How to Move From Gems to Skills Before Gems End

TL;DR:

• On personal Google accounts aged 18 and over, Gems become read only on 17 November 2026. You can open them but cannot use or edit them. Google removes them on 17 December 2026.
• Workspace accounts have longer: no sooner than 1 March 2027 for business and enterprise, and 1 June 2027 for education.
• Google converts Gems to skills automatically, but audio, video, archives and old .doc, .xls and .ppt files do not carry over, and most Gem tools, including Canvas and Deep Research, do not work with skills yet.
• Before 17 November, copy each important Gem's instructions, download its knowledge files, and save a few sample answers. After that date you cannot run the Gem to compare.
• Rebuild your most-used Gems by hand and test each one. A free copy-paste prompt below turns Gem instructions into a skill.

Who this guide is for

This guide shows you how to move from Gems to skills in the Gemini app. It is for anyone who built a Gem for repeat work, such as reports, minutes, lesson notes, customer replies or study help. You do not need to code.

If you have a personal Google account, you are working against the 17 November date. If you use a work or school account, you have more time, and the section on Workspace tells you what to do first.

We took every date, limit and button name from Google's own help pages on 8 November 2026, and the steps below follow those pages. We wrote them from that documentation and did not run them on a live account. Google is still rolling skills out and says more features are coming, so a button may have moved by the time you read this. The chama in the worked example is invented.

What happens to Gems, and when?

Personal accounts move first and Workspace accounts follow in 2027. These are Google's dates as of 8 November 2026.

If you read about 17 November elsewhere, check which account the page covers. Google's Workspace pages say that on that date Gems move to Settings, and users can keep creating, editing and using them. That applies to work and school accounts. Google's page for personal accounts says read only.

Google also says Opal and Gems by Google Labs go away in November.

How is a skill different from a Gem?

A Gem is a custom version of Gemini that you open and chat with. A skill is a saved set of instructions that Gemini uses inside any chat, and you can combine several in one conversation.

A Gem waits for you to open it, so a short description did it no harm. Google says Gemini checks only a skill's name and description to decide whether it applies, and advises starting the description with what the skill does, then listing situations with "Use when". A description written for a Gem may need rewriting.

What converts, and what does not?

Google says Gems convert automatically along with supported knowledge files.

Two more points to check. Google says a Gem reads the latest version of a Drive file, so a copy you download and upload will stop updating. And Google's Workspace page says migrated Gems arrive as inactive drafts that the creator must review and activate. The personal account page does not mention this, so check the state of each converted skill on your Skills page.

Which Gems should you rebuild by hand?

Rebuild the Gems you depend on, and let the automatic conversion handle the rest. This is our judgement, based on the risk of each kind of Gem.

A sensible timetable for a personal account looks like this.

• By 10 November: list your Gems and save everything (Step 1).
• By 12 November: capture your sample answers (Step 2).
• By 14 November: rebuild your top Gems (Steps 3 and 4).
• By 16 November: test each skill against its Gem (Step 5).
• By 16 December: download anything that did not transfer. Google removes Gems the next day.

Step 1: Save your instructions and knowledge files

Copy each Gem's details into a text file and download every knowledge file. This step protects you whatever happens later.

1. Open gemini.google.com on a computer.
2. Open the Gem from the sidebar. Look under More or Gems if you cannot see it.
3. Click Edit.
4. Copy the name, description and instructions into a plain text file.
5. Download each knowledge file. Google's instructions are to download them individually.
6. Put the files in a folder named after the future skill, in lowercase with hyphens, such as chama-minutes.
7. Write down any Drive files, the default tool the Gem used, and who else relies on it.

Keep your backup outside the skill folder, because everything inside that folder gets uploaded.

Gem backup/
  Gem record - Chama Minutes.txt
  Sample answers - Chama Minutes.txt
  chama-minutes/
    chama-constitution.docx
    minutes-template.docx

Use one record per Gem.

GEM RECORD
Name:
Description:
Instructions (full text):
Knowledge files:
Google Drive files:
Default tool:
Who else uses it:
Date saved:

Step 2: Save sample answers before 17 November

Run each important Gem on three real tasks and save the answers. Once Gems are read only, this is your only way to prove a skill is as good as the Gem it replaced.

A copy of the instructions tells you what the Gem was told to do. Sample answers show you what it did, including habits you never wrote down.

Pick one ordinary task, one awkward task and one where something is missing. Save your input and the Gem's full answer, side by side, in the sample answers file. Remove names and confidential details first.

