Home Assistant Skill

Control smart home devices via the Home Assistant REST API.

Setup

Set environment variables:

• HA_URL — Your Home Assistant URL (e.g., http://10.0.0.10:8123)
• HA_TOKEN — Long-lived access token (create in HA → Profile → Long-Lived Access Tokens)

Safety Rules

Always confirm with the user before performing these actions:

• Locks — locking or unlocking any lock
• Alarm panels — arming or disarming
• Garage doors — opening or closing (cover.* with device_class: garage)
• Security automations — disabling automations related to security or safety
• Covers — opening or closing covers that control physical access (gates, barriers)

Never act on security-sensitive devices without explicit user confirmation.

Entity Discovery

List all entities

curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[].entity_id' | sort

List entities by domain

# Switches
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("switch.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Lights
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("light.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Sensors
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("sensor.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state) \(.attributes.unit_of_measurement // "")"'

Replace the domain prefix (switch., light., sensor., etc.) to discover entities in any domain.

Get single entity state

curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states/ENTITY_ID" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN"

Area & Floor Discovery

Use the template API to query areas, floors, and labels.

# List all areas
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ areas() }}"}'

# Entities in a specific area
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ area_entities(\"kitchen\") }}"}'

# Only lights in an area
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ area_entities(\"kitchen\") | select(\"match\", \"light.\") | list }}"}'

# Find which area an entity belongs to
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ area_name(\"light.kitchen\") }}"}'

# List all floors and their areas
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{% for floor in floors() %}{{ floor }}: {{ floor_areas(floor) }}\n{% endfor %}"}'

Switches

# Turn on
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/switch/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "switch.office_lamp"}'

# Turn off
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/switch/turn_off" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "switch.office_lamp"}'

# Toggle
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/switch/toggle" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "switch.office_lamp"}'

Lights

# Turn on with brightness
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/light/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "light.living_room", "brightness_pct": 80}'

# Turn on with color (RGB)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/light/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "light.living_room", "rgb_color": [255, 150, 50]}'

# Turn on with color temperature (mireds)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/light/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "light.living_room", "color_temp": 300}'

# Turn off
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/light/turn_off" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "light.living_room"}'

Scenes

curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/scene/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "scene.movie_time"}'

Scripts

# List all scripts
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("script.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Run a script
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/script/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "script.bedtime_routine"}'

# Run a script with variables
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/script/bedtime_routine" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"variables": {"brightness": 20, "delay_minutes": 5}}'

Automations

# List all automations
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("automation.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Trigger an automation
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/automation/trigger" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.morning_routine"}'

# Enable automation
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/automation/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.morning_routine"}'

# Disable automation
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/automation/turn_off" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.morning_routine"}'

Climate Control

# Get thermostat state
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states/climate.thermostat" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '{state: .state, current_temp: .attributes.current_temperature, target_temp: .attributes.temperature}'

# Set temperature
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/climate/set_temperature" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "climate.thermostat", "temperature": 72}'

# Set HVAC mode (heat, cool, auto, off)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/climate/set_hvac_mode" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "climate.thermostat", "hvac_mode": "auto"}'

Covers (Blinds, Garage Doors)

Safety: Confirm with the user before opening/closing garage doors or gates.

# Open
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/cover/open_cover" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "cover.garage_door"}'

# Close
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/cover/close_cover" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "cover.garage_door"}'

# Set position (0 = closed, 100 = open)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/cover/set_cover_position" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "cover.blinds", "position": 50}'

Locks

Safety: Always confirm with the user before locking/unlocking.

# Lock
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/lock/lock" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "lock.front_door"}'

# Unlock
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/lock/unlock" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "lock.front_door"}'

Fans

# Turn on
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/fan/turn_on" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "fan.bedroom", "percentage": 50}'

# Turn off
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/fan/turn_off" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "fan.bedroom"}'

Media Players

# Play/pause
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/media_player/media_play_pause" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "media_player.living_room_tv"}'

# Set volume (0.0 to 1.0)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/media_player/volume_set" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "media_player.living_room_tv", "volume_level": 0.5}'

Vacuum

# Start cleaning
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/vacuum/start" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "vacuum.robot"}'

# Return to dock
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/vacuum/return_to_base" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "vacuum.robot"}'

Alarm Control Panel

Safety: Always confirm with the user before arming/disarming.

# Arm (home mode)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/alarm_control_panel/alarm_arm_home" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "alarm_control_panel.home"}'

# Disarm (requires code if configured)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/alarm_control_panel/alarm_disarm" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "alarm_control_panel.home", "code": "1234"}'

Notifications

# List available notification targets
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/services" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.domain == "notify") | .services | keys[]' | sort

# Send a notification to a mobile device
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/notify/mobile_app_phone" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message": "Front door opened", "title": "Home Alert"}'

# Send to all devices (default notify service)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/notify/notify" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message": "System alert", "title": "Home Assistant"}'

Replace mobile_app_phone with the actual service name from the list command.

