Google announced Skills in Chrome, a new feature within Gemini in Chrome that allows users to save frequently used AI prompts as reusable, one-click tools. The feature rolls out starting today to help streamline AI-powered browsing workflows.
The problem Skills addresses is straightforward: users were repeating the same AI task across different web pages by re-entering identical prompts each time. A common example given is asking for ingredient substitutions to make a recipe vegan — a task that might need to be repeated across multiple recipe pages. Skills eliminates this friction by letting you save the prompt once and execute it instantly whenever needed.
To create a Skill, users write a prompt they anticipate reusing and save it directly from their chat history in Gemini. The next time the Skill is needed, users select it by typing a forward slash (/) or clicking the plus sign button in Gemini in Chrome, and the Skill runs on the current page along with any other tabs the user selects. Users can edit saved Skills and create new ones at any time.
Google has also launched a Skills library featuring ready-to-use templates for common workflows. Early testers have created Skills for health and wellness tasks like calculating protein macros for recipes, shopping workflows such as generating side-by-side spec comparisons across multiple tabs, and productivity tasks like scanning lengthy documents for important information. The library includes pre-built Skills for breaking down product ingredients, cross-referencing budgets with recipient interests for gift selection, and other frequently needed tasks.
Saved Skills are available on any signed-in Chrome desktop device, allowing users to access their custom workflows across multiple computers. Skills can be managed by typing a forward slash in Gemini in Chrome and clicking the compass icon.
Google emphasizes that Skills are built on Chrome's foundation of security and privacy, utilizing the same safeguards applied to prompts in Gemini in Chrome. Skills prompts request confirmation before taking certain actions, such as adding events to a calendar or sending emails. The feature also benefits from Chrome's layered protections, including automated red-teaming and auto-update capabilities to maintain security as threats evolve.