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Gemini Skills FAQ

Fifteen direct answers about the Gems to Skills migration: deadlines, disabled drafts, file types, the 100 skill limit, app versus Workspace syncing, and the features that do not carry over.

Last updated: October 5, 2026 · Answers aligned with Google Gemini help documentation

Basics and deadlines

What is a skill in Gemini?

A skill is a reusable instruction set you invoke with a slash command, or that Gemini applies automatically when it decides the skill is relevant. It replaces Gems. Structurally, a skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file — Markdown with a YAML frontmatter block holding a name and a description.

What is the deadline to convert?

Two dates matter. October 13, 2026 is the last day you can create or edit Gems in the Gemini app. November 17, 2026 is when personal account Gems are converted and support ends.

Why is Google retiring Gems?

Skills unify several older formats into one command-driven framework. Instead of opening a side panel and picking one configuration per session, you type a slash command, Gemini can apply a skill automatically when it is relevant, and several skills can be combined in a single chat.

How do I call a skill in Gemini?

Type a forward slash / in the Gemini chat box and pick the skill from the list. Google has said it will move to the @ symbol later. Gemini can also detect when a skill is relevant and apply it automatically, so you do not always have to invoke it yourself.

Migration behaviour

What happens to my Gems on November 17, 2026?

Personal Gems are shut down and automatically rebuilt as Skills. Google preserves the name, description, custom instructions and uploaded knowledge files — but each migrated Gem arrives as a disabled draft that you must open, review and activate yourself.

Are Gems automatically converted to skills?

Yes. Google automatically recreates your Gems as Skills when Gems are removed. You can also convert manually ahead of time: open the Gem, download all knowledge files, create a new Skill, and copy the details across.

Do I need to do anything before the migration?

No, migration is automatic. But automatic is not the same as instant. After November 17 you still have to open each converted Skill, check it, and enable it. Copying your Gem instructions to a document beforehand takes ten minutes and removes the risk of losing work you spent time on.

Why are my migrated Gems showing as drafts?

Because Google deliberately does not enable converted Skills for you. A migrated Gem appears in your Skill list as an inactive draft. You must review and activate each one — until you do, it cannot be used or shared, and teammates lose access to what was a shared Gem.

What happened to the chats that used my Gem?

A Gem used to have its own page listing your recent chats with it. Skills do not. Because a skill can be used in any chat, those conversations now appear in the normal side panel instead, and you lose the per-Gem chat grouping.

How do I find conversations that used a specific skill?

Skills do not have their own conversation page. Chats that used a Gem now appear in the normal side panel, so look there rather than looking for a per-skill list.

What happens to Gems published by Google Labs?

They are shut down in November 2026 with no stated conversion path. If you relied on one, document what it did while you still have access and rebuild it yourself as a skill.

Limits and file types

Will skills have the same functionality as Gems?

No. Google states that Skills work with some but not all features. Canvas, Deep Research, Create video, Create music and Guided learning do not work with Skills yet. Connected Apps, including Workspace apps, do work. Treat this as a current gap rather than a permanent limit.

How many skills can I create?

You can have up to 100 skills active simultaneously. There is no practical limit on how many templates you create, but only 100 will be active at once.

What file types can I upload to a skill?

Total uploads are capped at 100 MB across all files. Plain-text formats work: .txt .md .rst .rtf .tex .log, code files like .py and .sh, data and config like .json .yaml .csv .toml .xml .sql, and web files like .html .css .svg. Rich media including .pdf, .jpg and .png is supported. Binary formats such as .docx, .doc and .xlsx are not.

Can I batch transfer Gem knowledge files to a skill?

No. Knowledge files must be uploaded one at a time. You can download the skill and re-upload it together with its files, but there is no bulk conversion path.

Why is my SKILL.md upload rejected?

Two rules fail an upload if you miss them: the name inside SKILL.md must be all lowercase with words separated by hyphens, and scripts cannot make requests to external websites. Other common causes are uppercase letters, leading or trailing hyphens, consecutive hyphens, a name that does not match its folder, a description over 1024 characters, or binary files such as .docx.

Why does my skill load but never trigger?

Usually the description, or a folder-name mismatch. The name inside SKILL.md must equal the parent folder name exactly — if they differ, the upload succeeds and the skill appears but never fires. And the description must state both what the skill does and when to use it.

Platform and syncing

Do skills sync between the Gemini app and Google Workspace?

No. Skills created in the Gemini app and Skills created in Google Workspace do not currently sync automatically. If you use both surfaces, create the skill twice and manage them separately — uploading the same SKILL.md file into each is faster than retyping it.

Can I use a skill I created on another platform?

Yes in practice. Skills are built on the open, Markdown-native SKILL.md standard, which is also used by Claude and ChatGPT. A skill you write once is no longer locked to one vendor — something a Gem never offered.

Does this apply to Workspace and enterprise accounts?

The October and November 2026 dates apply to personal accounts. Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts lose Gems in March 2027, and education accounts in June 2027. The Opal experiment shuts down in November 2026 alongside Gems.

Full migration timeline