With rapid advances in the field of DNA chemistry, nucleic acids and DNA-modifying enzymes have recently emerged as versatile components for the construction of oligonucleotide-based sensors. Meanwhile, the G-quadruplex motif has been widely employed for the development of DNA-based assays due to its diverse structural variety. In this tutorial, we introduce the principles of G-quadruplex-based sensing and the use of DNA-modifying enzymes for sensor platform development. We also highlight recent studies of the application of DNA-modifying enzymes for the development of G-quadruplex-based luminescent detection platforms with a view towards how those enzymes play an important role in sensitivity enhancement.