Skills, replacing Gems

Turn a repeated writing instruction into a reusable Gemini skill and test it on two examples. If you already use Gems, you will also learn what to preserve while Google transitions them to skills.

Before you start

• A personal Google Account, age 18 or over, with Keep Activity on and access to Skills. The rollout may not have reached your account.
• Gemini at gemini.google.com for this walkthrough. Google currently documents skills for the web, mobile and Mac apps.
• One repeated task and two short sample inputs, with no app connections needed. This example turns business notes into short website updates.
• If moving a Gem, access to its name, description, instructions and any knowledge files you need to preserve.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

6 out of 10

Estimated completion time

45–90 minutes

Skills you’ll need: Preserve existing instructions, create a focused skill, and test its saved behavior on a short input.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A reusable announcement skill can help website updates keep a consistent format and tone. Testing both complete and incomplete notes helps prevent missing prices or dates from becoming invented public details.

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick one repeatable job

   Choose a task you have already asked for more than once. For example, you might keep correcting website announcements that sound too formal or invent details about your business.

   Define a small success test: a heading, two short sentences and one question for missing information. Use the sample notes “Autumn pottery class; six places; Saturday” so you can check whether Gemini asks for the date and price instead of filling them in.

2. 2

   Step 2: Preserve a Gem before recreating it

   If you have a Gem, open Gems in the sidebar and choose Edit beside it. Copy its name, description and instructions into your own notes, and download any knowledge files you need. Keep the original while you compare results.

   Google says personal-account Gems will transition from November 2026, with work and school transitions in 2027. Automatic migration is planned; you do not need to delete a working Gem to try a skill early. Some Gem tools, including Canvas and Deep Research, are not currently supported by skills.

   Tip: This walkthrough creates a text-only skill. A Gem that depends on reference files needs those files carried over too; copying only its instructions is not a complete migration.

   Illustrated exampleCarry over the Gem details before you compare

   Existing Gem · keep while comparing

   Studio update writer

   Job

   Turn business notes into a short website update

   Rule

   Use supplied facts; ask when a detail is missing

   Knowledge

   Download any reference files it relies on

   Copy the parts you need

   </> New skill · test alongside it

   ✳draft-website-update

   • ✓ Name, description and instructions
   • ✓ Needed knowledge files
   • ! Check unsupported Gem tools separately

3. 3

   Step 3: Create the skill in chat

   Paste the prompt below into Gemini and replace the audience and tone. After Gemini creates it, open Customize, then Skills in the sidebar to confirm it appears. Look under More if Customize is hidden.

   Give the skill a clear job name such as draft-website-update. Describe when to use it and keep the instructions specific. A rule such as “Use only supplied facts; ask about missing dates” is easier to test than “Be an excellent marketing assistant.”

   Illustrated exampleMake the skill rule easy to check

   ● ● ●draft-website-update · skill briefreview before save

   01job"Draft short website announcements"

   02when"I turn business notes into an update"

   03audience"Local pottery students"

   04tone"Warm, direct and practical"

   05ruleUse only supplied facts.

   06missingAsk for needed details; never invent them.

4. 4

   Step 4: Test the saved skill with a short input

   Start a fresh chat. Type /, or @ if your account shows the updated shortcut, and select the skill. Ask it to turn the pottery-class notes from step 1 into an update.

   Compare the answer with your success test. Check the format, the tone and every fact. Then try a second input with all details supplied so you can see whether the skill handles both missing and complete information.

5. 5

   Step 5: Repair one instruction at a time

   If the first answer invents a price, change the instruction to say what to do when a price is absent. Repeat the same sample so you can see whether that change helped.

   Edit the skill from the Skills page and save, or describe the edit in chat. If the skill is missing, check the account, age requirement and Keep Activity rather than repeatedly creating copies. Stop if Skills is unavailable; a successful ordinary chat does not demonstrate a saved skill.

   Illustrated exampleFix the failed rule and rerun the same sample

   01 · SAME INPUTAutumn pottery class; six places; Saturday

   Keep this sample unchanged so the comparison is fair.

   02 · SPOT THE MISSGemini invented a price

   The output fails the “use only supplied facts” check.

   03 · CHANGE ONE RULE“If price is missing, ask me; do not estimate it.”

   Save the skill, then rerun the same sample in a fresh chat.

   ↻Compare again · Did the made-up price disappear? Keep the good rules; adjust only the next failed check.

6. 6

   Step 6: Keep automatic use under control

   An active skill can be selected automatically for relevant requests. Try another fresh chat with the same kind of task without explicitly selecting it, and inspect the output rather than assuming it ran.

   If the skill affects unrelated writing, narrow its description. You can also open it on the Skills page and choose More, then Deactivate, while you revise. Keep the two sample inputs as your quick regression check whenever you change the instructions.

Create a skill named draft-website-update based on these instructions.

Description: Drafts short website announcements from business notes. Use when I ask to turn business notes into a website update.
Audience: [who reads the website]
Tone: [for example warm, direct and practical]
Instructions: Read my notes and use only the facts I provide. Return one short heading and two short sentences. If a date, price, location or booking detail is needed but missing, ask me for it instead of inventing it. Keep unanswered details out of publishable copy. Separate your questions from the draft. Do not publish anything.

After creating the skill, summarize the rules so I can review them.