2026.6.3
Home ▸ Actions

Reload timers

Use this action to reload your timers from the YAML configuration. This is handy when you have changed your YAML-defined timers and want Home Assistant to apply those changes without restarting.

Only users with administrator rights can run this action.

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 reload timers 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 list of actions, search for and select Timer: Reload timers.
  6. Select Save.

Options in the UI

This action has no options.

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 timer.reload. 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: timer.reload

Options in YAML

This action has no options.

Good to know

  • The Timer: Reload timers action applies only to timers configured in YAML. Timers created from the UI are stored in Home Assistant, so reloading does not add, update, or remove them.

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:

  • Start a timer: Starts a timer, or restarts it with a new duration.

  • Pause a timer: Pauses a running timer, keeping the remaining time.

  • Cancel a timer: Cancels a running or paused timer without firing the finished event.

  • Finish a timer: Finishes a running or paused timer earlier than scheduled.

  • Change a timer: Adds or subtracts time on a running timer.