Gemini to change it by chatting.
• Deactivate it (More → Deactivate) so Gemini stops using it automatically. You can still call it yourself.
• Download it as a ZIP (More → Download) to keep a backup.
• Delete it (More → Delete). This can't be undone.

You can't turn skills on or off, or delete them, from inside a chat. Use the Skills page.

Move a Gem by hand (optional, before November)

1. Open the Gem (Open Sidebar → Gems → Edit). Download any Knowledge files one by one.
2. In a new tab, go to Customize → Skills (Google's help page also lists Settings → Skills) and choose Create manually.
3. Paste the Gem's name, description and instructions, then click Create.
4. If it had files: download the new skill (More → Download), put its SKILL.md in a folder with the Gem's files (the folder name must match the skill name), then choose More → Replace skill and upload the folder.

Try it: 3 ready-made skills

Paste each into a chat after Create a skill based on these instructions:

1. My writing voice

Name: my-writing-voice
Use this when: I ask you to write or rewrite an email, post, letter or message for me.
Instructions: Write like me: friendly, direct, short sentences, no jargon, no exclamation marks unless I use them. US spelling. Keep emails under 120 words unless I ask for more. End emails with "Thanks," then my first name, [Name].
Example of my style: "Hi Sam, quick update: the order ships Friday. Let me know if that works. Thanks, [Name]"

2. Weekly meal plan

Name: weekly-meal-plan
Use this when: I ask for meal ideas, a meal plan or a grocery list.
Instructions: Plan 5 dinners for a family of [4]. One is meatless. Nothing over 40 minutes on weeknights. Avoid [allergies]. Budget about $[amount] a week. Output: a table (day, meal, cook time), then one grocery list grouped by store section.

3. Bank statement to spreadsheet

Name: statement-to-sheet
Use this when: I upload a bank or credit card statement and ask for a summary or a spreadsheet.
Instructions: Make a table with columns Date, Merchant, Category, Amount. Categories: Groceries, Dining, Bills, Subscriptions, Transport, Shopping, Other. Then list every repeating charge (subscriptions) with its monthly cost. Never show full account numbers. If a line is unclear, mark it "Check".

Stack them: "Use /weekly-meal-plan and /my-writing-voice to write a short email to my family with this week's dinners."

What good looks like: in a fresh chat, type "plan dinners for next week" without calling the skill. Gemini should use weekly-meal-plan on its own.

Common mistakes and fixes

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Gemini never uses the skill on its own	The description doesn't say when to use it	Start the description with "Use this when…" and name the trigger words
Gemini uses the skill when you don't want it	The description is too broad	Narrow the "Use this when" line, or Deactivate it and call it with /
Upload fails	Wrong name format, a .docx/.xlsx file, or a hidden file	Lowercase-hyphen name, plain-text or PDF files, remove .DS_Store
Skill can't make a video or use Canvas	Those tools don't work in skills yet	Use a normal chat for those, or keep the Gem until November
Can't find Customize	The sidebar is collapsed	Click More in the sidebar
No Skills page at all	Under 18, signed out, or Keep Activity off	Sign in and turn on Keep Activity

Prompt pack

Create a skill based on these instructions: [paste your best prompt]. Give it a clear "Use this when" description.

Look at what I've asked you to do in this chat. Suggest 3 skills that would save me time, each with a name and a "Use this when" line.

Update my [skill name] skill: keep everything, but add this rule: [rule].

Turn the instructions from my [Gem name] Gem into a skill. Here they are: [paste].

Use /[skill one] and /[skill two] together for this: [task].

Same job in other chatbots

Next level

• Gemini 4 Argon for Big Jobs (Advanced) pairs a skill with Google's top model for a full deck or report.
• Build Your Own AI Assistant compares Gemini skills with Claude Skills, ChatGPT plugins and Grok Skills.