Step 3: Rewrite the instructions as a skill

A good skill states when it applies, what you need to give it, the steps, the rules and what the result looks like. Gem instructions usually lean on a role, so they need some reworking.

Google's advice for Gems was to cover persona, task, context and format. Here is how those move across.

Google's own best practices for skills are to define when the skill should be used, keep the instructions focused and include examples of the expected output.

The free prompt: turn a Gem into a skill

Paste this into a new chat in Gemini or any other AI tool, then fill in the bottom part. Remove names and confidential details first.

Turn the instructions from one of my Google Gems into a skill
for the Gemini app. The Gem's details are at the bottom.

Work in two stages.

STAGE 1. Do not write the skill yet. Reply with:
a) What this Gem does, in two sentences.
b) The recurring situations where I would want it.
c) Every instruction that is vague or conflicts with another.
d) Anything that depends on a feature skills may not have:
   Canvas, Deep Research, Guided Learning, creating video or
   music, or live Google Drive files.
e) All your questions, together in one numbered list.

STAGE 2. After I answer, write one complete SKILL.md file.

Start the file with this block and put nothing before it:
---
name: lowercase-words-with-hyphens
description: "Does ... Use when ..."
---

Name rules: lowercase letters, numbers and single hyphens only,
64 characters at most, no hyphen at the start or end.

Description rules: keep it under 1,024 characters and inside
double quotes. Use single quotes within it if you need any. Start
with a verb saying what the skill does, in the third person. Then
write "Use when" and list the situations, in the words I would
use, even if I do not name the task directly. End with what it
should not be used for.

Then write these sections:
# [Skill title]
## What this produces
## What to ask for first
## Steps (numbered, each starting with a verb, one action each)
## Rules (each one written as: When [situation], [action],
   because [reason]. If I gave no reason, ask me for it.)
## Reference files (exact file names, what each is for and when
   to read it. If the answer is not in them, say so.)
## Output format
## Example (one good example of the finished result)
## Stop and ask when

Writing rules:

- Use only what I have given you. Do not invent steps, facts,
  people, prices, deadlines or policies. Mark anything uncertain
  [CHECK].

- Turn role-play lines such as "You are an expert" into plain
  standards of work. Keep a role only if it changes the tone
  the reader needs.

- Keep it to about one page if you can.

After the SKILL.md, add three short lists:

1. WHAT THE GEM DID THAT THIS SKILL CANNOT.
2. THREE TEST REQUESTS: two that should use this skill without
   naming it, and one similar request that should not use it.

3. WHAT I MUST CHECK BEFORE TRUSTING IT.

MY GEM'S NAME:
[paste]

MY GEM'S DESCRIPTION:
[paste, or write "none"]

MY GEM'S INSTRUCTIONS:
[paste]

MY KNOWLEDGE FILES (names only):
[list them]

A worked example (invented)

Here is a Gem built for a savings group we made up, Example Chama.

The Gem's instructions before:

You are a helpful secretary for our chama. Write minutes from the notes I give you. Be professional. Use the template in the knowledge file. Always follow the constitution. Put money in KES.

Its knowledge files:

The SKILL.md after:

---
name: chama-minutes
description: "Writes formal minutes for Example Chama meetings. Use when the user shares rough notes, a transcript or voice-note text from a meeting, even if they only say 'write this up'. Do not use it for loan decisions, letters or budgets."
---

# Chama minutes

## What this produces
Formal minutes the secretary can read out at the next meeting
and the chair can sign.

## What to ask for first
The meeting date, who attended and who chaired. If any of these
is missing, ask before drafting.

## Steps

1. Read minutes-template.docx and use its headings in order.
2. Sort the notes under those headings.
3. List each decision with the person responsible and the date.
4. Write every amount in KES, exactly as it appears in the notes.
5. End with a list headed "To confirm" for anything unclear.

## Rules

- When an amount is unclear, mark it [CHECK], because members
  rely on these figures when contributions are reconciled.

- When the notes mention a member's illness or family trouble,
  leave it out and tell the secretary, because minutes are read
  aloud to the whole group.

- When a decision touches loans or penalties, check it against
  chama-constitution.docx and quote the clause, because members
  can challenge a decision that breaks the constitution.

## Reference files

- minutes-template.docx: headings and layout. Read every time.
- chama-constitution.docx: read for loans, penalties and
  membership. If it does not cover the point, say so.

## Output format
A document following the template, one page where possible.

## Stop and ask when

- The constitution does not cover a decision.
- Two sets of notes disagree.

"Be professional" has gone, because nobody could check it. In its place are rules a secretary can verify. The sentence about illness is the kind of thing you learn by reading old outputs, which is another reason to save samples first.

