Capture image

The Capture image action requests a new still image from an Abode camera.

This is handy when you want an up-to-date image from an automation or a script, for example when a door opens.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To capture an image from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Abode: Capture image.
6. Select the Entity to request an image from.
7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as abode.capture_image. A basic example looks like this:

action: abode.capture_image
data:
  entity_id: camera.front_door

This requests a new still image from camera.front_door.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• When the image is captured, an abode_capture event is fired, which you can use as a trigger in other automations.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

• Change setting: Changes a setting on your Abode system.

• Trigger automation: Triggers an automation on your Abode system.