Create and manage Skills

This article describes how to create and manage Skills. Skills allow you to expand your chat capabilities by packaging custom instructions, system behaviors, examples, and scripts into reusable tools. You can create specialized skills for drafting content, running analytical workflows, or adhering to brand-specific guidelines.

Before you begin

If you do not see Skills in the left navigation menu of your web chat, check your edition availability and account permissions:

• In the Business edition, Skills are turned on by default. If the tab is missing, your administrator may have turned the feature off tenant-wide.

• In the account permissions, ensure you are signed in with your authorized corporate account and have access to generative AI features.

Administrator controls

The Skills feature and Skills sharing are turned on by default for users.

Administrator: Enable or disable skill sharing across your workspace

Manage whether team members can build, import, and run custom skills across your workspace.

1. On the General settings page, locate the Sharing section.

2. Find the Enable skill sharing option.

3. Click the toggle switch next to Enable skill sharing to turn sharing capabilities off and on.

Administrator: Enable or disable skill creation and usage for your team

Manage whether team members can build, import, and run custom skills across your workspace.

1. Click the   icon in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar.

2. Hover over the active team name in the popup menu.

3. Select Manage team from the submenu.

4. On the General settings page, scroll down to the Skills section.

5. Click the toggle switch next to Enable skills to turn team skills off and on.

Create a skill

You can build a skill using natural language instructions or by uploading an existing configuration package.

Option 1: Create a skill with Gemini

1. In the left navigation menu, click Skills.
2. Click the    Add button and select Create skill with Gemini.
3. Enter a Name and a clear Description. 

Tip: Write a descriptive summary explaining what the skill does and when to use it. Gemini uses this description to automatically match your skill to relevant chat prompts.

4. Provide prompt instructions in the chat box or manually edit the Markdown details.
5. Click Save. The skill is enabled by default.

Option 2: Upload a skill package

If you have a pre-packaged skill archive containing a SKILL.md file (and optional Python or Bash scripts):

1. In the left navigation menu, click Skills.
2. Click the + (Add) button and select Upload skill.
3. Drag and drop or browse for your .md or .zip file.
4. Click Import.

Browse and install skills

Add pre-built or shared skills to your workspace:

1. Click Skills in the left navigation menu.
2. Click + (Add)  and select Browse skills.
3. Filter by:
   • All: All available workspace skills
   • Google: Pre-built, Google-managed skills
   • Shared with me: Skills shared directly with you
4. Find the skill and click + Install.

Use skills in chat

Choose the most convenient method to run and apply skills directly within your conversation flow:

• Slash commands: Type / in the chat composer to open your installed skills list.
• Direct mentions: Type @SkillName followed by your prompt.
• Natural prompts: Describe what you want Gemini to do (for example, "Use the Brand Tone skill to review this announcement.").
• Automatic triggering: Gemini matches and applies relevant skills dynamically based on your request and the skill's trigger description.

Share your skills

Grant team members access to your custom workflows by distributing your skills through email:

1. Open Skills from the left navigation menu.
2. Click the  More options menu next to your skill and select Share.
3. Enter comma-separated email addresses.
4. Click Done.