Toggle vacuum power

The Toggle vacuum cleaner action switches a supported vacuum cleaner between on and off.

Use it when you want one automation to flip the vacuum power state without first checking whether it is already on or off.

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: Toggle vacuum cleaner.
  4. Choose the vacuum, area, or device to control.
  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.

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: vacuum.toggle
target:
  entity_id: vacuum.downstairs

This toggles the power state of vacuum.downstairs.

The entity_id target is optional. If omitted, all targeted supported vacuums toggle.

Options in YAML

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

target map

The vacuum, area, or device to toggle.

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

  • This action only works for vacuums that support both turning on and turning off.

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.

Tip

You don’t need to edit YAML to use these examples. Copy a YAML snippet from this page, open the automation editor in Home Assistant, and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac). Home Assistant automatically converts the pasted YAML into the visual editor format, whether it’s a full automation, a single trigger, a condition, or an action.

Automation: toggle the vacuum power from a helper button

If you want a quick manual control, this automation toggles the vacuum power whenever a helper button is pressed.

  • Trigger: Helper button pressed
  • Action: Toggle vacuum power
  • Target: Downstairs vacuum
YAML example for toggling vacuum power
AutomationAutomations in Home Assistant allow you to automatically respond to things that happen in and around your home. [Learn more]
alias: "Toggle vacuum power"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: input_button.toggle_vacuum_power
actions:
  - action: vacuum.toggle
    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.

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.