Tired of typing the same long prompt into Gemini again and again? On Wednesday, the Gemini app introduced "skills," which it describes as "saved sets of instructions for specific tasks that you do time and time again."

Skip the repetitive prompting and jump straight to the results with skills in Gemini.

Skills are saved sets of instructions for specific tasks that you do time and time again. Think of a skill like a shortcut, ready whenever you need it. 🧵

— Google Gemini (@GeminiApp) September 30, 2026

Think of a skill as a saved shortcut. You write your instructions once, name them, and call them up whenever you need them. Google says skills are rolling out in Gemini chat globally, starting today.

How to use skills

Here's the basic process on the web, according to Google's help page:

1. Go to gemini.google.com, open Settings in the sidebar, and choose Skills.
2. Click "Create with Gemini" to build one by chatting, use a template, or click "Create manually" and add a name, description and instructions.
3. In any chat, type a forward slash (/) and pick your skill.

You can also just ask Gemini in a chat to create a skill for you. Google says the slash shortcut will soon change to the @ symbol.

Skills do more than save typing. Gemini can pick a matching skill on its own, and you can stack several at once, like a writing-style skill plus a brand-guidelines skill. Skills can also include files such as PDFs and images. Google's examples include presentation prep, emails in your own voice, and getting three to five viewpoints on a topic.

Skills vs Gems

Gems, Gemini's custom assistants since 2024, also save instructions. The difference is how you use them. A Gem is a separate bot you open from the side panel before you start chatting. A skill works inside any chat, and you can combine several.

Skills are also replacing Gems. Google says Gems will go away for personal accounts starting in November, Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts in March 2027, and education accounts in June 2027. Your Gems will be turned into skills automatically. We covered the switch on Monday.

Skills can't do everything Gems do yet. Sharing skills and adding Google Drive files will arrive "in the coming weeks," and Google's transition FAQ says most Gem tools, including Canvas, Deep Research and video creation, don't work with skills for now.

Who can use skills

You need to be 18 or older and signed in with a personal Google account. Work and school accounts will follow in the coming weeks. Google's help page says no paid Google AI subscription is needed. Skills work on the web, mobile and Mac apps, but uploading skill files is web and Mac only for now. The rollout is gradual, and Google hasn't said which languages are supported.

If you keep a notes file full of favourite prompts, this is the feature meant to replace it.