Google Opal integrates with Gemini to let anyone build AI mini-apps using natural language

Google's vibe-coding tool Opal comes to Gemini | TechCrunch

Google's vibe-coding tool, Opal, is making its way to Gemini. The company on Wednesday said it is integrating the tool, which lets you build AI-powered mini apps, inside the Gemini web app, allowing users to create their own custom apps, which Google calls Gems. Introduced in 2024, Gems are customized versions of Gemini designed for specific tasks or scenarios. For instance, some of Google's pre-made Gems include a learning coach, a brainstorming assistant, a career guide, a coding partner, and an editor. Opal, meanwhile, focuses on helping users create mini-apps or mix existing apps. To use the feature, users describe the app they want to make in natural language, and the tool will use the different Gemini models to create it. Now, Opal is directly available from Gemini on the web, where it's found in the Gems manager. The tool has a visual editor that lays out the steps required to create an application. From the editor, users can rearrange steps and link them together, without writing code. Google notes that the visual editor also includes a new view in Gemini that will take the user's written prompts and turn them into a list of steps. This makes it even easier to build apps and see how they work. For more advanced customization options, users can move from Gemini to the Advanced Editor at opal.google.com. The mini apps can be reused after they're created. Known as "vibe-coding," using AI to program and make apps has skyrocketed in popularity over the past couple of years. The market now has apps from startups like Lovable and Cursor, as well as offerings from AI providers like Anthropic and OpenAI. There are also tools focused more directly on consumers, like those from AI-powered app-building startup, Wabi.

Gemini web app just got Opal where you can build mini apps with no code

Google Labs' Opal is now in Gemini's Gems manager, letting you chain prompts, models, and tools into shareable workflows. Opal is now inside the Gemini web app, which means you can build reusable AI mini-apps right where you already manage Gems. If you've been waiting for an easier way to create custom Gemini tools without writing code, this is Google's latest experiment to try. Google Labs describes Opal as a visual, natural-language builder for multi-step workflows, the kind that chain prompts, model calls, and tools into a single mini app. Google also says Opal handles hosting, so once an app's ready, you can share it without setting up servers or deploying anything yourself. Go to Gems manager and try it now To find Opal in the Gemini web app, head to your Gems manager and look for the Opal option to create experimental Gems. From there, you can type what you want the mini app to do in plain language, then edit the generated workflow and reuse it later for the same task. Recommended Videos Google's pitch is speed-to-prototype. Instead of rebuilding the same prompt chain every time, you can turn it into something you can run again and again. A new step list view Opal's editor is also getting a clearer way to understand what you've built. Google says you'll see a view that converts your prompt into a step-by-step list, so it's easier to spot what each part does and where a change should go. That's a practical upgrade because "no code" only works if editing stays approachable. If a single step is off, you can tweak that step instead of rewriting the whole thing. If you need more control, Google points builders to the Advanced Editor at opal.google for finer-grained edits. Think of Gemini's Opal entry point as the quick build path, and the Advanced Editor as the place you go when workflows get complex. Both are available today: Opal in the Gemini web app via Gems manager and the standalone Advanced Editor at opal.google. Try it out now and compare it to the best AI tools out today.

Google's Opal explained: How Gemini now lets you build apps by describing ideas

Build AI mini apps without coding using Google Opal in Gemini For years, building even a simple app meant choosing a programming language, setting up frameworks, and wrestling with logic flows. Google's new tool, Opal, takes a radically different approach. Integrated directly into the Gemini web app, Opal allows users to create functional AI-powered mini apps simply by describing what they want in plain language. No traditional coding required. This shift places Google firmly in the growing "vibe coding" movement, where intent matters more than syntax. Instead of writing lines of code, users explain said intent and let AI handle the structure. Also read: AI won't replace humans: Google to OpenAI, big tech CEOs agree Opal is Google's visual, natural-language app builder designed for Gemini. At its core, it converts a user's description into a workflow that connects prompts, logic steps, and AI model calls. Google refers to the finished outputs as mini apps or reusable AI tools that live inside Gemini. A user might say something like, "Create a tool that summarizes meeting notes and emails them to my team," and Opal builds a working flow to do exactly that. The app can then be saved, reused, or modified later. Unlike standard chat interactions, Opal focuses on repeatable actions. It turns one-off prompts into structured tools that can be triggered again and again. Opal's biggest strength is its visual editor. Once Gemini generates an app from a description, users can see how it works step by step. Each block represents a part of the logic, such as input, processing, or output. These blocks can be edited, reordered, or refined without touching code. This transparency is crucial. Rather than treating AI as a black box, Opal shows how prompts and decisions are chained together. For beginners, this makes experimentation less intimidating. For advanced users, it provides control without complexity. Because Opal lives inside Gemini, it can easily tap into the assistant's strengths, including text generation, summarization, reasoning, and context awareness from emails or documents, depending on permissions. Opal is clearly not aimed at professional software engineers building large-scale products. Instead, it targets creators, analysts, students, and everyday users who want custom AI tools without technical barriers. Also read: World's smallest programmable robot: 5 crazy things it can do For example, a journalist could build a research assistant that summarizes articles and highlights contradictions. A marketer could create a content ideation tool tuned to brand guidelines. A student could design a study helper that quizzes them based on uploaded notes. By lowering the barrier to entry, Google is positioning Gemini as more than just a chatbot. It becomes a platform for personal productivity tools. Opal reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are evolving. The industry is moving away from single-prompt chat experiences toward systems that act, repeat, and automate. Google's decision to embed Opal directly into Gemini signals that it sees app creation as a core AI use case, not a niche experiment. It also intensifies competition with other no-code and AI agent platforms. By keeping everything inside Gemini, Google removes friction and keeps users within its ecosystem. In simple terms, Opal turns ideas into usable tools. If it works as smoothly as promised, it could change how people think about building software at the smallest scale, not as something you code, but something you describe.