Add doorbell text

With this action, you can add a custom message to the list of texts available on your UniFi Protect doorbells. Once added, you can select the message on the doorbell so visitors see it on the screen.

Messages must be shorter than 30 characters.

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 use this action in an automation or 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.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select UniFi Protect: Add doorbell text.
6. Select a device from the UniFi Protect instance you want to change.
7. In the Custom message field, enter the text to add.
8. 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 unifiprotect.add_doorbell_text. A basic example looks like this:

action: unifiprotect.add_doorbell_text
data:
  device_id: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef
  message: "Come in"

This adds the message “Come in” to the doorbell text options for that UniFi Protect instance.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• The message is added to the list of available texts. You still select which message to show on the doorbell separately.
• Because the action targets the whole UniFi Protect instance, you only need to pick any one device from that instance.

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: show a welcome message when you leave for work

Add a friendly doorbell message in the morning so deliveries see it while you are out.

• Trigger: A scheduled time
• Action: UniFi Protect: Add doorbell text

alias: "Add a morning doorbell message"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "08:00:00"
actions:
  - action: unifiprotect.add_doorbell_text
    data:
      device_id: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef
      message: "Leave parcels next door"

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:

• Add URL: Adds a new filter subscription to AdGuard Home.