2026.6.3
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Restrict all watering

The Restrict all watering action prevents any watering from starting on a RainMachine controller for a set time period. Unlike pausing, which interrupts running activities, a restriction stops new watering from beginning.

This is helpful when you know watering should not run for a while, for example during an outdoor event or while you work in the garden.

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 restrict watering 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 RainMachine: Restrict all watering.
  6. Select the Controller and enter the Duration.
  7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Controller (Required)

The controller whose watering activities should be restricted.
Duration (Required)

The time period to restrict watering from starting, for example 01:00:00.

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 rainmachine.restrict_watering. A basic example looks like this:

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: rainmachine.restrict_watering
data:
  device_id: 4de41b1e3d8f0b6e3c0e2a3b1f5a7c9d
  duration: "01:00:00"

Options in YAML

device_id string Required

The controller whose watering activities should be restricted.

duration string Required

The time period to restrict watering from starting, for example 01:00:00.

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.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Tip

You don’t need to edit YAML to use these examples. Copy a YAML snippet from this page, open the automation editor in Home Assistant, and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac). Home Assistant automatically converts the pasted YAML into the visual editor format, whether it’s a full automation, a single trigger, a condition, or an action.

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.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one: