Skills in Google Gemini
How Gemini's equivalent of skills works — and how to rebuild a Skillagram skill inside it.
The short version
Gemini doesn't read the open SKILL.md format: there's no portable "skill" file you import or export. What it has is Gems — custom assistants you save once (a name, the instructions you want Gemini to follow, and a few reference documents) and call up when you need them. A Gem gives you a Gemini that starts out already briefed for a recurring task, so you don't rewrite the prompt every time.
So on Skillagram, a Gemini skill is shared as instructions you rebuild into a Gem, not a file you drop in.
What Gemini calls a "skill"
| Skillagram term | Gemini's equivalent |
|---|---|
| A skill | A Gem (custom assistant) |
| The skill's method / prompt | The Gem's Instructions (the saved system prompt) |
| A clause bank / reference | The files under Knowledge in the Gem |
A Gem bundles a name, an optional description, the instructions that govern its behavior, an optional default tool, and the Knowledge files it can draw on during the conversation.
Building a skill in Gemini (the realistic "import")
When you find a skill on Skillagram you want in Gemini, you recreate it as a Gem:
- Go to gemini.google.com and open the Gem manager (from your profile menu, or Explore Gems). New Gems can only be created on the web.
- Click New Gem and give it a name (e.g. the name of the skill you took from Skillagram).
- Paste the skill's method into Instructions: the task, the steps, the expected output format, the tone. This is where what the skill knows how to do actually lives. Google recommends detailed instructions (roughly 500–2,000 characters) — describe the context, the desired behavior, and the structure of the response.
- Add your firm's know-how under Knowledge: the reference documents the skill points to (e.g. a clause bank, a template, a checklist). Note: on a free account you can't upload PDFs or spreadsheets into Gems — that upload is reserved for paid plans.
- Save it and test it on a sample matter, comparing the result against the skill's expected output. Refine the instructions and repeat.
A useful distinction to know: a Gem acts only when you open it. Gemini's custom instructions, by contrast, apply to every conversation. If you want the method to apply only to a certain task, that's a Gem; if you want it to apply always, those are custom instructions.
Sharing a skill you built in Gemini
Gems are shared inside your Google Workspace organization — it works like sharing a file on Google Drive:
- Share a Gem with colleagues; recipients can use it, edit it, or make a copy.
- The reach of the sharing follows your organization's Drive settings: if Drive content can leave the organization, Gems can too.
- The admin decides whether Gem sharing is on, from Generative AI > Gemini app > Gems (on by default, switchable off at the domain, organizational-unit, or group level).
To share a skill outside your Workspace — e.g. to publish it on Skillagram — you export the human-readable instructions: the task, the steps, the output format, and the references it relies on. That's what another firm rebuilds on their side as their own Gem.
Availability and plans
Creating and using Gems is free for everyone (Google accounts, 18+); new Gems can only be created at gemini.google.com. Gem sharing and its admin controls are a Google Workspace feature (Business, Enterprise, and most editions). Some capabilities — uploading PDFs and spreadsheets into Knowledge, the more advanced models — stay tied to a paid plan.
Consistent doesn't mean correct. A Gem gives you the same method every time, but it doesn't guarantee the output holds up in your jurisdiction: citations, statutory references, and conclusions must always be verified by the lawyer, and the method must be adapted to your jurisdiction. Product features change quickly: if Gemini's interface has moved since this was written, check Gemini's official help or your firm's Google Workspace admin for the current steps.