Gems: agents with Workspace in their bones.
Gems are Google's answer to Custom GPTs. They're custom Gemini agents with system prompts, instructions, and access to your Workspace data. Where Custom GPTs are tools you bolt onto ChatGPT, Gems are tools that live inside the Google ecosystem — and that integration is the main reason to build them.
Workflow 01 Build your first Gem
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The four-section instruction pattern that works
Like Custom GPTs, the difference between a useful Gem and a useless one is the quality of the system instructions. The pattern below is dependable.
The prompt that works
Gem instructionsGem instructions for an 'Email triage Gem':
## Identity
You are an email triage assistant. Your job is to help me decide what to do with each email without me having to read it in full.
## What you do
When I paste an email or summarize one:
1. Categorize: [Action], [Reply], [Read], [Skip]
2. If [Action] or [Reply], suggest the next step (specific, not 'follow up')
3. If [Reply], draft a 3-5 sentence response in my voice (see references)
4. Flag any deadlines or commitments mentioned
## Voice for drafts
[Paste 2-3 examples of your real email replies]
Match this voice — direct, short sentences, no AI tells.
## What you don't do
- Don't pad with 'I'd be happy to help' or 'Hope this finds you well'
- Don't suggest meetings unless the email explicitly requests one
- Don't reply on my behalf — drafts only
Best use cases
- Email triage (your inbox, your voice)
- Document review in a specific style
- Research synthesis for your domain
- Customer-facing draft generation
Gems with vague instructions produce vague output. Be specific about what to do AND what not to do.
Time savings: A well-built Gem: 5 min/use × 20 uses/week = 100 min/week saved.
Workflow 02 Workspace-connected Gems
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Connect Gems to your Drive, Gmail, and Calendar
The Gems advantage over Custom GPTs: native Workspace access. A Gem can search your Drive, read your Gmail, check your calendar — without separate connector setup.
The prompt that works
Workspace-aware GemConfigure a Gem with Workspace access:
1. In Gem settings, enable: Drive search, Gmail read, Calendar read
2. Specify which folders or accounts (don't give it access to everything — scope it)
3. In the instructions, tell the Gem WHEN to use Workspace context:
- 'When I mention a person, look up our most recent emails to understand context'
- 'When I ask about a project, search Drive for related docs before answering'
- 'When I ask about my schedule, check the calendar before responding'
This turns a generic Gem into something that knows your life — without you having to paste context every time.
Best use cases
- Personal meeting-prep Gem (always pulls recent emails and calendar)
- Project status Gem (knows where your project docs live)
- Customer-context Gem (pulls account history per question)
- Daily standup Gem (summarizes calendar + open tasks)
Workspace permissions are powerful — be careful about Gems you share with others. Their Workspace access travels with the Gem instructions but applies to whoever runs it.
Time savings: Auto-context: 2-3 min per query of pasting in.
Workflow 03 Sharing Gems with your team
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Internal Gems for shared workflows
Gems can be shared inside a Workspace org. Useful for team-wide patterns: shared support drafters, shared sales templates, shared report builders.
The prompt that works
Team GemsSharing patterns that work:
• **Team email drafter** — shared Gem matched to the team's customer-facing voice. Everyone produces consistent drafts.
• **Onboarding helper** — shared Gem new hires can ask about company info, processes, where to find things
• **Sales context Gem** — shared Gem that knows your competitive landscape, common objections, ICP
• **Code review Gem** — for engineering teams, encoded with your style guide and patterns
When sharing:
- Use clear naming ('Acme Sales Gem v2' not 'mySalesGem')
- Document who owns it and when it was last updated
- Set a quarterly review reminder — outdated team Gems mislead people
Best use cases
- Department-wide drafting consistency
- Onboarding new team members
- Cross-team alignment on standards
- Company-wide AI literacy tooling
Team Gems without an owner go stale fast. Always assign an owner who's responsible for quarterly review.
Time savings: Team consistency: hours of inconsistency cleanup avoided.
Build one Gem you'll use this week
Pick a repetitive task you do at least 3x/week. Build a Gem using the four-section pattern. Connect Workspace if relevant. Use it 5 times this week and refine the instructions based on what's not working.
What you can do now
- Use the four-section instruction pattern (Identity, What you do, Voice, What you don't do)
- Scope Workspace access narrowly — folders and accounts, not 'all of Drive'
- For team Gems, assign an owner with quarterly review responsibility
- Iterate on Gem instructions based on real use, not theory
- Replace shared Custom GPTs with Workspace-native Gems when possible