Chrome adds reusable 'Skills'
Google unveiled a new Chrome feature called “Skills,” which lets users save and reuse AI prompts—think recipe tweaks or other repeatable tasks—so the browser remembers custom prompt setups. (Google posted a demo on X showing how Skills work and the announcement drew thousands of engagements.) (x.com)
Google is rolling out a Chrome desktop feature called Skills that saves Gemini prompts so people can run the same AI task again with one click. (zdnet.com) Google began the rollout on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. ZDNET reported the feature is arriving for Chrome desktop users whose browser language is set to United States English. (zdnet.com) Skills work inside Ask Gemini in Chrome, the sidebar chat tool that can answer questions about a page and reference content across multiple tabs. To reuse one, users can type a forward slash or click the plus button and pick a saved prompt from a menu. (zdnet.com) In practice, a Skill is a saved instruction template. Google’s examples include swapping vegan ingredients into recipes, comparing products opened in several tabs, and pulling key details out of long documents. (theverge.com) Google is also launching a Skills library with prebuilt prompts for common tasks. ZDNET said users can save those templates to their own list and edit them later. (zdnet.com) The feature lands as Google pushes more artificial intelligence directly into Chrome instead of keeping it in a separate chatbot tab. Chrome developers already offer built-in AI tools, including a Prompt Application Programming Interface that sends natural-language requests to Gemini Nano in the browser. (developer.chrome.com) That underlying system is built for local, on-device use on desktops and laptops. Google’s Chrome developer documentation says Gemini Nano in Chrome is not available on mobile devices, and the built-in AI model can run after its initial download without sending data to Google or a third party. (developer.chrome.com) Google has been widening those browser AI tools over the past year. Chrome’s built-in AI documentation says the Prompt Application Programming Interface entered an origin trial in Chrome 138, while Gemini Nano support expanded to English, Spanish, and Japanese from Chrome 140. (developer.chrome.com 1) (developer.chrome.com 2) Skills turns that technical groundwork into a consumer feature: less typing, more repeatable browser tasks. For Chrome users who already ask Gemini the same question over and over, Google is now turning that habit into a saved shortcut. (theverge.com)
