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You can stop an unnecessary recurring refresh in Home Assistant only when the integration can notify Home Assistant about changes. If it supports a subscription, change notification, device event, or another non-polling update path, disable its polling option and trigger an automation from the resulting event or entity state change. If the integration has no such path, an automation cannot create one; keep measured polling and choose a deliberate refresh interval instead.
The practical migration is therefore a capability check first, followed by the most specific trigger the integration supports. Use a condition to test context at the moment a trigger fires, and use a scheduled homeassistant.update_entity action only when the service must be explicitly refreshed.
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The integration must be able to update Home Assistant without Home Assistant repeatedly asking for the value. That usually means a push notification, a maintained subscription, a webhook, a coordinator that receives device messages, or an integration-defined event. Home Assistant can react to an update it receives, but an automation cannot turn a polling-only API into an event source.
Home Assistant’s general task guide describes an integration option named Enable polling for changes, but whether that switch exists and whether disabling it is safe is integration-specific. Read the integration’s own documentation before changing it. Some integrations expose a subscription or device listener; others have no alternative to periodic requests. The guide also notes that many integrations update their data at most once every 10 seconds, so requesting a faster cadence may not produce faster data: Home Assistant’s common-tasks documentation.
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- Supported event path: disable polling only as the integration documentation describes, then trigger automations from device events, state changes, or named events.
- No supported event path: retain polling, but make it intentional and no more frequent than the service, protocol, and freshness requirement allow.
- Uncertain behavior: test after changing the option. A switch that can be turned off in the UI is not, by itself, proof that the integration will continue receiving updates through another mechanism.
How do I check whether Home Assistant can stop polling this integration?
Identify the exact integration and entity first. The same device platform can have different update behavior from another platform, and an entity that looks live may still be refreshed by a coordinator on a schedule.
- Open Settings > Devices & services.
- Find the integration that owns the entity, select it, and open its options or configuration dialog.
- Look for Enable polling for changes, or an integration-specific setting that describes polling, push updates, subscriptions, or local listeners.
- Read the integration documentation to confirm what replaces polling when the option is disabled. Check authentication, firewall, webhook, coordinator, and rate-limit requirements at the same time.
- Turn polling off only if that documentation supports the change. The general Home Assistant guide says to restart when the integration asks you to do so; follow that integration’s restart instruction rather than assuming every option needs a restart.
- After the change, watch the entity while producing a real device or service change. Confirm that its state or attributes still update before depending on an automation.
If the option is absent, that is a useful result: do not invent an event trigger and do not assume a state trigger will make the entity update. A state trigger can only react to state updates Home Assistant actually receives.
Which trigger should I choose for an event-driven automation?
Choose the narrowest trigger that represents the change you care about. Device and integration triggers are preferable when the integration documents them; a state trigger is appropriate when the entity itself is the reliable signal; a named event trigger is appropriate when the integration publishes an event on Home Assistant’s event bus.
| Trigger type | Use it when | What starts the automation | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device or integration trigger | The integration exposes a documented device action, threshold, connection, or other trigger in the automation editor. | The supported device/integration event occurs. | Available trigger choices and payloads vary by integration. |
| Entity state trigger | You need to react when a particular entity changes state. | Home Assistant receives a state change for the selected entity. | It is edge-based; it does not run continuously while a state remains true. |
| Named event trigger | The integration publishes a documented event type with useful event data. | An event with the matching event_type is fired on the internal event bus. |
You must verify the exact event name and payload instead of guessing. |
| Time-pattern trigger plus Update entity | No suitable event or state update exists, but the value must be refreshed deliberately. | The schedule reaches its next interval. | This is controlled polling, not push delivery; service limits and freshness needs still apply. |
Home Assistant’s trigger documentation explains the available trigger forms and their timing: Automation triggers. The event bus and event-listening workflow are documented at Events.
How do I build a state-change automation?
A state trigger starts the automation when Home Assistant records a change for the entity. Put the context check in a condition and the response in an action; do not use a condition as if it were a trigger.
- Go to Settings > Automations & scenes and create a new automation.
- For the trigger, select State and choose the entity that receives updates from the integration. If the editor offers a more specific device trigger for the same event, compare the two and prefer the documented device trigger.
- Decide whether every state transition matters or whether the trigger needs a narrower transition. A transition trigger responds at the moment Home Assistant receives the change; it does not repeatedly run while the resulting state remains unchanged.
- Add a condition for current context, such as an enable switch, a time window, or presence. Conditions are evaluated once when the trigger starts the automation.
- Add the action that should follow the change, such as a notification, scene, script, or service call.
- Save the automation and make the physical or service-side change that should update the entity. Use the automation trace to confirm which trigger, condition, and action ran.
This pattern is deliberately generic because entity IDs, thresholds, and actions belong to your installation:
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alias: React when a sensor changes
triggers:
- trigger: state
entity_id: sensor.example
conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_boolean.automation_enabled
state: 'on'
actions:
- action: notify.notify
data:
message: 'The sensor changed'Replace the example entity and context with values from your system. The trigger is the moment of change; the condition is a test of what is true at that moment. Home Assistant summarizes this behavior as: “An automation starts when something changes, not while something is true.” See How automations react to changes.
