Enable Chrome Gemini

Set up or repair Gemini in Chrome (Glic) on Windows, macOS, or Linux when enabling it for the first time outside the US or when the sidebar, floating panel, Alt+G shortcut, or top-bar entry disappears. Back up and patch Chrome Local State, restore region/eligibility fields, and check the required Glic flags and Chrome language.

Overview

Use this skill to set up Gemini in Chrome on Windows, macOS, or Linux for the first time in non-US regions, or to bring it back when it was previously working and the sidebar or floating panel no longer opens.

Workflow

1. Close Chrome

• Close every Chrome window.
• If Chrome is still running, stop here before editing profile data.

2. Patch Local State

• Run scripts/repair_chrome_gemini.py.
• The script backs up Local State and patches the Gemini eligibility fields.
• It sets the variation country to us, marks Glic eligibility true, keeps the glic@1 and glic-side-panel@1 experiments, and normalizes the Chrome UI language to en-US.

3. Relaunch and verify

• Open Chrome again.
• Test Alt + G.
• If Gemini appears, the setup is complete.

4. Finish the native setup if needed

• If Gemini still does not appear, open chrome://flags and verify Glic and Glic side panel.
• Only use the manual flags step if the underlying profile state did not take effect.
• On macOS, the Chrome profile lives under ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome.

5. Confirm the result

• Use Alt + G one more time.
• Check that the Gemini sidebar or floating panel opens on the active Chrome profile.

What The Script Changes

• Set Chrome variation country fields to us.
• Set glic.is_glic_eligible = true.
• Keep existing Glic experiments and ensure glic@1 and glic-side-panel@1 are present.
• Set intl.app_locale, intl.selected_languages, and intl.accept_languages to English values.
• Write a timestamped backup next to Local State.

When To Use It

• First-time Gemini in Chrome setup outside the US.
• A fresh Chrome profile needs Gemini enabled.
• Gemini in Chrome worked before and stopped opening.
• The sidebar, floating panel, or Alt + G shortcut no longer appears.
• Chrome has the right version, but the entry is hidden or eligibility seems missing.
• A browser state from a prior tutorial or profile needs to be normalized into the native Gemini setup.

What This Skill Covers

• Native Chrome Gemini / Glic setup.
• Windows, macOS, and Linux profile locations.
• Local State patching for region and eligibility.
• Flag and language checks that unblock the native UI.

What This Skill Does Not Cover

• Third-party Gemini extensions.
• Non-Chrome browsers.
• Enterprise policy administration beyond detecting that policy may block the setup.

Guardrails

• Only edit Local State.
• Do not touch unrelated Chrome profile files.
• If Chrome is still running, stop and ask the user to close it unless --force is requested.
• If the profile is managed by policy, stop and report that the fix may be blocked.

Script Usage

python scripts/repair_chrome_gemini.py --user-data-dir "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data"

python scripts/repair_chrome_gemini.py

Use --dry-run to preview changes, --force if Chrome is already open and you want to override the safety check, and --language "" to skip language normalization.

On macOS or Linux, the script defaults to the standard Chrome profile location, so the --user-data-dir flag is optional unless you use a custom profile path.