Return to base

The Return vacuum cleaner to dock action instructs the vacuum to stop its current task and return to its charging dock.

Use it when you want the robot to head home in an orderly way, like before bedtime, before guests arrive, or when you want the floor clear without leaving the vacuum stranded in the middle of a room.

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 from an automation or script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open or create an automation.
3. Add an action and search for Vacuum: Return vacuum cleaner to dock.
4. Select a vacuum, area, or group.
5. Select Save.

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.

action: vacuum.return_to_base
target:
  entity_id: vacuum.living_room

This sends vacuum.living_room back to its dock.

If you omit entity_id, the action will target all vacuums.

Options in YAML

YAML sometimes provides additional options for more complex use cases that are not available through the UI.

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 vacuum entity behind that target.

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

• Not all vacuums support returning to base from every state.

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: send the vacuum back before bedtime

At the end of the evening, this automation sends the vacuum back to its dock so the floor is clear and the robot is charging overnight.

• Trigger: Time: 22:30
• Action: Return to base
• Target: Downstairs vacuum

alias: "Return vacuum to dock at bedtime"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "22:30:00"
actions:
  - action: vacuum.return_to_base
    target:
      entity_id: vacuum.downstairs

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.