Automation Rules – Zero-UI Home Automation (2025)

If a dependency is down (vehicle API, cloud service), automation must not cascade
If state is unknown, default to do nothing unless safety requires otherwise

Rule 5 — No Hidden Coupling

Automations should not rely on “magic” indirect side effects.

Prefer explicit triggers and conditions
Avoid chains where one automation subtly triggers another unless documented

System Concepts (Shared Vocabulary)

“Physics Inputs”

Sensors that reflect reality and are preferred triggers:

Hardwired door contacts
Hardwired motion sensors
Lux / sunrise/sunset
Power state (grid up/down)
Presence derived from deterministic sources (not phones alone)

“Soft Inputs”

Less reliable signals used cautiously:

Phone GPS presence
Cloud-based states
Camera-based inference (unless highly confident)

“Manual Override”

A human intentionally took action (switch press, scene selection, dimmer adjustment).

“Cooldown”

A time window after manual override during which automations do not intervene.

Global Design Constraints

Constraint A — “No Dashboard Dependency”

An automation may not require a user to:

Open Home Assistant UI
Navigate a dashboard
“Acknowledge” alerts
Manually toggle helper entities to keep normal behavior

Operator controls are allowed, but must not be required for daily life.

Constraint B — Minimize Helpers

Helpers (input_boolean, input_number, etc.) are allowed only when they:

Represent a real-world concept (e.g., “Guest Mode”)
Have a long half-life and clear meaning

Banned helper patterns:

Helpers that exist only to make YAML easier
Helpers that require frequent tuning
Helpers that create “mode explosion” (10+ overlapping modes)

Constraint C — Prefer Event-Driven Over Polling

Use local sensor events for real-time actions
Polling is reserved for slow systems (energy/vehicles)

Lighting Automation Rules (Most Important)

Lighting Rule 1 — Lighting Must Feel Instant

Hardwired sensors → immediate response
Avoid cloud round trips for real-time lighting decisions

Lighting Rule 2 — Never Turn Lights Off Aggressively

Turning lights on is helpful; turning them off can be annoying.

Off actions must be conservative and based on strong evidence (no motion + door closed + time threshold)
Provide escape hatches (manual override cooldown)

Lighting Rule 3 — Use Context, Not Cleverness

Preferred conditions:

After sunset / before sunrise
Room occupancy (motion)
Entry transitions (door open) Avoid:
Overly complex presence logic
Predictive guesses

Lighting Rule 4 — Night Behavior Is Different

Nighttime lighting must be:

Lower brightness
Minimal pathways
Non-disruptive

Occupancy Rules

Occupancy Rule 1 — Occupancy Is Room-Local

Do not infer whole-house presence from a single sensor.

Room occupancy uses motion/contact sensors
Whole-home presence uses conservative aggregation

Occupancy Rule 2 — Avoid Phone-Only Presence

Phones are optional signal input, not authoritative.

Network presence and sensor activity are more stable
Use multi-signal confidence where possible

Security and “Armed” Behavior Rules

Security Rule 1 — Security Must Not Depend on Automation

If a feature is safety/security critical:

It must work even if HA restarts
It must not rely on cloud connectivity

Security Rule 2 — “Armed Mode” Is Explicit

Armed/home/away are explicit states, not inferred guesses.

If a mode exists, it must be understandable and rarely changed

Notification Rules (Strict)

Notification Rule 1 — Notifications Must Be Actionable

A notification is allowed only if a user can do something with it immediately.

Allowed examples:

“Power is out; generator did not start.”
“Garage door has been open for 30 minutes (night).”
“Water leak detected.”

Banned examples:

“Motion detected.”
“Door opened.”
“Vehicle status changed.”

Notification Rule 2 — Rate Limit Everything

Every notification class must have:

Debounce window
Cooldown window
Maximum repeat count

Notification Rule 3 — Prefer Local Surfaces

When possible, prefer:

Light changes (subtle feedback)
Brief chime (rare)
Apple Home critical alerts only when necessary

AI / Vision Rules

AI Rule 1 — AI Only Filters, It Doesn’t Decide

AI can classify events (person/package), but should not trigger complex behavior by itself.

AI Rule 2 — AI Uncertainty Defaults to Silence

If classification confidence is low:

Do nothing
Do not notify

Energy Rules

Energy Rule 1 — Energy Automations Must Be Invisible

Energy-based actions should feel like:

Comfort improvements
Quiet cost optimization

Energy Rule 2 — Avoid Rapid Switching

Do not create oscillations:

No rapid load toggling
No frequent HVAC setpoint bouncing

Implementation Policy (How Automations Are Built)

Preferred Automation Style

One automation = one job
Clear naming convention
Explicit triggers and conditions
Conservative off-timers
Document intent in comments

Naming Convention (Required)

Use:

domain.area.intent Examples:
lighting.entry.auto_on_after_sunset
lighting.kitchen.auto_off_no_motion
notify.power.outage_generator_failed

Documentation Header (Required Per Automation)

Each automation must include a short header comment:

One-sentence explanation
Known failure mode
Any cooldown behavior

Testing & Safety Rules

Test Rule 1 — All Automations Must Be Reversible

Every automation must have:

A way to be overridden manually
A predictable return to normal behavior

Test Rule 2 — Incremental Rollout

Automations ship in this order:

Observe-only (logging)
Assist (turn on only)
Full (on + conservative off)
Optimize (context tuning)

Test Rule 3 — No “Big Bang”

Do not deploy 20 automations at once. Small changes preserve family trust.

Banned Automation Patterns (Do Not Implement)

Motion → notification spam
Phone GPS as sole presence source
Complex multi-mode scene engines
Automations that require UI intervention
Cascading automation chains without documentation
Aggressive off logic in frequently occupied areas
“Smart home demo” behaviors (color flashes, novelty routines)

Success Criteria

The system is successful when:

Family members rarely open any automation app
Physical controls always work
The home reacts calmly and predictably
Notifications approach zero
The operator can maintain and improve the system without disrupting the household

Authority

This document overrides convenience. If a proposed automation violates any rule here, it must be redesigned or rejected.