How to Create Skills in Gemini (Gems Are Becoming Skills)

The short version

A skill is a saved set of instructions Gemini can use in any chat. Unlike Gems, you don’t switch to a separate chat: type / and pick the skill, or let Gemini apply it on its own when your request matches. You can stack several in one chat.

Step by step

1. Go to gemini.google.com (or the Gemini app on Mac) and sign in. You need to be 18 or over with Keep Activity on.
2. In the sidebar, click Customize (under More if you don’t see it), then Skills at the top.
3. Click Create, then pick one:
   • Create with Gemini: describe the job and answer its questions.
   • Create manually: fill in the name, description and instructions yourself.
   • Or start from a template under Recommended.
4. Optional: click Add to attach files, such as a price list or a style guide, from your device, Drive, Photos or a notebook.
5. Click Create.
6. In any chat, type / (Google says this is changing to @) and choose the skill.

You can also just say in a chat: “Create a skill based on these instructions: …”

Write a skill that gets used

Google’s advice, in short:

• Name it with a verb, lowercase with hyphens: reply-to-customer-reviews, not review-helper.
• Describe when to use it. Gemini reads only the name and description to decide whether a skill fits. Start with what it does, then “Use when…”.
• Keep instructions short: steps, formatting rules and common mistakes, not an essay.
• Include a template if the output has a fixed shape.

Prompts to copy

Let Gemini build it with you:

Create a skill that drafts my weekly client update emails. Ask me about my clients,
my tone and the sections I always include before you write it.

A skill written by hand (paste into Create manually):

Name: reply-to-customer-reviews
Description: Drafts short public replies to customer reviews for a family restaurant.
Use when I paste a Google or Yelp review and ask for a reply.

Instructions:
1. Thank the reviewer by first name if given.
2. For complaints: apologize once, address the specific issue, invite them to email manager@[domain].
3. Never offer refunds or discounts in public.
4. Under 60 words. Warm, plain, no exclamation marks.
Common mistakes: repeating the complaint back in detail; sounding defensive.

Example

Before: every time you reply to a review, you paste the same paragraph of rules.

After: you paste the review and type “Reply to this.” Gemini spots that the skill fits and uses it, or you type / and pick it. Need it in a formal tone for one case? Just say so in that chat.

Mistakes to avoid

• One giant skill. Make one skill per job and combine them.
• A vague description. “Helps with writing” means Gemini won’t know when to use it.
• Waiting until December. If your Gem has files, download them now; Google says audio, video, .zip and old Office files (.doc, .xls, .ppt) don’t carry over.
• Expecting skills everywhere. Google says most skills don’t yet work with Canvas, Deep Research, video creation or Guided Learning.

Good to know

To move a Gem yourself, Google suggests copying its name, description and instructions into a new skill via Create manually. To turn a skill off without deleting it, open it and click More > Deactivate. Skills also work with connected apps like Gmail and Calendar.

Related: write better Gemini prompts and schedule actions in Gemini.