Google replaces Gemini Gems with Skills: What happens to your saved data?

Gems fans needn’t worry, though, as Google is replacing it with a streamlined, action-oriented system called Skills.

Meta’s Muse, which popularised dynamic Skills and agentic capabilities built directly into its interface, has reset expectations for what personal AI assistants should do. Rather than sticking to custom chatbots or persona-based prompts, Meta has found that users are increasingly favouring tool-using agents that are capable of executing multi-step workflows across apps.

Google now wants to do the same.

Why Google is retiring Gems

With Gems, Google wanted Gemini users to save repetitive system prompts, tone preferences, and domain-specific roles into reusable custom assistants. It was Google’s direct answer to OpenAI’s custom GPTs in ChatGPT.

Lately, with the surge of Meta Muse, user expectations have shifted overnight. It is evident that chat-based personas are giving way to action-driven agentic workflows, which is why Google has decided to align its product architecture with this industry shift. 

By retiring Gems and transitioning to a unified Skills framework, Google now wants to give Gemini users deeper integration, stronger tool execution, and more consistent agent behaviour.

So, what happens to your existing Gems?

Google confirmed that the phase-out of Gemini’s Gems will begin on November 17. If you have built custom Gems (which is why most of you are reading this), here is what you need to know about the transition:

Automated migration to Skills:

Google will convert existing user-created Gems into the new Skills structure. All custom prompt instructions, system rules, and attached reference files will be parsed and remapped to functional Skill triggers.

No manual rebuilding required: 

Creators will not lose their custom instructions. Your custom prompts will simply be executed under the new Skills framework, making them accessible alongside Gemini’s native agent capabilities. Hence, no full restart process is required for building the skills.

Enhanced capability: 

Unlike Gems, which functioned primarily as static chat prompts, Google’s new Skills will gain access to Gemini’s expanding suite of tool integrations, enabling them to handle complex multi-step actions.

When will Gems become Skills?

Advanced enterprise and paid Gemini subscribers will see the converted Skills feature first. Google will eventually rollout ‘Skills’ to general consumers over the coming weeks.

How to create new Skills in Gemini

Google says that creating custom Skills in Gemini is more intuitive and flexible than the process of creating Gems. You can create custom Skills directly on the web or mobile platforms using three primary methods:

Navigate to the Skills Hub:

– You can access this via the Gemini sidebar or main menu.

– Next, Open Gemini on the web browser or the mobile app. From the main sidebar navigation, select Skills to open your personal dashboard where active and saved workflows are managed.

Now, choose your creation method, i.e., interactive, manual, or file-based setup.

Click the ‘+ Create Skill’ button. You can build a skill using one of three pathways:

• Create with Gemini: Simply describe what you want the skill to do in plain English, and Gemini will automatically structure the underlying logic, triggers, and prompt parameters for you.
• Manual Builder: Fill out a structured form providing a Skill Name, a concise Description (which helps Gemini understand when to automatically activate the skill), and specific System Instructions.
• Upload Skill Package: Import existing standard SKILL.md files or .zip archives containing configuration scripts and context documents to instantly deploy complex developer tools.

Next, define Triggers and Actions

You need to configure how and when the skill activates.

– Set the specific trigger guidelines. Unlike Gems, Skills can be called explicitly in any chat window by typing a forward slash (/) or mentioning the skill with @. You can also toggle ‘Automatic Selection’, allowing Gemini to autonomously activate the skill whenever it detects a matching context or task.

Test and Stack workflows:

– You need to combine multiple skills for multi-step tasks.

– Save your skill to make it instantly active. Unlike the old Gems system — where you could only chat with one Gem at a time — the new system allows you to stack multiple Skills within a single session (e.g., triggering a /Research Summariser skill alongside a /Code Formatting skill) to execute complex, multi-stage workflows seamlessly.