Home Assistant Automation Expert

Master Home Assistant automations, scripts, blueprints, and Jinja2 templating with confidence.

Before You Start

This skill prevents common automation mistakes including:

Incorrect trigger syntax - Using deprecated formats or invalid entity IDs
Missing condition operators - Forgetting
```
and
```
/
```
or
```
/
```
not
```
conjunctions
Jinja2 template errors - Undefined variables or incorrect filter usage
Blueprint parameterization issues - Missing
```
!input
```
substitutions or misaligned selectors

Quick Reference: Automation Structure

Basic Automation Format

yaml

automation: !include automations.yaml

Single Automation File

yaml

- alias: "My Automation"
  description: "What this automation does"
  trigger: ...
  condition: ...
  action: ...
  mode: single

Triggers Quick Reference

State Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: state
  entity_id: light.bedroom
  from: "off"
  to: "on"
  for:
    minutes: 5

Numeric State Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: numeric_state
  entity_id: sensor.temperature
  above: 25
  below: 30

Time Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: time
  at: "10:30:00"

Time Pattern Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: time_pattern
  hours: "*/2"  # Every 2 hours
  minutes: 0

Device Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: device
  device_id: abc123...
  domain: light
  type: turned_on

Event Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: event
  event_type: call_service
  event_data:
    domain: light

MQTT Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: mqtt
  topic: home/front_door/status
  payload: "opened"

Webhook Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: webhook
  webhook_id: my_webhook_id

Sun Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: sun
  event: sunrise
  offset: "-00:30:00"  # 30 min before sunrise

Zone Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: zone
  entity_id: device_tracker.john
  zone: zone.home
  event: enter

Template Trigger

yaml

trigger:
  platform: template
  value_template: "{{ state_attr('light.bedroom', 'brightness') > 200 }}"

Conditions Quick Reference

State Condition

yaml

condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom
    state: "on"

Numeric State Condition

yaml

condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.temperature
    above: 20
    below: 25

Time Condition

yaml

condition:
  - condition: time
    after: "08:00:00"
    before: "20:00:00"
    weekday:
      - mon
      - tue
      - wed

Sun Condition

yaml

condition:
  - condition: sun
    after: sunrise
    before: sunset

Template Condition

yaml

condition:
  - condition: template
    value_template: "{{ states('light.bedroom') == 'on' }}"

Combining Conditions

yaml

condition:
  - condition: and
    conditions:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: light.bedroom
        state: "on"
      - condition: numeric_state
        entity_id: sensor.temperature
        above: 20

yaml

condition:
  - condition: or
    conditions:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.motion
        state: "on"
      - condition: state
        entity_id: light.bedroom
        state: "on"

Actions Quick Reference

Call Service Action

yaml

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.bedroom
    data:
      brightness: 255
      color_temp: 366

Call Service (Multiple Targets)

yaml

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id:
        - light.bedroom
        - light.living_room
      area_id: downstairs

Choose (If/Then/Else)

yaml

action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: light.bedroom
            state: "on"
        sequence:
          - service: light.turn_off
            target:
              entity_id: light.bedroom
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: light.bedroom
            state: "off"
        sequence:
          - service: light.turn_on
            target:
              entity_id: light.bedroom
    default:
      - service: notification.send
        data:
          message: "Unable to determine light state"

Repeat (Loop)

yaml

action:
  - repeat:
      count: 3
      sequence:
        - service: light.toggle
          target:
            entity_id: light.bedroom
        - delay:
            seconds: 1

Delay

yaml

action:
  - delay:
      minutes: 5

Wait for Trigger

yaml

action:
  - wait_for_trigger:
      platform: state
      entity_id: binary_sensor.motion
      to: "off"
    timeout:
      minutes: 30
  - service: light.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id: light.bedroom

Parallel Actions

yaml

action:
  - parallel:
      - service: light.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: light.bedroom
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.fan

Automation Modes

yaml

mode: single  # Default - cancel previous run
mode: restart  # Restart on retrigger
mode: queued  # Queue up to 10 retriggered runs
mode: parallel  # Allow multiple simultaneous runs
mode: queued  # with max: 10  # Limit queued runs

Jinja2 Template Cheatsheet

Common Variables

```
states('entity.id')
```
- Get entity state
```
state_attr('entity.id', 'attribute')
```
- Get entity attribute
```
now()
```
- Current datetime
```
as_timestamp('2024-01-01')
```
- Convert to timestamp
```
trigger
```
- Trigger object (if in trigger template)

Filters

jinja2

{{ value | float(0) }}  # Convert to float with default
{{ value | int(0) }}  # Convert to int with default
{{ value | round(2) }}  # Round to 2 decimal places
{{ value | timestamp_custom("%Y-%m-%d") }}  # Format timestamp
{{ value | replace("old", "new") }}  # Replace string
{{ value | lower }}  # Lowercase
{{ value | upper }}  # Uppercase
{{ value | length }}  # Get length
{{ list | list }}  # Convert to list

