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The fastest way to troubleshoot a Home Assistant automation is to open its trace for the time it should have run. A trace tells you whether the trigger never fired, a condition stopped the run, or an action failed. If there is no trace, work backward through the enabled state, the exact trigger transition, raw entity values, and restart history. If a trace exists, follow it to the first failed or skipped step. Then check run mode, waits, target entities, logs, and configuration after updates. This approach is more reliable than repeatedly using Run actions, because that control bypasses the trigger and top-level conditions.
What should I check first when an automation does not run?
Open the automation’s trace before changing YAML or rebuilding the automation. In the automation editor, open the automation and select its trace for the expected time. Home Assistant describes the trace as the place where most automation problems appear: it records the trigger that started a run, the conditions evaluated, and each action step.
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- Find the expected run time. Open the trace timeline around the moment the sensor changed, the event occurred, or the schedule was due.
- Decide whether a trace exists. No trace means the trigger path did not start a run, or the automation was disabled or unavailable. A trace means the trigger started and you can inspect the run itself.
- Follow the graph in order. Look for the first node marked as stopped, failed, skipped, or timed out. Later actions cannot run when an earlier condition or action ends the sequence.
- Read the values captured at that step. The trace shows the trigger data, evaluated condition result, template output, and action parameters that Home Assistant used at runtime.
Do not infer a trigger problem from an action that failed in a manual test. A successful action test proves only that the selected actions can execute under that test context; it does not prove that the real trigger, conditions, or trigger-dependent templates work.
How to interpret “no trace” versus “trace stopped”
| What you see | What it means | Where to investigate next |
|---|---|---|
| No trace at the expected time | No automation run was created. | Enabled status, automation availability, trigger event, raw state, transition, and restart timing. |
| Trace says a condition failed | The trigger fired, but a condition evaluated false at that instant. | Condition inputs and whether a separate trigger is needed when those inputs later change. |
| Trace says “Stopped on error” | An action or template raised an error. | The failed action, its rendered values, target entities, and System logs. |
| Trace reaches the end but nothing changes | The sequence completed, but the target did not produce a visible result. | Target expansion, unavailable entities, service parameters, and device state. |
Is the automation enabled and available?
A disabled automation does not react to triggers, although its actions can still be started manually from the editor. Check the automation’s enabled switch before diagnosing more complicated logic. Also look for an unavailable automation or setup error in Settings > System > Repairs.
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- Look for messages such as failed to set up, Automation is unavailable, or an unknown action.
- If the automation was copied from an older configuration, inspect its YAML for syntax and schema errors.
- After replacing a device, reselect the device in the automation editor. The replacement may not have the same internal device identifier, even when its display name is unchanged.
An unavailable integration or entity can prevent setup or leave an automation with no usable trigger. Resolve the repair message first, reload the affected configuration when appropriate, and then create a fresh trace rather than relying on an old run.
How do I verify that the trigger really occurred?
Triggers react to a change at a specific moment, not continuously while a state remains true. Verify the exact event or transition that the trigger requires, rather than checking only what the dashboard currently displays.
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Go to Settings > Tools > States and inspect the entity. The UI may show a friendly label such as Open, while the raw state is on. Conditions, state triggers, and templates compare the raw state and attributes. Use the raw value and the current attributes when checking your logic.
State triggers need the right transition
If an entity is already in the requested state when Home Assistant starts, a trigger waiting for it to become that state does not automatically run. It needs a new transition that matches the trigger. A state that remains on for an hour is not producing repeated off-to-on transitions.
A trigger with a From value is more restrictive. For example, a trigger requiring From: off will not match a transition from unavailable to on. Remove the From value when the automation should run whenever the entity enters the target state, regardless of its previous value.
Numeric-state triggers require a threshold crossing
A numeric-state trigger fires when a value crosses the configured threshold. If a temperature is already above an upper limit when the automation is loaded, simply leaving it above that limit does not create a new crossing. The value must move from the other side of the threshold to the required side. Check the numeric state and unit in Settings > Tools > States, including whether the entity reports a number or an unavailable or unknown value.
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For an event trigger, confirm that the event actually occurred and that its event type and data match the trigger. The trace will show captured trigger data when a run starts. If no trace appears, inspect the event source and the exact field names rather than assuming a visually similar event is equivalent.
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Why does an automation trigger once and then stop?
Most “worked once” cases come from a condition, a run-mode conflict, or a wait that never reaches its next step. Use the trace from the successful run and the missing run side by side.
