How to use the Announce via Gmail and Google Chat agent skill

What the Announce via Gmail and Google Chat skill does

An agent skill is a set of instructions that an AI agent can load when a task matches it. This skill gives the agent a short recipe for one job: sending a team announcement in two places at once, an email through Gmail and a message in a Google Chat space.

The skill depends on two companion skills, gws-gmail and gws-chat, and on the gws command-line tool, which the agent runs to send the messages. Once installed, asking the agent to announce something to your team should lead it to send both messages, not just draft them.

Install the skill with a ZIP file

Download the ZIP file for the skill from the page where you found this guide. Then choose one of the two install routes below.

For a personal setup, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project. You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.

• Personal use: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Project use: unzip into .claude/skills/ in the project folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Check what the skill needs before you use it

The skill will not work on its own. It needs the gws command-line tool (the binary is called gws), the gws-gmail and gws-chat skills, and a Google Workspace account with Gmail and Google Chat access. The account must be authenticated and configured through gws.

The skill runs scripts and uses the network, because the sending itself happens through the gws tool. Confirm that gws is installed and signed in to the right account before asking the agent to send anything.

• gws command-line tool (bin: gws)
• gws-gmail skill
• gws-chat skill
• Authenticated Google Workspace account with Gmail and Google Chat access, configured through gws

Ask the agent for an announcement

You do not need a special command to trigger the skill. Describe the announcement in plain language and say that it should go to your team by email and in chat. The agent should recognise the request as this recipe and run both sends.

Be specific about the recipients, the space and the wording. The skill's example uses a placeholder address and a fixed message, so the agent needs real values from you. Because the recipe sends immediately, it is safer to state the exact text you want than to let the agent write it.

• Example request: Announce to my team that the holiday schedule changes next Monday, by email and in our team Chat space.
• Name the recipient address and the Chat space you want to use.
• Give the exact wording if it matters.

Understand the two commands the skill runs

The recipe is two steps. The first sends an email with gws gmail +send, using a recipient, subject and body. The second posts a message to a Chat space with gws chat +send, using a space name and text.

The example in the source uses placeholder values: an address of team@company.com, the subject Important Update, and the space spaces/TEAM_SPACE. Replace these with your real values, or ask the agent to do so, and check them before the agent runs the commands.

• Step 1: email via Gmail
• Step 2: message via Google Chat

Safety notes before you send

The recipe sends immediately. It does not show you a draft to approve, so a wrong recipient, space or wording goes straight to real people. Treat every run as a live send.

The example text says the policy changes are attached, but the example command contains no attachment. Check that the message you send matches what you actually mean to share. Do not use this skill for large or sensitive audiences unless you have checked the recipients first.

• Confirm the recipient address and Chat space before the agent runs.
• Read the exact subject, body and text back to yourself first.
• Remember the skill only works with Gmail and Google Chat, so it is not suited to teams on other tools.

Tips for reliable announcements

Keep announcements short and specific, since the same core message appears in both channels. Use the chat message to point people to the email when the detail is longer, as the example does.

If you are a developer testing Google Workspace automation with gws, run the skill against a test address and a test space first. This shows you exactly what the agent will send.

• Use a test address and test space when experimenting.
• Keep the chat message short and point to the email for detail.
• Review the wording yourself when the announcement is important.