Google will close Opal and migrate Gems to Gemini Skills

Google will shut down Opal, its experimental no-code mini-app builder, on November 17, 2026, as it consolidates reusable Gemini workflows in Skills. Gemini will begin converting Gems, its custom assistants built from saved instructions and files, for personal accounts on the same date. Workspace migrations will follow in 2027, while Opal projects have no announced automatic migration path.

Skills let users save recurring instructions for tasks such as drafting weekly reports, rewriting copy in a specific voice, or summarizing PDFs. A saved Skill can be called with a slash command instead of a full prompt. Google’s announcement says the feature will roll out globally in the Gemini app.

Prompts become callable packages

Each Skill stores a set of instructions under a reusable name. Users invoke it by typing / followed by that name. Gemini can also generate Skills from earlier chats, run them when it detects a matching request, and chain several Skills to combine requirements such as writing style and brand guidelines.

Reference material can include text documents, PDFs, and images. Google also plans to support Google Drive files and notebooks as context, along with link-based sharing. Teams using shared files should verify access permissions after migration because sharing a Skill may not grant access to every attached resource.

Google says the format follows Anthropic’s open Agent Skills specification, a package convention also used in parts of OpenAI’s agent tooling. The common structure can reduce conversion work across compatible runtimes. Tool names, permissions, model behavior, and vendor-specific integrations can still require changes before a Skill works elsewhere.

The announcement focuses on Skills inside the Gemini app and does not detail an API, SDK, export mechanism, or execution guarantees for automatic matching. Developers planning programmatic workflows will need separate guidance from Google.

Opal leaves a migration gap

Opal allowed users to connect prompts, models, and tools in shareable visual workflows without writing code. Google credits the Labs experiment with influencing Gems by Labs and the broader idea of packaging repeatable AI workflows.

Skills center on reusable instructions and reference material, whereas Opal could coordinate multi-step visual flows and tool calls. Complex Opal projects may therefore require redesign rather than a direct prompt copy. Google has announced automatic conversion only for Gems.

The handoff runs into 2027

Google says Skills will gain remaining Gem capabilities during the rollout, including link sharing and support for Drive files or notebooks as context.

One surface replaces three

Google had been maintaining three overlapping customization systems: Gems in Gemini, Opal in Labs, and Skills in the Spark agent. Consolidating them around one package format reduces duplicated product work and gives Google a single surface for adding workflow features.

The change also expands access. 9to5Google’s report says Skills were previously limited to Gemini Spark, which required a paid Google AI subscription. The Gemini rollout extends them to free users, including people without Spark.

A checklist before the cutoff

• Opal builders: Inventory active projects and copy the prompts, reference assets, tool settings, and permission requirements needed to rebuild them before November 17, 2026.
• Gem owners: Review converted Skills after migration and retest outputs, attached files, slash commands, sharing links, and chained behavior.
• Workspace administrators: Identify shared Gems, confirm ownership, and check file permissions before the organization’s 2027 transition window.
• Cross-platform teams: Treat the shared Agent Skills structure as a starting point, then validate integrations and model-specific instructions in every target runtime.
• Application developers: Wait for API and SDK details before designing production systems that depend on programmatic Skill creation or invocation.