Conditions are evaluated immediately
Home Assistant checks conditions immediately after the trigger. If one is false, the trace is marked Stopped because a condition failed and no later action runs. A condition becoming true a few seconds later does not resume that run or trigger it again. Add a separate trigger for the change that makes the condition true if that later change should start the automation.
For example, if a motion trigger is followed by a condition that requires the house to be dark, motion during daylight will end at the condition. The automation will not “remember” that motion and act when darkness begins. A sun or illuminance transition must be another trigger if that behavior is required.
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Templates can evaluate differently from what a dashboard suggests because they use raw states, attributes, types, and the trigger context available at that moment. Read the rendered values in the trace. Check for an empty string, an unexpected unit, an unavailable state, or a missing attribute before changing the condition itself.
What does “Stopped on error” mean in an action?
“Stopped on error” means Home Assistant reached the action but that action failed. Open the failed trace step and read both the error and the values passed to it. Then check Settings > System > Logs for warnings about missing or unavailable entities.
Check the target that the action expands to
Area, floor, device, and label targets are resolved to matching entities at run time. A target can be valid syntax yet contain no matching entities, or all matching entities can be unavailable. Confirm that the intended entities are still assigned to the selected area, floor, device, or label.
- Verify that the target still exists after a device replacement.
- Check whether the target resolves to one entity, several entities, or none.
- Confirm that the service or action supports the entity domain you selected.
- Review the trace for the actual entity list and rendered service data.
Separate a failed action from an ineffective action
If the trace reports an error, fix the error before investigating device behavior. If the action completes without an error but the device does not change, the target may be empty, unavailable, in the wrong state, or unable to perform that service at that time. System logs often identify an integration warning that the trace alone cannot explain.
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Could run mode be suppressing the new trigger?
Yes. Run mode controls what Home Assistant does when a trigger arrives while an earlier run is still active. A correct trigger can appear to be ignored when the previous run is waiting, delayed, or otherwise unfinished.
| Run-mode behavior | Effect when another trigger arrives | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Single | The new start is ignored while the existing run is active. Logs may show Already running or a maximum-run message. | Only one execution should exist and extra triggers should be discarded. |
| Restart | The existing run is cancelled and a new run starts. A delay or wait in the old run is cancelled too. | The newest trigger should replace stale work. |
| Queued | New runs wait for earlier runs to finish, subject to the configured limit. | Every trigger matters but actions must execute in order. |
| Parallel | Multiple runs execute at the same time, subject to the configured limit. | Each trigger can safely operate independently. |
Choose the mode from the intended behavior, not from the symptom. If a light should turn off after the latest motion, restarting may be appropriate. If every door event must be recorded, queuing or parallel execution is more suitable. When diagnosing, look for an active delay or wait and check logs for an already-running or maximum-runs message.
Why did the automation fail after a restart?
Home Assistant stops active automations during a restart. An in-progress delay, wait, or For duration is lost; it does not resume from the point where the system stopped.
Design long waits around a future trigger
For work that must survive a restart, trigger again at the future point when the work is due, instead of keeping a run suspended for hours. For example, store or derive the intended deadline, then use a time trigger to perform the action when that deadline arrives.
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Reconstruct unfinished work on startup
When a future trigger alone is not enough, add a Home Assistant start trigger and a condition that determines whether unfinished work remains. The startup path can compare the current time and state with the saved deadline, then perform or skip the action. This makes restart recovery explicit rather than relying on an interrupted wait.
Understand the For timer
A For duration is restarted whenever the entity leaves the required state. A sensor that briefly changes away from the state, even if it returns immediately, starts the duration over. A restart also discards the timer. The trace shows whether the required state was maintained long enough before the run ended.
How do wait actions behave differently?
Wait actions are event-sensitive, and their timing rules explain many apparently random stops.
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Wait for trigger
Wait for trigger listens for a change that occurs after the wait starts. It does not match an event that happened earlier or a state that was already true when the wait began. If the expected change occurred just before the action was reached, the automation waits for a new occurrence.
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Wait for template
Wait for template continues immediately when its template is already true at the moment the action starts. It waits only while the template is false. Check the trace’s rendered template result to see which case occurred.
Timeout behavior
Wait actions continue after a timeout by default. Disable Continue on timeout when a timeout should stop the sequence, or test wait.completed in a following condition when the automation needs different actions for a completed wait and a timed-out wait. This distinction prevents a timeout from silently flowing into actions intended only for a successful wait.
