home-assistant-best-practices

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Best practices for Home Assistant automations, helpers, scripts, and device controls. TRIGGER THIS SKILL WHEN: - Creating or editing HA automations, scripts, or scenes - Choosing between template sensors and built-in helpers - Writing or restructuring triggers, conditions, or automation modes - Setting up Zigbee button/remote automations (ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT) - Renaming entities or migrating device_id references to entity_id SYMPTOMS THAT TRIGGER THIS SKILL: - Agent uses Jinja2 templates where native conditions, triggers, or helpers exist - Agent uses device_id instead of entity_id in triggers/actions - Agent modifies entity IDs or config objects without checking all consumers - Agent chooses wrong automation mode (e.g., single for motion lights)

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Sourcehomeassistant-ai/skills

Added on2026-02-04

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SKILL.md Content

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Home Assistant Best Practices

Core principle: Use native Home Assistant constructs wherever possible. Templates bypass validation, fail silently at runtime, and make debugging opaque.

Decision Workflow

Follow this sequence when creating any automation:

0. Gate: modifying existing config?

If your change affects entity IDs or cross-component references — renaming entities, replacing template sensors with helpers, converting device triggers, or restructuring automations — read

references/safe-refactoring.md

first. That reference covers impact analysis, device-sibling discovery, and post-change verification. Complete its workflow before proceeding.

Steps 1-5 below apply to new config or pattern evaluation.

1. Check for native condition/trigger

Before writing any template, check

references/automation-patterns.md

for native alternatives.

Common substitutions:

{{ states('x') | float > 25 }}

→

numeric_state

condition with

above: 25

{{ is_state('x', 'on') and is_state('y', 'on') }}

→

condition: and

with state conditions

{{ now().hour >= 9 }}

→

condition: time

with

after: "09:00:00"

wait_template: "{{ is_state(...) }}"

→

wait_for_trigger

with state trigger (caveat: different behavior when state is already true — see

references/safe-refactoring.md#trigger-restructuring

)

2. Check for built-in helper

Before creating a template sensor, check

references/helper-selection.md

.

Common substitutions:

Sum/average multiple sensors →
```
min_max
```
integration
Binary any-on/all-on logic →
```
group
```
helper
Rate of change →
```
derivative
```
integration
Cross threshold detection →
```
threshold
```
integration
Consumption tracking →
```
utility_meter
```
helper

3. Select correct automation mode

Default

single

mode is often wrong. See

references/automation-patterns.md#automation-modes

.

Scenario	Mode
Motion light with timeout	`restart`
Sequential processing (door locks)	`queued`
Independent per-entity actions	`parallel`
One-shot notifications	`single`

4. Use entity_id over device_id

device_id

breaks when devices are re-added. See

references/device-control.md

.

Exception: Zigbee2MQTT autodiscovered device triggers are acceptable.

5. For Zigbee buttons/remotes

ZHA: Use
```
event
```
trigger with
```
device_ieee
```
(persistent)
Z2M: Use
```
device
```
trigger (autodiscovered) or
```
mqtt
```
trigger

See

references/device-control.md#zigbee-buttonremote-patterns

.

Critical Anti-Patterns

Anti-pattern	Use instead	Why	Reference
`condition: template` with `float > 25`	`condition: numeric_state`	Validated at load, not runtime	`references/automation-patterns.md#native-conditions`
`wait_template: "{{ is_state(...) }}"`	`wait_for_trigger` with state trigger	Event-driven, not polling; waits for change (see `references/safe-refactoring.md#trigger-restructuring` for semantic differences)	`references/automation-patterns.md#wait-actions`
`device_id` in triggers	`entity_id` (or `device_ieee` for ZHA)	device_id breaks on re-add	`references/device-control.md#entity-id-vs-device-id`
`mode: single` for motion lights	`mode: restart`	Re-triggers must reset the timer	`references/automation-patterns.md#automation-modes`
Template sensor for sum/mean	`min_max` helper	Declarative, handles unavailable states	`references/helper-selection.md#numeric-aggregation`
Template binary sensor with threshold	`threshold` helper	Built-in hysteresis support	`references/helper-selection.md#threshold`
Renaming entity IDs without impact analysis	Follow `references/safe-refactoring.md` workflow	Renames break dashboards, scripts, and scenes silently	`references/safe-refactoring.md#entity-renames`

Reference Files

Read these when you need detailed information:

File	When to read	Key sections
`references/safe-refactoring.md`	Renaming entities, replacing helpers, restructuring automations, or any modification to existing config	`#universal-workflow` , `#entity-renames` , `#helper-replacements` , `#trigger-restructuring`
`references/automation-patterns.md`	Writing triggers, conditions, waits, or choosing automation modes	`#native-conditions` , `#trigger-types` , `#wait-actions` , `#automation-modes` , `#ifthen-vs-choose` , `#trigger-ids`
`references/helper-selection.md`	Deciding whether to use a built-in helper vs template sensor	`#numeric-aggregation` , `#rate-and-change` , `#time-based-tracking` , `#counting-and-timing` , `#scheduling` , `#entity-grouping` , `#decision-matrix`
`references/template-guidelines.md`	Confirming templates ARE appropriate for a use case	`#when-templates-are-appropriate` , `#when-to-avoid-templates` , `#template-sensor-best-practices` , `#common-patterns` , `#error-handling`
`references/device-control.md`	Writing service calls, Zigbee button automations, or using target:	`#entity-id-vs-device-id` , `#service-calls-best-practices` , `#zigbee-buttonremote-patterns` , `#domain-specific-patterns`
`references/examples.yaml`	Need compound examples combining multiple best practices	—