Toggle script

Use this action to flip a script between running and stopped. If the script isn’t running, it starts. If it is running, it stops.

Like Turn on script, this action does not wait for the script to finish.

It fits best with scripts that keep going until something stops them, such as a script that loops through the colors of the rainbow. A script like that never ends on its own, so one toggle both starts the effect and ends it.

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 toggle a script 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 script you want to toggle.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Toggle script.
7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

This action has no additional options beyond the target.

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 script.toggle. A basic example looks like this:

action: script.toggle
target:
  entity_id: script.rainbow_lights

This starts script.rainbow_lights if it isn’t running, and stops it if it is. Because the script keeps cycling through colors until something stops it, the same action turns the effect on and off.

Options in YAML

This action has no additional YAML options beyond the target.

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 script entity behind that target.

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

• This action is a good fit for scripts that repeat until you stop them, where a single control starts and ends the effect.
• A short script finishes on its own before you can toggle it off, so toggling it behaves the same as Turn on script.
• If you need a specific result, use Turn on script or Turn off script instead.
• Unlike Turn on script, this action cannot pass variables to the script.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > 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: use one button to start and stop the rainbow lights

Let a single button start the rainbow effect and end it on the next press. The script keeps cycling through colors on its own, so nothing else has to switch it off.

• Trigger: Event received
  • Target: Living room button
  • Event type: Single press
• Action: Toggle script
  • Target: Rainbow lights

- alias: "Toggle the rainbow lights with the living room button"
  triggers:
    - trigger: event.received
      target:
        entity_id: event.living_room_button
      options:
        event_type:
          - single_press
  actions:
    - action: script.toggle
      target:
        entity_id: script.rainbow_lights

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:

• Turn on script: Runs the sequence of actions defined in a script.

• Turn off script: Stops a running script.