Conditionals

jinja2

{% if states('light.bedroom') == 'on' %}
  Light is on
{% elif states('light.bedroom') == 'off' %}
  Light is off
{% else %}
  Unknown
{% endif %}

Loops

jinja2

{% for entity in states.light %}
  {{ entity.name }}: {{ entity.state }}
{% endfor %}

Math Operations

jinja2

{{ 5 + 3 }}  # Addition
{{ 10 - 4 }}  # Subtraction
{{ 3 * 4 }}  # Multiplication
{{ 20 / 4 }}  # Division
{{ 17 % 5 }}  # Modulo (remainder)

String Operations

jinja2

{{ "hello " + "world" }}  # Concatenation
{{ value is string }}  # Type checking
{{ value is number }}
{{ value is defined }}  # Check if variable exists
{{ value | default("fallback") }}  # Provide default

Debugging Templates

Use Developer Tools > Template in Home Assistant UI to test templates in real-time.

Blueprint Creation Basics

Blueprint Structure

yaml

blueprint:
  name: "Friendly Name"
  description: "What this blueprint does"
  domain: automation
  source_url: "https://github.com/user/repo/path/to/blueprint.yaml"

  input:
    my_light:
      name: "Light to control"
      description: "The light entity to control"
      selector:
        entity:
          domain: light

    brightness_level:
      name: "Brightness"
      description: "Brightness percentage (0-100)"
      selector:
        number:
          min: 0
          max: 100
          unit_of_measurement: "%"

    duration:
      name: "Duration"
      description: "How long to stay on"
      selector:
        number:
          min: 1
          max: 60
          unit_of_measurement: "minutes"

    my_bool:
      name: "Enable feature"
      selector:
        boolean:

trigger: ...
condition: ...
action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: !input my_light
    data:
      brightness: !input brightness_level

Blueprint Selectors

yaml

# Entity selector
selector:
  entity:
    domain: light

# Device selector
selector:
  device:
    integration: zwave
    manufacturer: Philips

# Area selector
selector:
  area:

# Number selector
selector:
  number:
    min: 0
    max: 100
    step: 5
    unit_of_measurement: "%"

# Text selector
selector:
  text:
    multiline: true

# Boolean selector
selector:
  boolean:

# Select (dropdown)
selector:
  select:
    options:
      - label: "Option 1"
        value: "value1"
      - label: "Option 2"
        value: "value2"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't: Use old trigger format

yaml

trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom

✅ Do: Use nested structure

yaml

trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom
    to: "on"

❌ Don't: Mix trigger and condition logic

yaml

trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom
    to: "on"
condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom
    to: "on"  # Redundant!

✅ Do: Use trigger for change detection, condition for state verification

yaml

trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: light.bedroom
condition:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.temperature
    above: 20  # Additional check

❌ Don't: Forget entity_id in service calls

yaml

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    data:
      brightness: 255

✅ Do: Specify target entity

yaml

action:
  - service: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.bedroom
    data:
      brightness: 255

Best Practices

Use descriptive alias names - Make automation purposes clear
Add descriptions - Explain why the automation exists
Test with Developer Tools - Verify templates before deployment
Use choose for complex logic - More readable than multiple automations
Organize by room or function - Use
```
!include
```
to split large files
Set appropriate mode - Choose single/restart/queued based on use case
Add for: condition - Prevent false triggers from brief state changes
Use templates for flexibility - Enable parameter passing in blueprints

ha-automation

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Home Assistant Automation Expert

Before You Start

Quick Reference: Automation Structure

Basic Automation Format

Single Automation File

Triggers Quick Reference

State Trigger

Numeric State Trigger

Time Trigger

Time Pattern Trigger

Device Trigger

Event Trigger

MQTT Trigger

Webhook Trigger

Sun Trigger

Zone Trigger

Template Trigger

Conditions Quick Reference

State Condition

Numeric State Condition

Time Condition

Sun Condition

Template Condition

Combining Conditions

Actions Quick Reference

Call Service Action

Call Service (Multiple Targets)

Choose (If/Then/Else)

Repeat (Loop)

Delay

Wait for Trigger

Parallel Actions

Automation Modes

Jinja2 Template Cheatsheet

Common Variables

Filters

Conditionals

Loops

Math Operations

String Operations

Debugging Templates

Blueprint Creation Basics

Blueprint Structure

Blueprint Selectors

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Don't: Use old trigger format

✅ Do: Use nested structure

❌ Don't: Mix trigger and condition logic

✅ Do: Use trigger for change detection, condition for state verification

❌ Don't: Forget entity_id in service calls

✅ Do: Specify target entity

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Template Shows "Error"

Automation Doesn't Trigger

Blueprint Input Not Working

Jinja2 Syntax Error

Official Resources