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Gemini Skills save instructions for tasks you repeat, such as formatting a spreadsheet or drafting product descriptions. Create one in Gemini Apps with Gemini’s help, from a template, manually, or by uploading a SKILL.md project. You can then select it in chat or let Gemini use it when it recognizes a relevant request. Skills make recurring work easier to specify; they are not a guarantee of deterministic results or a way to run arbitrary actions on external websites.
What a Gemini Skill can—and cannot—do
A Skill is a reusable set of instructions for a recurring workflow. Google describes examples such as generating agendas in a consistent format, turning statements into formatted spreadsheets, and drafting product descriptions. A well-scoped Skill tells Gemini when the task applies, what steps to follow, and what the finished output should look like.
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Gemini may apply an enabled Skill when it considers the conversation relevant, or you can choose a Skill directly. That makes Skills useful for repeatable, instruction-driven work, but the available documentation does not promise a particular result every time or describe Skills as general-purpose software automation. In particular, uploaded scripts cannot perform actions or requests on external websites, and scripts that require internet access are not supported.
Choose how to create the Skill
In Gemini Apps, the available routes differ mainly in how much of the workflow design and file setup you want to do yourself. Google does not rank these methods by performance.
| Route | Useful when | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Create with Gemini or ask conversationally | You want Gemini to draft a first version from a description of your recurring task. | Review the generated instructions, especially the trigger conditions and expected output. |
| Recommended template | An available template resembles your workflow. | Customize its name, description, and instructions before creating it. |
| Blank/manual creation | You want to write the Skill’s settings and instructions directly. | You supply the workflow design yourself. |
Upload a SKILL.md project |
You already have instructions and supported reference files organized as a project. | Follow the required file structure, upload limits, and script restrictions. |
Create a Skill in Gemini Apps
1. Pick a recurring task
Choose a task with a repeatable outcome, not a vague goal such as “help me work.” For example, you might want every meeting agenda to follow the same sections or every product description to use a consistent format. Decide what should cause the Skill to apply, what rules Gemini should follow, and what a satisfactory result includes. Keep the instructions focused on the guidelines that distinguish this workflow, and include concrete examples where they clarify the expected result.
2. Open the Skills page
- Go to gemini.google.com and sign in to the account you intend to use.
- Open the sidebar, select Settings, then select Skills.
- Choose the creation route that suits your workflow: create with Gemini, customize a recommended template, create manually from a blank template, or upload a Skill project.
Google’s desktop help documents these routes, but the controls shown can vary with rollout status and platform.
3. Write or review the instructions
For a manual Skill, enter its name, description, and instructions, then create it. For a template, edit those fields to fit your workflow. To have Gemini draft one, describe the repeated task and the rules, examples, and output format you want it to preserve; then inspect and revise the generated Skill before relying on it.
Make the description and instructions specific enough to distinguish this task from ordinary requests. For instance, state the circumstances in which Gemini should use the Skill and the format it should return. Avoid implying that a written instruction can guarantee the same answer in every chat.
Upload a file-based Skill
If your instructions and reference materials already exist as files, Google’s desktop guidance accepts a SKILL.md file or a folder or ZIP containing SKILL.md in its main folder. The project needs SKILL.md at its root. Use a Skill name made of lowercase words separated by hyphens, and include supported reference files in the upload. Google lists supported text and document formats, code and configuration formats, web/build text files, PDFs, and images. The total upload limit stated in that help page is 100 MB.
- Check that
SKILL.mdis at the project root before uploading. - Include the reference files the Skill needs; replacing uploaded files requires uploading the full Skill again with its reference files.
- Do not rely on scripts that need internet access or attempt actions or requests on external websites. Those uses are explicitly unsupported in the cited desktop guidance.
Mobile upload and management controls may differ from desktop. Check the current instructions for the device you are using rather than assuming every surface offers the same file workflow.
Use and maintain a Skill
Invoke it or let Gemini select it
In chat, type / and select the Skill you want. Alternatively, leave a Skill turned on and Gemini may use it when it judges the request relevant. Google also says multiple Skills can be combined.
Edit, disable, download, or delete it
Manage Skills from the Skills page: you can activate or deactivate a Skill, edit its description and instructions, download it, or delete it. Google describes deletion as irreversible. If a Skill uses uploaded reference files, upload the full Skill again with those files when replacing them.
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Gemini Apps Skills are gradually rolling out, so the Skills control may not appear for everyone. Google’s current desktop help lists these requirements for the feature: be at least 18, use a personal Google Account, and have Keep Activity turned on. It says work or school accounts are not supported for this feature “for now.” The listed surfaces are the Gemini mobile app, the Gemini app on Mac, and gemini.google.com.
For iPhone and iPad, Google says the Skills page for full management is currently available at gemini.google.com, though conversational edits are supported on mobile. Managed organizational accounts should consult the help for their specific Gemini edition and administrator settings; personal-account rules should not be assumed to apply to business, enterprise, or education products. If Skills is missing, check the current Skills help and account eligibility because availability is staged.
These instructions concern Skills in Gemini Apps. Gemini in Chrome and Gemini Enterprise have their own product contexts and guidance, so do not assume their interfaces or requirements are identical.
The Tool Desk
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Google’s published transition schedule says Gems are planned to move to Skills in stages: November 2026 for personal Google Accounts, March 2027 for Workspace business, enterprise, and non-profit accounts, and June 2027 for Workspace education accounts. These are planned dates in Google’s help, not a guarantee that the schedule cannot change. Google says it will automatically transition Gems and supported files. If recreating one manually, transfer its name, description, and instructions to a Skill, then upload relevant supported files where needed. The transition FAQ also states a maximum of 100 active Skills.
Quick Recap
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