2026.6.3
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Update a habit

Use this action to update a specific habit for the selected Habitica character.

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 update a habit 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 Habitica: Update a habit.
  6. Select the Config entry of the character and the Task name of the habit to update. Then set the values you want to change.
  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

Select character (Required)

The Habitica character that owns the habit.
Task name (Required)

The habit to update by name, task ID, or alias.
Rename (Optional)

The new title for the habit.
Notes (Optional)

The new notes for the habit.
Rewards or losses (Optional)

Whether the habit is good and rewarding (positive), bad and penalizing (negative), or both.
Difficulty (Optional)

Update the difficulty of the habit. One of trivial, easy, medium, or hard.
Counter reset (Optional)

Update when the habit’s counter resets. One of daily, weekly, or monthly.
Add tags (Optional)

Add tags to the habit. If a tag does not exist yet, it is created.
Remove tags (Optional)

Remove tags from the habit.
Adjust positive counter (Optional)

Update the up counter of a positive habit.
Adjust negative counter (Optional)

Update the down counter of a negative habit.
Task alias (Optional)

An alias to use instead of the name or task ID. Only dashes, underscores, and alphanumeric characters are supported. The alias must be unique among all your tasks.

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 habitica.update_habit:

ActionActions are used in several places in Home Assistant. As part of a script or automation, actions define what is going to happen once a trigger is activated. In scripts, an action is called *sequence*. [Learn more] 
action: habitica.update_habit
data:
  config_entry: 6b4be47a1fa7c3764f14cf756dc9899d
  task: "Drink water"
  priority: medium

Options in YAML

config_entry string Required

The Habitica character that owns the habit.

task string Required

The habit to update by name, task ID, or alias.

rename string

The new title for the habit.

notes string

The new notes for the habit.

up_down string | list

Update if the habit is positive, negative, or both. One or more of up and down.

priority string

Update the difficulty of the habit. One of trivial, easy, medium, or hard.

frequency string

Update when the habit’s counter resets. One of daily, weekly, or monthly.

tag string | list

Add tags to the habit. If a tag does not exist yet, it is created.

remove_tag string | list

Remove tags from the habit.

counter_up integer

Update the up counter of a positive habit.

counter_down integer

Update the down counter of a negative habit.

alias string

An alias to use instead of the name or task ID. Only dashes, underscores, and alphanumeric characters are supported. The alias must be unique among all your tasks.

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.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.