How to Use Google Workspace Studio: Skills, Flows and Setup

Workspace Studio is Google's control room for teaching Gemini how your business works. You write a set of instructions once, call it a skill, and then use it anywhere Gemini appears in Workspace. You can also wire skills into flows that run on their own, which is how Google's new Meet next steps feature works behind the scenes.

It's had a busy few weeks: skills started rolling out in the Gemini app on 13 October, but Google also said skills in Workspace are delayed. Here's what you can do now, how to set things up, and what to watch for.

Skills and flows: the two halves of Workspace Studio

Part	What it does	Example
Skills	Reusable instructions you give Gemini	A brand guidelines skill that rewrites emails and slides in your voice
Flows	Automations that run steps for you	Meet next steps drafting a follow-up after a call
Templates	Ready-made skills to start from	A fill-out-this-template skill for proposals

How to create a skill in Workspace Studio

1. Go to studio.workspace.google.com.
2. Click Skills on the left.
3. Under Templates, pick a skill. If it says Turn on, it activates straight away and opens the editor so you can test it. If it says Customize, review the instructions and click Add to my skills.
4. Edit the instructions to suit your business and click Update.
5. Turn it on, then use it from the Gemini side panel in Gmail, Docs, Slides or Chat.

Two quicker ways to build a skill

From Google Docs

Open a doc, click Ask Gemini, then Tools and Skill builder, and describe what you want. You can share the doc so colleagues help shape the instructions. The catch: you must click Make this skill in Studio and then Turn on. If you stop after Gemini generates the instructions, Google says the skill isn't created or saved. Each collaborator who clicks it gets their own copy.

From the Gmail side panel

Just ask. Google's own example is: "Create a skill that scans incoming customer emails and drafts a reply using our standard refund policy." Gemini writes the instructions and sets up the skill. Test it, turn it on, and you can @mention it in the side panel or add it to an Ask Gemini step in a flow.

Skill instructions worth copying

These are written to paste into the skill builder or the Gmail side panel:

Copy this prompt

Create a skill called Brand Voice that rewrites any draft email, doc or slide in our tone: warm, plain British English, short sentences, no jargon, and always ending with one clear next step.

Copy this prompt

Create a skill that turns a client enquiry email into a short reply: thank them, answer their question in two sentences, and suggest two times for a call next week.

Copy this prompt

Create a skill that fills in our project brief template from my meeting notes, leaving any missing fields highlighted for me to complete.

Copy this prompt

Create a skill that summarises a long email thread into decisions, open questions and actions with owners.

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Copy this prompt

Create a skill that checks a draft newsletter for typos, repeated words and anything that sounds too salesy, and lists the fixes.

Turning skills off, updating and deleting them

Skills aren't set in stone. Go back to Workspace Studio, click Skills, then pick the one you want under My skills. From there you can make changes and click Update, or switch it off or delete it entirely. If you built a skill from a Google Doc and later improve the instructions in that doc, you can sync the changes into Studio from the skill's More options menu. Google notes the sync option only shows if you refresh the page.

What to know before you rely on it

• Rollout is uneven. Google says skills are rolling out gradually, and on 13 October it delayed skills in Workspace until further notice, while skills in the Gemini app continue rolling out to mid-November.
• Your admin decides. Admins control whether you can use skills and whether you can share them outside your organisation.
• Editions matter. Skills in Workspace are for Business Starter, Standard and Plus, Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus, Google AI Pro for Education and AI Expanded Access, and only for users over 18.
• Flows can run without you. Check the Activity view for any flow before trusting it with client-facing work.

For more Gemini ideas, my Gemini prompts for business owners make good starting points for skill instructions, and this explainer on what Gemini 3 is covers the models underneath.

Tools that work with Google Workspace Studio

Named here, not linked:

• Gmail, where you can create and use skills from the Gemini side panel.
• Google Docs and Slides, for skill building and brand-consistent drafts.
• Google Chat, via Ask Gemini.
• Google Meet, whose post-meeting next steps run as flows.
• Google Tasks, a destination for action items from flows.
• The Gemini app, which has its own version of skills.

If you'd like help writing skills that capture how your business does things, that's work I do with teams.

My verdict

Workspace Studio is where Gemini stops being generic and starts sounding like your business. Start with one skill you'd use daily, such as brand voice or enquiry replies, test it on real emails, and only then build flows around it. Given the delayed rollout, check with your admin what's switched on before you plan your week around it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Google Workspace Studio?

It's Google's place to build and manage Gemini skills, which are reusable instructions, and flows, which are automations, across Gmail, Docs, Slides, Chat and Meet.

How do I open Workspace Studio?

Go to studio.workspace.google.com while signed in to your work account. Skills and Flows are on the left.

Why can't I see skills in Workspace Studio?

Skills are rolling out gradually, Google delayed skills in Workspace on 13 October, and your admin controls access. Check with your Workspace admin.

Why didn't my skill from Google Docs save?

Google says you must click Make this skill in Studio and then Turn on. Generating instructions alone doesn't create or save the skill.

Can I use a skill inside a flow?

Yes. Once a skill is turned on you can add it to an Ask Gemini step in a Workspace Studio flow.