Update entity

Use this action to force one or more entities to refresh their data immediately, instead of waiting for their next scheduled update. A common use is to get a fresh reading from a sensor that only polls every few minutes, for example right before an automation reads its value.

This action only asks the entity to update now. It does not change how often the entity updates on its own.

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 an entity 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. Search for and select Update entity.
6. Under Entities to update, select one or more entities to refresh.
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 homeassistant.update_entity. A basic example looks like this:

action: homeassistant.update_entity
data:
  entity_id:
    - sensor.outdoor_temperature
    - sensor.living_room_humidity

Options in YAML

Good to know

• This action requests an immediate update. The entity’s normal update schedule continues unchanged.
• Some entities do not poll for data on a schedule. For those, this action has no effect.

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:

• Reload config entry: Reloads an integration’s config entry without restarting Home Assistant.