Button

Use this action to simulate a press of a button on the remote of your LG webOS TV. This is handy when you want to navigate the on-screen menus from an automation or script, for example to open the home menu or move the selection with the arrow keys.

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 press a button 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 TV you want to control.
  6. From the actions shown for that target, select Button.
  7. Set the Button you want to press.
  8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Button

The name of the button to press. Known values are: LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN, UP, HOME, MENU, BACK, ENTER, DASH, INFO, ASTERISK, CC, EXIT, MUTE, RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, VOLUMEUP, VOLUMEDOWN, CHANNELUP, CHANNELDOWN, PLAY, PAUSE, NETFLIX, GUIDE, AMAZON, and 0 to 9. Other buttons supported by your TV may also work.

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 webostv.button. 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: webostv.button
target:
  entity_id: media_player.lg_webos_tv
data:
  button: "HOME"

Options in YAML

button string Required

The name of the button to press. Known values are: LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN, UP, HOME, MENU, BACK, ENTER, DASH, INFO, ASTERISK, CC, EXIT, MUTE, RED, GREEN, BLUE, YELLOW, VOLUMEUP, VOLUMEDOWN, CHANNELUP, CHANNELDOWN, PLAY, PAUSE, NETFLIX, GUIDE, AMAZON, and 0 to 9. Other buttons supported by your TV may also work.

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 media_player entity behind that target.

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

  • The button names match the keys on the TV remote. The list above covers the commonly known buttons, but your TV may accept other button names as well.
  • To send a generic command to the TV instead of a button press, use the Command action.

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: