Lawn mower is returning

The Lawn mower is returning condition passes when one or more targeted mowers are on their way back to the dock. Use it when an automation should continue only during the return trip, like keeping a path light on or waiting to start another yard task.

Using this condition from the user interface

If you prefer building automations visually, Home Assistant walks you through this condition step by step. You pick what to check, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this condition in an automation:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. In the And if section, select Add condition.
4. From the search box, search for and select Lawn mower is returning.
5. Select what you want to check. Under By target (see Targets), pick the area where your mower is used. You can also select a floor, a device, a specific entity, or a label.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, set how long the mower must stay in the returning state before the condition passes. Leave it at zero to check the current state only.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this condition 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 condition as lawn_mower.is_returning. A basic example looks like this:

condition: lawn_mower.is_returning
target:
  entity_id: lawn_mower.backyard

This passes when lawn_mower.backyard is currently returning to the dock.

Options in YAML

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

Targets of the condition

This condition requires a target. The target is the object that Home Assistant will check. You can point the condition 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 evaluate every matching lawn_mower entity behind that target.

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

You can also select different target types in one condition. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same condition to check both of them at once.

Behavior with multiple targets

When you target more than one entity (or select an area, floor, or label that contains several), the Condition passes if option controls how the results combine:

• Any (default): the condition passes if at least one of the targeted entities matches. For example, if you check three smoke sensors and only one of them detects smoke, the condition still passes. This is useful for questions like “is there smoke anywhere in the house?”
• All: the condition passes only when every targeted entity matches. For example, if you check the same three smoke sensors, the condition passes only once all three report cleared. This is useful for “is the entire house safe now?” checks, so your automation does not send an all-clear while one room still has a reading.

Good to know

• Mowers in the unavailable or unknown state are ignored when Home Assistant evaluates the condition.
• Use For at least if you want the condition to pass only after the mower has been returning for a short time.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, open an automation, and add this condition. Trigger the automation with and without the condition met, and watch whether it continues or stops.

More examples

Real scenarios where this condition gates an automation. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: Keep the path light on while the mower returns

If the dock is in a darker part of the yard, this automation checks whether the mower is returning before it turns on the path light.

• Trigger: Time pattern: Every 5 minutes
• Condition: Lawn mower is returning
  • Target: Backyard mower
  • For at least: 00:00:30
• Condition: Sun: after sunset
• Action: Turn on light

alias: "Keep the path lit while the mower returns"
triggers:
  - trigger: time_pattern
    minutes: "/5"
conditions:
  - condition: lawn_mower.is_returning
    target:
      entity_id: lawn_mower.backyard
    options:
      for: "00:00:30"
  - condition: sun
    after: sunset
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.garden_path

Automation: Wait to lock the side gate until the mower is on its way home

If you use a gate during the mowing run, only lock it after the mower is returning and the yard work is almost done.

• Trigger: Time: 20:30
• Condition: Lawn mower is returning
  • Target: Backyard mower
  • For at least: 00:01:00
• Action: Lock lock

alias: "Lock the side gate when the mower returns"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "20:30:00"
conditions:
  - condition: lawn_mower.is_returning
    target:
      entity_id: lawn_mower.backyard
    options:
      for: "00:01:00"
actions:
  - action: lock.lock
    target:
      entity_id: lock.side_gate

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the condition you’re using and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.