Why does a state trigger not run merely because a condition is already true?
Saving an automation, restarting Home Assistant, or leaving an entity in a qualifying state does not create a new state-change event. If the desired behavior is “check every so often while this condition is true,” use a time-pattern trigger and a condition instead. If the desired behavior is “act immediately when the value changes,” keep the state or device trigger and let the condition filter that one occurrence.
How do I use a device or integration event?
A device trigger is often the cleanest choice when the integration supplies one. In the automation editor, select the device and inspect the trigger choices: a threshold crossing, button action, connectivity change, or other integration-defined event may be more precise than watching a broad entity state.
- Open the automation editor and choose the relevant device or integration trigger.
- Read the generated description carefully. Confirm whether it represents a transition, an action, or a value crossing a threshold.
- Add conditions for room, presence, mode, or an enable helper.
- Choose the action and save.
- Perform the real device action and inspect the trace. If the trigger never appears, verify that the integration is receiving updates independently of the automation.
Device triggers depend on what the integration exposes. If the editor has no suitable trigger, move to an entity state trigger or a documented named event rather than selecting a superficially similar event.
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How do I trigger on a named Home Assistant event?
Use an event trigger only after observing the actual event type and payload. The internal event bus is separate from a physical event entity, such as a button entity; choose the automation trigger that corresponds to the source you are using.
- Open Developer tools > Events.
- Listen for events while causing the integration change. Record the exact
event_typeand the event-data keys that identify the device or value. - Stop listening, then create an automation with an Event trigger and enter the observed event type. Add event-data matching only for keys you have verified.
- Use conditions for current context and actions for the response.
- Cause the event again and review the trace. If the event fires but the automation does not run, compare spelling, capitalization, and event-data structure.
The event trigger must match the event published by the integration; do not invent a name from an entity ID. A schematic configuration looks like this, with the event type replaced by the value you observed in Developer tools:
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alias: React to an integration event
triggers:
- trigger: event
event_type: my_integration_event
conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_boolean.automation_enabled
state: 'on'
actions:
- action: notify.notify
data:
message: 'The integration reported a change'The example event name is illustrative, not a claim that every integration publishes it. The authoritative event-listening procedure and event-trigger concepts are in Home Assistant’s Events documentation and Automation triggers documentation.
What is the difference between an event, a state change, and a condition?
An event is something that happened at a point in time. A state change is Home Assistant recording a different state for an entity. A condition asks whether the current state or context is suitable; it does not start an automation by itself.
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| Concept | Question it answers | Typical automation use |
|---|---|---|
| Event | What happened just now? | Start on a documented integration event and inspect its event data. |
| State change | Did this entity change from its previous state? | Start when a sensor, switch, or binary sensor changes. |
| Condition | Is the required context true now? | Allow or block the action after a trigger has started. |
Because a condition is checked at trigger time, an automation will not be re-evaluated continuously if the condition later changes. For periodic evaluation, use a schedule as the trigger and retain the condition in the automation.
How do I test whether the event-driven path is really working?
Test the integration update and the automation separately. This prevents a missing integration update from being mistaken for a YAML or condition error.
- Verify the entity update: watch the entity’s state and attributes while creating the real device or service change. If nothing changes, troubleshoot the integration’s subscription, network path, credentials, or documented update mechanism before editing the automation.
- Observe events: use Developer tools > Events to listen for the integration’s event while reproducing the change. Capture the exact event type and payload.
- Run the automation test: use the automation editor’s run or test controls for actions where appropriate, but remember that manually running actions does not prove the trigger works.
- Read the trace: open the automation trace after a real trigger. It shows whether the trigger fired, which conditions passed or failed, and which action executed.
- Test negative cases: repeat the change while the context condition is false. The trace should show a trigger with a blocked action, proving that the condition is doing the filtering.
A state trigger that never fires can indicate either that the state did not actually change or that the integration stopped updating after polling was disabled. An event trigger that never fires can indicate an incorrect event type, an event source that is not the internal event bus, or an integration that does not publish the event you expected.
What should I do when no suitable event or state update exists?
Keep polling, but make it deliberate. A time-pattern trigger can call the homeassistant.update_entity action for the entity at a cadence chosen from the required freshness, the integration’s documented limits, and any service or API quota.
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Home Assistant’s general guide demonstrates a 15-minute refresh example and describes Update entity as working with most integrations: Common tasks for every Home Assistant. The interval below is an example, not a universal recommendation:
alias: Refresh a sensor on a measured schedule
triggers:
- trigger: time_pattern
minutes: '/15'
actions:
- action: homeassistant.update_entity
target:
entity_id: sensor.example- Choose a time pattern that meets the reader-facing freshness requirement without exceeding the integration’s limits.
- Target only the entities that need an explicit refresh; do not refresh an entire integration when one value is sufficient.
- Check the service’s quota and the integration’s minimum update interval before shortening the schedule.
- Watch logs and traces for failed requests, throttling, or stale values, then lengthen the interval if the service rejects frequent calls.