Step 4: Create the skill in Gemini

Use the manual route if the Gem has no files, and add the upload step if it does. These steps come from Google's transition page.

Route A: no files.

1. Go to gemini.google.com and open Customize, then Skills, from the sidebar. Click More first if you do not see Customize.
2. Click Create, then Create manually.
3. Paste the name, description and instructions. If you used the prompt, paste the sections below the --- block as the instructions.
4. Click Create at the top.

Route B: with files. Do Route A first, then:

1. On the Skills page, click More options next to your skill, then Download.
2. Open the .zip file and move SKILL.md into your folder of Gem files.
3. Back on the Skills page, click More options next to the same skill, then Replace skill.
4. In the upload area, choose folder and select the folder holding SKILL.md and your files.
5. Click Upload to confirm.

A shortcut if you used the prompt. Save the output as a file called SKILL.md, put it in the folder with your files, then click Create, then Upload. Google also accepts a .zip whose main folder holds SKILL.md.

The folder name must match the skill name exactly. Uploading SKILL.md files works only in the Gemini web app and Mac app, so if you only use a phone, borrow a computer for this step. On a shared computer or at a cyber café, sign out afterwards and delete the downloaded files.

Google says you can create as many skills as you like, with up to 100 active at once. Gemini can apply only active skills automatically.

Step 5: Test the skill against the Gem

Test in a fresh chat and compare the results with the sample answers you saved. Do this before 17 November if you can, while the Gem still runs.

1. Same input, side by side. Run your three saved tasks through the skill and read the answers next to the Gem's. Look for anything lost: tone, order, a habit you relied on.
2. Call it by name. Type / and pick the skill. If this fails, the problem is the skill itself.
3. Let it fire on its own. Ask for the task in everyday words without naming the skill. If it stays silent, rewrite the description.
4. Try a near miss. Ask for something similar that it should leave alone. The open Agent Skills guidance calls these near-miss tests the most valuable kind of negative test.
5. Leave something out. Remove a required input and confirm it asks.
6. Test the files. Ask one question answered only in a reference file, and one that no file answers. The second should get an honest "that is not in the file".
7. Repeat. Behaviour varies between runs, and the same guidance suggests three runs per test as a starting point.

Your move checklist

Save (before 17 November)

• [ ] List every Gem and sort them using the table above
• [ ] Copy name, description and instructions for each one worth keeping
• [ ] Download every knowledge file
• [ ] Note Drive files and default tools
• [ ] Ask the owners of shared Gems for their instructions
• [ ] Save three sample answers per important Gem

Rebuild

• [ ] Remove personal and confidential details
• [ ] Convert .doc, .xls and .ppt files
• [ ] Keep each skill's files under 100 MB
• [ ] Remove hidden files such as .DS_Store
• [ ] Write a description that says when to use the skill and when not to
• [ ] Create the skill and upload its files
• [ ] Check the folder name matches the skill name

Test and finish

• [ ] Run all seven tests
• [ ] Activate the skills you want applied automatically
• [ ] After 17 November, open each converted skill and compare it with your own rebuild. Delete duplicates
• [ ] Before 17 December, download anything that did not transfer

Troubleshooting

Check the folder, the description and the tools the Gem relied on first.

What should Workspace users and team leads do?

You have until 2027, so use the time to rebuild your critical Gems early and check your automations. Google's admin guidance recommends notifying users, making sure skills are turned on, and having creators manually copy instructions and re-upload knowledge files before automated migration.

• Dates can move. Google's wording is "no sooner than", and it promises admins at least 30 days' notice before automated migration starts.
• Workspace rollout is delayed. Google's 13 October 2026 update says the launch of skills in Workspace Studio and Workspace apps is delayed, and gives no new date. The same update says skills had started rolling out in the Gemini app.
• Skills do not sync. A skill made in the Gemini app does not appear in Workspace apps, so you create it separately in each.
• Fix "Ask a Gem" flows. New "Ask a Gem" steps can no longer be added in Workspace Studio. Before March 2027, replace existing ones with an "Ask Gemini" step. If you used a view-only Gem shared by someone else, ask the owner to share the skill with you.
• Education. For Classroom and Gemini LTI, Google recommends moving to Gemini Notebook, with Guided Learning coming to Classroom.
• Age rules. Google's consumer help page requires users of skills to be 18 or older. Its Workspace announcement limits Workspace skills to over-18s and says skills in the Gemini app are open to all ages. If your learners are under 18, confirm with Google before you plan around either statement.

What should you keep out of a skill?

