Automations
Home Assistant 2026.7: build automations around what your home needs
October 21, 2026
Home Assistant 2026.7 makes automations easier to create by letting you start with what you want your home to do, rather than with technical details. Here’s how to turn a household need into a rule you can review.
What changed in the automation editor
In Home Assistant 2026.7, purpose-specific triggers and conditions graduated from Labs and became the default for everyone. Instead of starting with technical concepts such as entities and states, you can start with what you want your home to do—for example, turn on the heating when the bedroom temperature drops below 18°C.
Existing automations have not broken and do not need to be rebuilt; they continue to work. The change affects how you create automations in the interface.
Build a household rule from three parts
Start with a specific situation your home should respond to. That is the trigger. Add any conditions that determine when the automation should run, then choose the action. In the temperature example, the trigger is the bedroom temperature dropping below the set threshold, and the action is turning on the heating.
Do not add conditions just to make a rule more complicated. If an automation depends on a particular sensor or device, first check whether its integration provides the trigger or condition you need. Integrations can provide their own triggers and conditions, so the available options depend on the connected devices and their software support.
Check the automation in everyday situations
Before relying on an automation every day, consider how it should behave in different circumstances—for example, if someone has already changed a setting manually or a sensor temporarily stops reporting. Check that the rule will not repeat an unwanted action and that manual control remains clear.
When you need an integration, not a more complicated rule
If the editor does not offer the trigger or condition you need, the limitation may be in the integration for that device rather than in your rule’s logic. Check which signals it makes available to Home Assistant before building an automation around a feature that may not be supported.
Starting with the intended behavior can also make an automation easier to understand later: you can see more quickly why it runs and what it should do. That is especially helpful when more than one person creates automations or household routines change.
- In 2026.7, purpose-specific triggers and conditions became the default way to create automations.
- Start with what you want your home to do, then choose a trigger, any necessary conditions, and an action.
- Example: turn on the heating when the bedroom temperature drops below 18°C.
- You do not need to rewrite existing automations after the update.