Home Assistant documents that a number such as 5 in a minute field means minute 5 of each hour. To mean every five minutes, use /5. The complete syntax is in the time-pattern trigger documentation.
How should I choose the fallback polling interval?
Start with the outcome the automation needs, not an arbitrary small number. A dashboard that can be 15 minutes old has a different requirement from a safety-related status that must be noticed promptly, and the service may impose a slower limit than either.
- Freshness: define the maximum acceptable age of the value.
- Provider limits: check documented minimum intervals, quotas, burst limits, and back-off behavior.
- Home Assistant behavior: many integrations update at most once every 10 seconds, according to Home Assistant’s general documentation. A schedule shorter than that may simply wait for the integration’s own interval.
- Failure cost: decide whether a missed refresh should raise an alert, leave the previous value visible, or be ignored until the next cycle.
- Scope: update only the entity or entities required by the automation.
Do not claim that moving to an event trigger guarantees lower latency or a specific resource saving. Delivery depends on the integration, protocol, subscription health, update interval, and rate limits. The benefit is avoiding requests that are unnecessary for an integration that can already push meaningful changes.
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The entity stops updating after polling is disabled
Re-enable polling and consult the integration documentation. The integration may require a webhook, a local-network permission, a coordinator configuration, or a separate subscription before it can receive updates. Verify the alternative path independently, then disable polling again only after the entity updates normally.
The automation runs once but not while the value remains true
This is expected for an edge-based state trigger. Add a time-pattern trigger if the requirement is periodic checking, or change the trigger so it represents the transition that should cause the action.
The condition is true, but nothing happens
Conditions do not initiate automations. Reproduce the event or state change that is supposed to start the automation, then inspect the trace to see whether the condition was evaluated and which value Home Assistant saw at that moment.
The event listener shows activity, but the event trigger does not match
Compare the exact event type and payload with the automation. Confirm that you are listening to Home Assistant’s internal event bus rather than observing a physical event entity, and remove unverified event-data filters until the basic trigger works.
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Check the time-pattern syntax. 5 means the fifth minute of each hour; /5 means every five minutes. Correct the expression and test across an hour boundary.
Refreshing more often does not make the value fresher
The integration or upstream service may enforce a minimum update interval. Home Assistant notes that many integrations update no more than once every 10 seconds, and the provider may impose an additional limit. Respect the slower limit rather than adding more automation runs.
Which approach fits each requirement?
| Requirement | Recommended approach | Why | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| React immediately to a documented device action or threshold | Device/integration trigger | Uses the integration’s most specific semantic signal. | The trigger may not be available for every device or platform. |
| React whenever a known entity changes | State trigger | Simple and easy to trace when the entity receives reliable updates. | It cannot run while a state merely remains true. |
| React to an integration’s named event | Event trigger | Can use event data supplied by the integration. | Exact event type and payload must be observed and maintained. |
| Evaluate a condition repeatedly | Time-pattern trigger plus condition | Checks the condition on a known schedule. | It deliberately performs recurring work and may make service requests. |
| Refresh an entity with no push mechanism | Time-pattern trigger plus Update entity | Provides controlled polling rather than uncontrolled frequent refreshes. | Freshness is bounded by the interval and provider limits. |
What is a safe migration checklist?
- Record the integration and entity that are being refreshed.
- Read the integration documentation and identify its supported non-polling mechanism, if any.
- Locate Enable polling for changes under Settings > Devices & services, when the integration provides it.
- Disable polling only when the integration supports the alternative update path, and restart if its instructions require it.
- Confirm that the entity still changes when the real device or service value changes.
- Select a device, state, or named event trigger based on the signal you observed.
- Use conditions for context and actions for the response; do not expect conditions to start an automation.
- Listen in Developer tools > Events when validating an event type or payload.
- Use the automation trace to verify trigger, condition, and action behavior.
- If no event-driven path exists, restore or retain polling and schedule
homeassistant.update_entityat a cadence compatible with freshness needs and quotas.
The decisive question is not whether an automation can be written. It is whether the integration can deliver a trustworthy update without being asked on a recurring schedule. When it can, event-driven automation removes unnecessary checks while preserving a clear trigger-and-condition model. When it cannot, measured polling is the reliable fallback.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling polling eliminate every network request from the integration?
No. An integration may still communicate for subscriptions, authentication, discovery, device commands, or other coordination. Disabling the change-polling option removes that particular refresh mechanism; it does not make the integration offline.
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Compare the time of the real device change, the event timestamp shown in Developer tools, and the entity state-change time in the automation trace. If the event arrives late, investigate the integration or upstream service; if it arrives promptly but the action is late, inspect conditions, queues, and the automation trace.
Can I keep a scheduled refresh as a safety net alongside an event trigger?
You can use a separate scheduled automation when occasional reconciliation is necessary, but set its interval from the provider’s limits and the cost of stale data. Treat it as a deliberate fallback check, not as evidence that the event path is working.
What information should I save before changing an integration’s polling option?
Note the entity IDs, the current update behavior, the integration version or configuration details shown in Home Assistant, and the provider’s documented limits. That baseline makes it easier to restore polling and identify whether a missed update began immediately after the change.
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