Treat a skill as a place for procedures and approved reference material. Leave out member lists, payroll, M-PESA statements, medical details, passwords and client files.

This matters more with skills because Keep Activity must be on. Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub says that with this setting on, your chats and uploads are saved in your Activity, and that Google uses this activity to develop and improve its services, including training generative AI models. Some chats are read by human reviewers, and those are kept for up to three years. Activity auto-deletes after 18 months by default, and you can change that to 3 or 36 months. Google advises against entering confidential data when the setting is on.

Check this against your own organisation's rules, especially if the Gem handled personal data. Our guides to data protection and AI in Kenya and AI usage policies for Kenyan organisations cover the Kenyan side. If your employer has moved everyone to a Workspace plan, ask your ICT team which terms apply.

Keep a copy that does not depend on Google

Download each finished skill and store it with your backup. A SKILL.md is an ordinary text file, so you can read and edit it anywhere.

Google says Gemini accepts SKILL.md files made on other platforms. The format began at Anthropic and is published as an open standard at agentskills.io, and Claude's help pages say the same skill format works across tools that adopt the standard. Test a skill in each tool you use, because features differ between them, and scripts that need internet access are not supported in Gemini.

Questions people ask

When do Gems stop working?

For personal Google accounts aged 18 and over, Gems become read only on 17 November 2026 and are removed on 17 December 2026. Workspace business, enterprise and non-profit accounts follow in March 2027, and education accounts in June 2027. Personal accounts under 18 move later, on a date Google has yet to give.

Will my Gems turn into skills automatically?

Yes, Google says Gems convert automatically along with supported knowledge files. Files that exceed the limit or use unsupported formats are left behind. Rebuild important Gems yourself anyway, because you can test a rebuild against the original only while the Gem still runs.

Can I still see my Gem after 17 November?

Yes, until 17 December. Google says you can still access your Gems but cannot use or edit them, or create new ones. After 17 December they are gone, so download any remaining files before then.

Do skills cost money?

Google says skills work in your chats without a Google AI subscription, though tasks and schedules need one. You must be 18 or older, signed in, and have Keep Activity on. Skills work in the Gemini mobile app, Mac app and web app, though uploading SKILL.md files needs the Mac or web app.

What happens to my old chats with a Gem?

Google's transition page does not say. Copy out any answer you want to keep before 17 December. Treat this as unknown until Google publishes more.

Can I share a skill with my team?

As of 8 November 2026, Google says sharing is coming "in the coming weeks". Until then, a colleague can upload the .zip you download from your Skills page, using the web app or Mac app. They will have their own copy, so later changes you make will not reach them.

Is there a limit on how long a skill can be?

Google's page gives no limit for instructions, though files cap at 100 MB. The open specification recommends keeping SKILL.md under 500 lines and limits the description to 1,024 characters. In our view one page is a better target for most office tasks.

My Gem uses Canvas or Deep Research. What now?

Those tools do not work with skills yet, though Google says more Gem features are coming. Save the instructions now. Meanwhile, run the skill for the writing and use Canvas or Deep Research separately in its own chat.

Sources

• Google, "About the transition from Gems to skills" (Gemini Apps Help), last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "Create & manage skills for Gemini Apps", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "Use Gems in Gemini Apps", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "Write effective skills for Gemini Apps", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "Tips for creating custom Gems", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "Gemini Apps Privacy Hub", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google Workspace Help, "About the transition from Gems to skills" (admin guidance), last checked 8 November 2026
• Google Workspace Updates, "Introducing skills in the Gemini app and Workspace, plus what's next for Gems", last checked 8 November 2026
• Google, "How Gems transition to skills impacts Workspace Studio flows", last checked 8 November 2026
• Agent Skills, overview, last checked 8 November 2026
• Agent Skills, specification, last checked 8 November 2026
• Agent Skills, "Optimizing skill descriptions", last checked 8 November 2026
• Claude Help Center, "What are skills?", last checked 8 November 2026

Where FuKazee fits in

FuKazee trains people in practical AI for the work in front of them, and we have trained more than 3,000 people. We assume nobody in the room knows AI yet, avoid jargon, show the free version of each feature and do not push any single tool. Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft 365 Copilot all save reusable instructions in their own way, and the habit of writing clear, testable instructions carries across them. Nobody becomes an expert in a few days, so we build sessions around the tasks your team repeats each week.

Training also fades when it stays in the room, a problem we cover in why corporate AI training doesn't stick. See how we work with teams on our page for AI training in Kenya.

If your team has Gems to move, or wants to build its first skills, email us at lead@fukazee.com.