Set state

Use this action to set the color and brightness of a LIFX light, optionally turning it on or off at the same time. Unlike the regular light.turn_on action, which always powers the light on, this action can change the color and brightness without affecting the current power state. That makes it handy for preparing a light’s settings while it is off, so it looks right the moment something turns it on, like a motion sensor or a button.

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 set the state 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. Select what you want to control. Under By target (see Targets), select the LIFX lights you want to change.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Set state.
7. Fill in the options you want to use.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

You can also use the color and brightness options from the light.turn_on action, such as color_name or brightness, to set the new state.

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 lifx.set_state. A basic example looks like this:

action: lifx.set_state
target:
  entity_id: light.living_room
data:
  color_name: blue
  brightness: 120
  transition: 2

This fades the light to blue at a brightness of 120 over two seconds.

Options in YAML

You can also use the color and brightness options from the light.turn_on action, such as color_name or brightness, to set the new state.

Good to know

• The LIFX Z and Lightstrip have 8 zones per segment, up to 10 segments, for a maximum of 80 zones (numbered 0 to 79).
• The LIFX Beam has 10 zones per segment plus 1 per corner piece, up to 8 segments and 2 corners, for a maximum of 82 zones (numbered 0 to 81).

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn 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], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching light entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific light entity, such as light.living_room.
• Device: every light entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every light entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every light entity on a floor.
• Label: every light entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

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 HEV cycle state: Start or stop a HEV (Clean) cycle on a LIFX Clean bulb.

• Paint theme: Paint a predefined theme or a custom color palette across LIFX lights.