Person & Presence

# Who is home?
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("person.")) | "\(.attributes.friendly_name // .entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Device tracker locations
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("device_tracker.")) | "\(.entity_id): \(.state)"'

States: home, not_home, or a zone name.

Weather

# Current weather
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states/weather.home" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '{state: .state, temperature: .attributes.temperature, humidity: .attributes.humidity, wind_speed: .attributes.wind_speed}'

# Get forecast (daily)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/weather/get_forecasts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "weather.home", "type": "daily"}'

# Get forecast (hourly)
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/weather/get_forecasts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "weather.home", "type": "hourly"}'

Input Helpers

# Toggle an input boolean
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/input_boolean/toggle" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "input_boolean.guest_mode"}'

# Set input number
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/input_number/set_value" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "input_number.target_temperature", "value": 72}'

# Set input select
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/input_select/select_option" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "input_select.house_mode", "option": "Away"}'

# Set input text
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/input_text/set_value" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "input_text.welcome_message", "value": "Welcome home!"}'

# Set input datetime
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/input_datetime/set_datetime" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "input_datetime.alarm_time", "time": "07:30:00"}'

Calendar

# List all calendars
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/calendars" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[].entity_id'

# Get upcoming events (next 7 days)
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/calendars/calendar.personal?start=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.000Z)&end=$(date -u -v+7d +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S.000Z)" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '[.[] | {summary: .summary, start: .start.dateTime, end: .end.dateTime}]'

Text-to-Speech

curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/tts/speak" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "tts.google_en", "media_player_entity_id": "media_player.living_room_speaker", "message": "Dinner is ready"}'

Replace tts.google_en with your TTS entity and media_player.living_room_speaker with the target speaker.

Call Any Service

The general pattern for any HA service:

curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/{domain}/{service}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "domain.entity_name", ...}'

Batch operations

Control multiple entities in one call by passing an array of entity IDs:

# Turn off all living room lights at once
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/services/light/turn_off" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": ["light.living_room", "light.living_room_lamp", "light.living_room_ceiling"]}'

Error Handling

Check API connectivity

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "$HA_URL/api/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN"
# Expect: 200

Verify entity exists before acting

HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  "$HA_URL/api/states/light.nonexistent" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN")
# 200 = exists, 404 = not found

HTTP status codes

Response Format

Service calls return an array of state objects for affected entities:

[{"entity_id": "light.living_room", "state": "on", "attributes": {...}, "last_changed": "..."}]

• Successful call with no state change: returns [] (empty array)
• State read (/api/states/...): returns a single state object
• Errors: returns {"message": "..."} with an HTTP error code

Template Evaluation

The /api/template endpoint evaluates Jinja2 templates server-side. Useful for computed queries.

curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "TEMPLATE_STRING"}'

Examples

# Count entities by domain
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ states.light | list | count }} lights"}'

# Get entity state in a template
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ states(\"light.living_room\") }}"}'

# List all entities that are "on"
curl -s -X POST "$HA_URL/api/template" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"template": "{{ states | selectattr(\"state\", \"eq\", \"on\") | map(attribute=\"entity_id\") | list }}"}'

Available template functions: states(), is_state(), state_attr(), areas(), area_entities(), area_name(), floors(), floor_areas(), labels(), label_entities(), devices(), device_entities(), now(), relative_time().

History & Logbook

Entity state history

# Last 24 hours for a specific entity
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/history/period?filter_entity_id=sensor.temperature" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '.[0] | [.[] | {state: .state, last_changed: .last_changed}]'

# Specific time range (ISO 8601)
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/history/period/2025-01-15T00:00:00Z?end_time=2025-01-15T23:59:59Z&filter_entity_id=sensor.temperature" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '.[0]'

Logbook

# Recent logbook entries
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/logbook" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '.[:10]'

# Logbook for a specific entity
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/logbook?entity=light.living_room" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq '.[:10] | [.[] | {name: .name, message: .message, when: .when}]'

Dashboard Overview

Quick status of all active devices:

# All lights that are on
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("light.")) | select(.state == "on") | .entity_id'

# All open doors/windows (binary sensors)
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("binary_sensor.")) | select(.state == "on") | select(.attributes.device_class == "door" or .attributes.device_class == "window") | .entity_id'

# Temperature sensors
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("sensor.")) | select(.attributes.device_class == "temperature") | "\(.attributes.friendly_name // .entity_id): \(.state)\(.attributes.unit_of_measurement // "")"'

# Climate summary (all thermostats)
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("climate.")) | "\(.attributes.friendly_name // .entity_id): \(.state), current: \(.attributes.current_temperature)°, target: \(.attributes.temperature)°"'

# Lock status
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("lock.")) | "\(.attributes.friendly_name // .entity_id): \(.state)"'

# Who is home
curl -s "$HA_URL/api/states" -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.entity_id | startswith("person.")) | "\(.attributes.friendly_name // .entity_id): \(.state)"'

Entity Domains

Notes

• API returns JSON by default
• Long-lived tokens don't expire — store securely
• Test entity IDs with the list command first
• For locks, alarms, and garage doors — always confirm actions with the user