Gems and custom GPTs convert on the vendors' calendars, with tools and sharing left behind
OpenAI's FAQ says custom GPTs retire on December 11, 2026, and migrated plugins lose model choice, actions and sharing settings. Google is converting Gems into skills on a separate schedule, and a dev.to author advises copying instructions and files out first.
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Timeline: Gems begin converting to skills for personal Google Accounts in November 2026; custom GPTs retire December 11, 2026, or February 11, 2027 for Enterprise with approved deferral; Gems convert on Workspace business accounts in March 2027 and education accounts in June 2027.
- 2026Gems start converting to skills on personal Google Accounts, claim 1
- 2026Custom GPTs scheduled to retire on all ChatGPT plans, claim 7
- 2027GPTs retire for Enterprise workspaces with approved deferral, claim 7
- 2027Gems convert to skills on Workspace business accounts, claim 1
- 2027Gems convert to skills on education accounts, claim 1
| Date | Event | Claim |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Gems start converting to skills on personal Google Accounts | 1 |
| December 11, 2026 | Custom GPTs scheduled to retire on all ChatGPT plans | 7 |
| February 11, 2027 | GPTs retire for Enterprise workspaces with approved deferral | 7 |
| March 2027 | Gems convert to skills on Workspace business accounts | 1 |
| June 2027 | Gems convert to skills on education accounts | 1 |
What happened
- Google's help page sets the Gems-to-skills change for November 2026 on personal accounts, March 2027 on Workspace business accounts and June 2027 on education accounts.
- Google says skills do not work with Canvas or Deep Research yet, and most default Gem tools such as Create video, Create music and Guided learning are unavailable to them.
- OpenAI says that when a GPT migrates, its instructions turn into a skill within a plugin, its connected apps carry over as apps, and its knowledge files move across as the plugin's reference material.
- OpenAI migrates only the latest published version, so drafts and unpublished edits stay behind, and the original GPT turns read-only afterward.
Why it matters
- exposure A GPT shared with a team is the exposed case: the migrated plugin starts private, so its users lose their route to it until access is granted again.
- cost A GPT built around a custom action has a build to plan, because OpenAI's FAQ says rebuilding the action may need a custom MCP server.
- constraint Google allows only 100 active skills at a time, so a team with a large Gem library has to choose which ones stay on.
- decision OpenAI says a migrated plugin may respond differently, so teams must pick the prompts that form the before-and-after test and save good answers before converting.
The two vendors put the trigger in different hands. Google says it will recreate Gems as skills on its own, along with supported knowledge files [2]. OpenAI waits for the creator, who migrates each GPT from My GPTs once the option appears for the account [8]. On Google's side the copy happens whether or not you are ready. On OpenAI's side you pick the moment. That helps only if you have saved what the conversion will not take.
The dates are less firm than they look. The dev.to author read both help pages on October 13, 2026 [15], which leaves 59 days to December 11 [22]. Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral get until February 11, 2027 [7]. The author says both pages state that timing can differ by account [16].
Google's gap list is a snapshot. A Gem that pulled files from GitHub loses them, because skills do not support those files and they are not converted [4]. Sharing a skill and adding Google Drive files are listed as coming in the coming weeks [5]. If those ship before your account converts, two of the listed gaps close.
The author puts the export at about 20 minutes for a handful of assistants [17]. It starts with one text file per assistant holding the name, description and full instructions, with knowledge files downloaded into the same folder [18]. It also needs a note of what the assistant leaned on that is not text: the model, the tools and who it was shared with [19]. For a GPT, the author adds that publishing pending edits before you migrate does not require sharing it publicly [20].
We think that order is right. According to the author, the instructions are the part that converts cleanly on both sides, while tools, actions, model choice and sharing cannot be exported as text [21]. A written note is therefore the only record of the wiring. All of it rests on one dev.to author's reading of the two help pages on October 13.
What to watch
- Whether Google ships skill sharing and Drive file support before your account converts, since both are listed as coming in the coming weeks.
- When the migrate option appears in My GPTs for your account, because OpenAI ties migration to that appearance.
- Whether your Enterprise workspace gets the approved deferral to February 11, 2027.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence58
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap−5
- Incentives35
- Confidence55
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Google's help page says Gems transition to skills starting November 2026 for personal Google Accounts and in 2027 for work and school accounts, with March 2027 for Workspace business accounts and June 2027 for education accounts.
- [2]
When Gems are removed, Google says it will automatically recreate them as skills, along with supported knowledge files.
- [3]
Google's page says skills do not work with Canvas or Deep Research yet, and most default Gem tools (Create video, Create music, Guided learning) are not available to a skill.
- [4]
Files a Gem pulled from GitHub are not supported in skills, so they are not converted.
- [5]
Sharing a skill and adding Google Drive files to one are listed as coming in the coming weeks.
- [6]
You can make as many skills as you like but only 100 can be active at once.
- [7]
OpenAI's Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ says custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on December 11, 2026 (February 11, 2027 for Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral), and that the change affects all ChatGPT plans.
- [8]
Creators migrate each GPT to a plugin from My GPTs when the option shows up for their account.
- [9]
Per the FAQ, a GPT's instructions become a skill inside the new plugin, connected apps are added as apps, and knowledge files are copied into the plugin's reference files; existing conversations stay accessible after retirement.
- [10]
The GPT's selected model does not carry over in migration.
- [11]
Custom actions do not transfer; the FAQ says rebuilding one may need a custom MCP server.
- [12]
Sharing settings do not carry over: a migrated plugin starts private, and people who used the GPT do not get access to the replacement automatically.
- [13]
Migration uses the latest published version, so drafts and unpublished edits are left behind, and after migration the original GPT becomes read-only.
- [14]
OpenAI says a migrated plugin may respond differently and suggests saving a few familiar prompts to compare results before and after.
- [15]
The dev.to author read both help pages on October 13, 2026.
- [16]
Both pages say the timing of the change can differ by account.
- [17]
The author says exporting takes about 20 minutes for a handful of assistants.
- [18]
The author recommends pasting each Gem's and GPT's name, description and full instructions into one text or markdown file per assistant, and downloading the knowledge files into the same folder.
- [19]
The author recommends writing down what the assistant depended on that is not text: which model, which tools (Canvas, Deep Research, actions, connected apps) and who it was shared with.
- [20]
The author advises publishing unpublished GPT edits you care about before migrating, and says publishing does not require sharing the GPT publicly.
- [21]
The author says that in both migrations the instructions convert cleanly, while tools, actions, model choice and sharing are the parts each vendor is changing and the parts you cannot export as text.
- [22]
From October 13, 2026 to December 11, 2026 is 59 days.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- dev.toGemini Gems become skills in November and custom GPTs retire on December 11. What to copy out first.
1 article · October 13, 2026
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