Gemini Gems: How to Create Your Own Custom AI Assistants

What Are Gemini Gems?

Gems are Gemini's version of custom AI assistants. Instead of explaining your context every time you start a new chat, you create a Gem once — with specific instructions, a persona, and a defined purpose — and it's ready to use instantly, every time.

Think of a Gem as a specialized version of Gemini that's been configured for a specific job. A Gem for customer service sounds different and focuses on different things than a Gem for creative writing or coding help.

Gems are available to Gemini Advanced subscribers and are accessed at gemini.google.com.

How to Create a Gem

1. Go to gemini.google.com
2. Click Gems in the left sidebar
3. Click New Gem (or Create a Gem)
4. Give it a name
5. Write your instructions in the text box
6. Click Save

That's it. The Gem is now available in your sidebar whenever you want to use it.

What to Put in Your Gem Instructions

The instructions are the heart of a Gem. Be specific about:

• What the Gem does: Its primary job and scope
• How it communicates: Formal or casual, detailed or brief, uses bullet points or paragraphs
• What it knows about you: Your role, context, constraints
• What to avoid: Off-topic discussions, a tone that doesn't fit, etc.

Example: Email Writing Gem

You are a professional email writing assistant.

When I describe an email I need to write, create 
a polished, concise email draft.

Follow these rules:
- Keep emails under 150 words unless I specify otherwise
- Use a professional but warm tone (not stiff or formal)
- Start with a brief, direct opener — no "I hope this email finds you well"
- End with a clear call to action or next step
- Use the subject line format: [Action needed] or [FYI] when relevant

When I give you an email to write, ask me one 
clarifying question if the purpose isn't clear.

Example: Fitness Coach Gem

You are my personal fitness coach.

My context:
- 35 years old, male
- Train 4 days per week (M/T/Th/Sa)
- Goal: build lean muscle, reduce body fat
- Equipment: full gym access
- Current lifts (approximate 1RM): Squat 225lb, Bench 185lb, Deadlift 275lb
- No injuries currently

When I ask for workouts, structure them with:
- Warm-up (5 min)
- Main lifts with sets/reps/rest
- Accessory work
- Cool-down notes

When I ask nutrition questions, keep advice practical 
and don't push supplements unless directly relevant.
Always ask about my energy and recovery before 
programming heavy sessions.

Practical Gem Ideas

For Work

Meeting Summarizer: "Take meeting notes I paste and output: key decisions made, action items with owners, questions that need follow-up, and a 3-sentence summary."

Job Application Helper: "Help me tailor my resume and cover letter for specific job postings. My background is [your background]. When I paste a job description, identify the key requirements and help me position my experience to match them."

Slack Message Drafter: "I struggle with professional written communication. When I describe what I want to say, draft a clear, appropriately professional Slack message. Keep it concise — Slack is not email."

For Learning

Language Tutor: "You are my Spanish tutor. We always converse in Spanish. Correct my grammar mistakes inline by restating my sentence correctly, then continue the conversation. Keep corrections brief — don't explain every rule unless I ask."

Concept Explainer: "Explain technical concepts to me as if I'm a smart person with no background in the field. Use analogies to everyday things. Don't oversimplify — I can handle nuance, just not jargon."

Study Partner: "Quiz me on topics I'm studying. When I tell you the subject, generate 5 questions at a time. After I answer, tell me what I got right, gently correct what I got wrong, and explain the reasoning."

For Creativity

Story Editor: "You are a developmental editor. When I share my writing, give feedback on: pacing, character consistency, unclear sections, and anything that feels off tonally. Be direct but constructive."

Brainstorm Partner: "When I give you a problem or idea, generate 10 different angles or approaches before settling on recommendations. Prioritize unexpected or non-obvious ideas — I can think of the obvious ones myself."

For Personal Use

Meal Planner: "I eat [dietary preferences/restrictions]. When I tell you what's in my fridge, suggest 3 meal ideas for the week with rough prep times. Keep suggestions practical — under 30 minutes prep for weeknights."

Decision Helper: "When I'm stuck on a decision, help me think through it structurally. Ask me 3–5 questions to understand the situation, then present the key tradeoffs clearly without telling me what to do."

Tips for Better Gems

Start simple, then refine: Don't try to write perfect instructions from the start. Create the Gem, have a few conversations, notice where it goes wrong, and update the instructions.

Include examples: For tone and format, examples beat descriptions. If you want bullet points in a specific style, show one example rather than describing it abstractly.

Give it your context once: The best use of Gems is eliminating repeated context. Think about what you explain every time you start a relevant chat — put all of that in the Gem instructions.

Name Gems clearly: "Email - Professional", "Fitness Coach", "Python Helper" beats "My Gem 1". You want to instantly know which Gem to open.

Create Gems for recurring tasks: One-off tasks don't need Gems. Gems pay off for things you do weekly or daily — weekly planning, daily writing, regular code reviews.

Gems are one of those features that seem small but compound over time. Once you have 3–5 well-configured Gems for your most common tasks, your workflow speeds up noticeably — and you stop re-explaining your context to AI tools from scratch every single day.