What should I check after a Home Assistant update or configuration edit?
After an update, inspect Settings > System > Repairs, the automation’s availability, and the System logs before assuming the trigger logic changed. Updates can expose invalid configuration, renamed actions, or entities that no longer exist.
Check YAML key versions
Mixing old and new top-level keys can make an automation invalid. Pay particular attention to singular and plural forms such as trigger versus triggers, condition versus conditions, and service versus action. Use the syntax accepted by the current editor and version, then save and confirm that the automation becomes available.
Check device and entity identity
A replacement device can receive new internal identifiers. Re-select the replacement device, entity, or target in the editor instead of relying on a copied identifier. Confirm the resulting entity in Settings > Tools > States and create a new trace after saving.
Why does “Run actions” work when the real trigger does not?
Run actions starts the action sequence without evaluating the automation’s triggers or top-level conditions. It is useful for testing service calls and action order, but it is not an end-to-end test of the automation.
Manual runs also do not have the trigger data that a real event supplies. Templates that reference fields such as trigger.entity_id, event data, or a captured state can therefore fail or produce a different result during a manual run. Test those templates with a real trigger or a simulated trigger context that contains the fields the template expects.
- Use Run actions to verify that a known action can operate the intended target.
- Use a real state change or event to verify the trigger and trigger data.
- Open the resulting trace and compare the trigger payload, condition values, and action parameters.
- If the real run stops but the manual run succeeds, focus on the trigger context or conditions rather than the device service itself.
Which fix should I choose?
The right fix depends on where the run stops and what behavior you actually want. Use this decision table before rewriting the automation.
| Observed issue | Likely class of problem | Prefer this kind of fix |
|---|---|---|
| No trace after a sensor change | Trigger, transition, raw state, disabled or unavailable automation | Verify the exact transition and entity state; remove an overly restrictive From value when unavailable transitions are valid. |
| Trace stops at a condition | Condition evaluated at trigger time | Add or change a trigger for the later state change instead of expecting the old run to resume. |
| Action reports an error | Action data, target, unavailable entity, or integration failure | Fix the first failed action and confirm target expansion and logs. |
| New triggers are ignored during a delay | Run mode and an active run | Select single, restart, queued, or parallel according to whether runs should be ignored, replaced, serialized, or overlapped. |
| Long wait disappears after reboot | Restart cancelled the run | Use a future trigger and, if necessary, a startup trigger that reconstructs unfinished work. |
| Manual test succeeds but real run fails | Trigger and top-level conditions were bypassed; trigger data was absent | Test with a real or correctly simulated trigger context and inspect its trace. |
A repeatable troubleshooting checklist
Use this order for a new incident so that a simple trigger issue is not confused with a device or template issue.
- Open the automation trace for the expected time.
- If there is no trace, confirm the automation is enabled and available.
- Inspect the raw entity state and attributes in Settings > Tools > States.
- Write down the exact transition, event type, or numeric threshold crossing the trigger requires.
- Check for an
unavailableorunknownprevious state that cannot match the configuredFromvalue. - If a trace exists, locate the first condition that failed or action that stopped on error.
- Read the rendered template and action values shown in that trace.
- Confirm that area, floor, device, and label targets expand to available entities.
- Check run mode, active delays or waits, and logs for Already running or maximum-run messages.
- For behavior lost at reboot, replace long in-progress waits with a future trigger and an explicit startup recovery path.
- After updates or device replacement, inspect Repairs, Logs, YAML keys, and internal device selections.
- Use manual action runs only for action-level checks; finish with a real or simulated trigger test that supplies the required trigger data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a numeric-state automation not fire when the sensor is already above the limit?
A numeric-state trigger is edge-based: it waits for the value to cross the configured boundary. If the sensor starts above the limit, no crossing has occurred yet; it must move to the other side and cross back in the required direction.
What happens if an entity changes from unavailable directly to on?
A trigger that specifies From: off will not match that transition because the previous raw state was unavailable. Remove the From restriction when any entry into the target state should start the automation.
Can a condition that becomes true later rescue a failed automation run?
No. Conditions are evaluated immediately after the trigger, and a false result ends that run. Add a trigger for the event that makes the condition true if that later change should cause the actions to execute.
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A manual action run has no real trigger payload, so fields under trigger may be empty or invalid. Exercise the automation with the actual event or a simulated trigger context containing the entity, event, and attribute fields the template reads.
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