Google will launch a new feature called Skills in Gemini and the Workspace apps starting October 5, 2026, which stores reusable instructions and replaces the previous Gems. A slash command will allow users to directly access the stored instructions in Docs, Sheets, or Gmail, and multiple Skills can be combined. For Workspace business customers, support for Gems will end no later than March 1, 2027.
Skills bundle instructions for Gemini and Workspace apps
Skills are reusable instructions that users can create once and call up as often as they like via a slash command. They are similar to a text module that can be saved for entire conversation threads. Unlike Gems, which required a separate chat, Skills work directly in the ongoing conversation. Multiple Skills can be combined in a single prompt, such as a Skill for tone of voice along with a Skill for a specific template. Users can also attach files from Google Drive to the instructions. Google had already tested the principle of reusable templates with the Gmail templates for emails; Skills now extends this approach to the entire Gemini chat as well as other Workspace apps.
Technically, Google relies on the file format SKILL.md. The format was originally developed by Anthropic and published as an open standard at agentskills.io; Google’s own command line Gemini CLI, Anthropic’s Claude, and Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot also use the same format. The feature will initially be available in the experimental mode Gemini Spark and in the regular Gemini app, with Workspace customers on Business, Enterprise, or Education plans to follow in the coming weeks. Google is initially restricting access to users aged 18 and older, with a version for younger accounts to follow later.
Rollout starts staggered in Workspace and Gemini app
The rollout will occur in a staggered manner based on domain type, as shown by the Google Workspace Updates. Workspace customers on the rapid release channel will receive Skills between October 5 and October 12, 2026, while customers on the scheduled release will follow from October 19 to mid-November. In the Gemini app itself, Google will enable the feature regardless of the release channel between October 13 and mid-November. Google has recently expanded Gemini across apps, such as when the AI started sending emails directly from Docs in September.
Support for existing Gems will end in a staggered manner depending on the account type: Private Google accounts will lose access as early as November 2026, Workspace business and non-profit accounts will follow on March 1, 2027, and education accounts on June 1, 2027. Google will automatically convert remaining Gems into draft Skills at these dates, which users will then need to revise in order to continue functioning. According to Google, there is no additional charge for Skills; the feature is included in existing Google AI and Workspace subscriptions. Google does not mention any restrictions to specific countries or languages; it remains unclear whether the feature will be available in Germany at the full launch date.
It will be crucial whether companies take advantage of the transition, which will be completed by mid-November, to actually maintain and reuse internal instructions instead of continuing to type improvised prompts. For administrators, the transition initially means more work: Existing Gems must be converted into Skills by the respective deadlines, or they will expire into unfinished drafts.
