Send remote command

The Send remote command action sends one command or a list of commands through a remote 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]. Use it when an automation or script should press a saved remote-control button, such as play, pause, volume up, or input select.

The available device IDs and command names depend on the remote integration and on the commands it knows.

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 send a remote command from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create to start a new one.
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), pick the remote entity, device, area, floor, or label that should send the command.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Send remote command.
7. In Command, enter the command to send.
8. Optional: Set Device, Repeats, Delay seconds, or Hold seconds if your remote integration uses them.
9. 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 remote.send_command. A basic example looks like this:

action: remote.send_command
target:
  entity_id: remote.living_room
data:
  device: television
  command: play

This sends the play command to the television device through remote.living_room.

Options in YAML

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 remote entity behind that target.

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

Good to know

• The action targets remote entities.
• Command names and device IDs depend on the remote integration. Check the documentation for your remote integration if a command is not accepted.
• Use Learn remote command to teach supported remotes a command before you send it.
• If the remote is unavailable, Home Assistant cannot send the command.

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.

Automation: pause the TV when the front door opens

When the front door opens, send a pause command to the TV.

• Trigger: State
  • Entity: Front door (binary_sensor.front_door)
  • To: On
• Action: Send remote command
  • Target: Living room remote
  • Device: television
  • Command: pause

alias: "Pause TV when the front door opens"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door
    to: "on"
actions:
  - action: remote.send_command
    target:
      entity_id: remote.living_room
    data:
      device: television
      command: pause

Automation: lower the volume at night

At 22:00, send the volume-down command three times.

• Trigger: Time
  • At: 22:00
• Action: Send remote command
  • Target: Living room remote
  • Device: television
  • Command: volume_down
  • Repeats: 3
  • Delay seconds: 0.5

alias: "Lower TV volume at night"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "22:00:00"
actions:
  - action: remote.send_command
    target:
      entity_id: remote.living_room
    data:
      device: television
      command: volume_down
      num_repeats: 3
      delay_secs: 0.5

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:

• Learn remote command: Teaches a supported remote entity one or more commands.

• Delete remote command: Deletes one or more learned commands from a supported remote entity.

• Turn on via remote: Sends the turn on command through a remote entity. Some remotes can also start a specific activity.