Append keyboard text

Use this action to add text to the currently focused input field on an Apple TV, without clearing the text that is already there.

The on-screen keyboard must be focused on the Apple TV for this action to work.

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 append keyboard text 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 Apple TV: Append keyboard text.
6. Choose the Apple TV you want to send text to, and enter the Text.
7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label.

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 apple_tv.append_keyboard_text. A basic example looks like this:

action: apple_tv.append_keyboard_text
data:
  config_entry_id: YOUR_CONFIG_ENTRY_ID
  text: " (2022)"

This adds (2022) to the end of the text in the focused input field on the selected Apple TV.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• You can find the config_entry_id under Settings > Devices & services > Apple TV > your device. It is the last part of the URL when viewing the device page.

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:

• Set keyboard text: Sets the text in the currently focused text input field on an Apple TV.

• Clear keyboard text: Clears the text in the currently focused text input field on an Apple TV.