Lock is jammed

The Lock is jammed condition helps you check whether a lock is currently stuck. Use it when you want an automation to react only while the problem is still present, like sending repeated reminders or turning on more light at the door.

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. Select what you want to check. Under By target (see Targets), pick the area your lock is in, like your front door or garage entry. You can also select a floor, a device, a specific entity, or a label.
5. From the conditions shown for that target, select Lock is jammed.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All to control how the check behaves when multiple locks are targeted.
7. Under For at least, set how long the lock must stay jammed before the condition passes.
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 lock.is_jammed. A basic example looks like this:

condition: lock.is_jammed
target:
  entity_id: lock.front_door

This passes when lock.front_door is currently jammed.

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 lock entity behind that target.

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

• Locks in the unavailable or unknown state are ignored when Home Assistant evaluates the condition.
• Use For at least if you want to wait for a lasting problem instead of a brief status report.
• To check for the normal secure state instead, use Lock is locked.

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: send a reminder if the front door lock is still jammed

If a first alert was missed, a follow-up reminder can help you fix the problem before leaving the house unsecured. This automation checks every 10 minutes and sends a reminder while the front door lock is still jammed.

• Trigger: Time pattern: Every 10 minutes
• Condition: Lock is jammed
• Target: Front door lock
• Condition passes if: Any
• For at least: 00:01:00
• Action: Send a notification via mobile_app_phone

alias: "Remind me that the front door lock is jammed"
triggers:
  - trigger: time_pattern
    minutes: "/10"
conditions:
  - condition: lock.is_jammed
    target:
      entity_id: lock.front_door
    options:
      behavior: any
      for: "00:01:00"
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.mobile_app_phone
    data:
      title: "Front door lock still jammed"
      message: "Check the front door lock and clear the obstruction."

Automation: turn on the porch light while any outside door lock is jammed

Extra light can make it easier to see why a lock is stuck. This automation runs after sunset and turns on the porch light if any targeted outside lock has been jammed for at least 15 seconds.

• Trigger: Time pattern: Every 1 minute
• Condition: Lock is jammed
• Target: Outside door locks (by label)
• Condition passes if: Any
• For at least: 00:00:15
• Condition: Sun is below the horizon
• Action: Turn on

alias: "Turn on the porch light while a lock is jammed"
triggers:
  - trigger: time_pattern
    minutes: "/1"
conditions:
  - condition: lock.is_jammed
    target:
      label_id: outside_locks
    options:
      behavior: any
      for: "00:00:15"
  - condition: sun
    after: sunset
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.porch

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.

Related conditions

These conditions work well alongside this one:

• Lock is locked: Tests if one or more locks are locked.