Google’s Workspace Studio skills rollout began on 5 October 2026. That 16-day-old transition is still relevant because it is gradual: a Gemini app skill and a Workspace Studio skill are not automatically the same saved object. If an old flow ignores the procedure you expected, inspect which step and skill it actually uses before rewriting the instructions.
You enabled a skill, but the assistant answers in its usual format. First find out whether the skill was selected at all. A poor result after activation and no activation are different faults.
Make one explicit attempt
In Workspace Studio, check that the intended skill is turned on and selected in the flow’s Ask Gemini step. In the Gemini in Workspace side panel, use its documented @ mention for an explicit test. Do not assume an old Ask a Gem step calls a newly created skill. Existing Ask a Gem steps remain functional and editable until deprecation starting March 2027; Google no longer allows adding them to flows.
If the side-panel test works but the flow does not, compare the selected skill and the input sent to that step. A name like “Meeting decisions and open questions” helps distinguish it from an older “Helpful writing” copy. Renaming alone does not attach it to the flow.
Test a boundary case
Keep three small inputs: complete notes, notes missing a decision, and unrelated text. The missing decision should remain unknown rather than be invented. Use the same inputs in the explicit test and the flow step. Compare content and format, not merely whether a run says it succeeded.
Inspect the actual dependency
If the skill is selected but cannot read a file, check that tool and its account permissions. Changing the skill instructions will not create file access. Preserve the current version before editing, and repeat the same harmless sample after a change. Check the output of the selected step and its actual inputs; an enabled skill alone does not prove the flow used it.
When migrating a flow, copy its prompt first. Configure the new Ask Gemini step, select the Workspace Studio skill if available, and test on nonprivate sample data before deleting the old step. Google also requires updating later steps that used the old Ask Gem output variable. A correct-looking answer in one step does not prove the following step received the new result.