Automate Drive, Gmail, and Google Chat actions with new steps

Automate Drive, Gmail, and Google Chat actions with new steps in Workspace Studio

To help teams automate everyday work and seamlessly connect tasks across Google Workspace, we are introducing four new automation steps in Workspace Studio Flows: Move Drive file, Copy Drive file, Send a Chat reply, and Reply to email.

These new steps give end users greater control over document management and cross-channel communications, enabling end-to-end automated flows directly from Workspace Studio. Admins will have settings to disable individual steps and to require end-user approval when these actions may share data with audiences outside of their organization.

Copy Drive file or folder: Make a copy of Google Drive files and folders when a flow runs to streamline template generation and intake processes.
Move Drive file or folder: Automatically move Google Drive files and folders, keeping project folders organized without manual file management.
Reply to email: Automatically send email replies within existing threads, preserving contextual conversation history for support, triage, and task tracking workflows.
Send a Chat reply: Post targeted, formatted replies into specific Google Chat spaces and threads, now complete with Markdown support for enhanced text styling, lists, and code blocks.

Getting started

Admins: This step is available by default if you allow Gemini for Google Workspace steps. Visit the Help Center to learn more about managing access to steps and starters in Workspace Studio.
End users: Try the feature in Google Workspace Studio. Visit the Help Center to learn more about these steps.

Rollout pace

Drive/Chat steps – Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains:
- Admin controls: Full rollout (1–4 days for feature visibility) starting on September 1, 2026
- Features: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on September 8, 2026
Gmail steps – Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains:
- Admin controls: Full rollout (1–4 days for feature visibility) starting on September 8, 2026
- Features: Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility) starting on September 14, 2026

Availability

Business: Business Starter, Standard, and Plus
Enterprise: Enterprise Standard and Plus
Education: Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus
Education Add-ons: Google AI Pro for Education; Teaching and Learning
Other Add-ons: AI Expanded Access

Resources

Google Workspace Admin Help: Workspace Studio
Workspace Studio Help: Get Started with Workspace Studio
YouTube: Workspace Studio Playlist
Discord: Workspace Studio Channel

Google has introduced four new automation steps in Google Workspace Studio Flows to help teams seamlessly manage cross-channel communications and document workflows. These new AI-powered “Agentic AI” additions remove the need for custom scripts or complex third-party tools, giving users direct, end-to-end control over their everyday document organization and messaging. [1, 2]

The 4 New Automation Steps

These steps expand what your custom Workspace AI agents can execute automatically after being triggered by a starter (like a scheduled time or a new email): [3, 4]

Move Drive file: Automatically changes the folder location of a file within Google Drive based on your criteria (e.g., relocating an invoice once it’s marked as paid). [1, 5]
Copy Drive file: Generates a duplicate file in a specified folder, making it easier to archive templates or back up files dynamically. [1]
Send a Chat reply: Enables your automation to send a threaded or direct response back into a specific Google Chat conversation or Space. [1, 6]
Reply to email: Automatically drafts or sends an email response in Gmail, allowing for instant, context-aware communication flows. [1, 2]

Admin Controls & Security

To ensure data security and compliance within organizations, Google has built specific administrative safeguards directly into these updates: [1]

Granular Disabling: Workspace Admins have the ability to toggle individual steps off if they do not align with company policies.
External Sharing Guardrails: Admins can enforce a policy that requires explicit end-user approval before an automation can execute an action that shares data with external audiences outside the organization. [1]

How to Access and Use

You can access Workspace Studio directly at studio.workspace.google.com or via the side panel shortcut within Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Chat. To use the new steps, you can either describe the automation you want using natural language (e.g., “When a new client document is uploaded, copy the Drive file to the Archive folder and reply to the email letting them know we received it”), or manually insert them as actions when building a custom flow from scratch. [3, 5, 7, 8]

Automate Drive