Volume

The Volume condition passes when a media player’s volume matches the threshold rule you define. Use it when an automation should continue only if volume is above, below, within, or outside a range.

Use Volume to protect quiet hours, to allow a routine only when the room is already loud enough, or to branch based on the current listening level.

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 Volume 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 media player you want to evaluate. You can also select an area, a floor, a device, or a label.
5. From the conditions shown for that target, select Volume.
6. Under Threshold, set the volume level or range the condition should check.
7. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), choose how multiple targeted media players should behave. The default is Any.
8. Under For at least, enter how long the volume must meet the threshold before the condition passes. The default is 0.
9. 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 media_player.is_volume. A basic example looks like this:

condition: media_player.is_volume
target:
  entity_id: media_player.living_room_receiver
options:
  threshold:
    type: below
    value:
      number: 35

This passes when the receiver volume is below 35%.

To use a helperA helper is a virtual entity you create inside Home Assistant. It is not backed by a physical device. Helpers store values, track state, or do calculations that your automations and dashboards need. [Learn more] you created separately as a dynamic threshold:

condition: media_player.is_volume
target:
  entity_id: media_player.living_room_receiver
options:
  threshold:
    type: below
    value:
      entity: input_number.quiet_hours_volume

Options in YAML

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 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 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

• Threshold helper entities must use % as the unit. If you want to adjust the limit from the UI, create a helperA helper is a virtual entity you create inside Home Assistant. It is not backed by a physical device. Helpers store values, track state, or do calculations that your automations and dashboards need. [Learn more] separately first.
• Media players that are unavailable or unknown are skipped for Any and fail for All.
• If you want to react to the moment volume crosses a limit, use Media player volume crossed threshold.

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: only send a voice message when the receiver is quiet enough

When the washer finishes, send a spoken announcement only if the receiver volume is below 35%.

• Trigger: Washer finished
• Condition: Volume
  • Target: Living room receiver
  • Threshold: Below 35%
• Action: Play media
  • Target: Living room receiver

alias: "Send a voice message only when the receiver is quiet enough"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.washer_finished
    to: "on"
conditions:
  - condition: media_player.is_volume
    target:
      entity_id: media_player.living_room_receiver
    options:
      threshold:
        type: below
        value:
          number: 35
actions:
  - action: media_player.play_media
    target:
      entity_id: media_player.living_room_receiver
    data:
      media_content_id: "media-source://tts/washer-finished"
      media_content_type: "music"

Automation: only start the cleaning robot when every player is below a volume limit

When everyone leaves home, start the robot vacuum only if every targeted media player downstairs is below 20% volume.

• Trigger: Person leaves home
• Condition: Volume
  • Target: Downstairs
  • Threshold: Below 20%
  • Condition passes if: All
• Action: Start vacuuming
  • Target: Robot vacuum

alias: "Start the vacuum only when every player is quiet"
triggers:
  - trigger: zone
    entity_id: person.alex
    zone: zone.home
    event: leave
conditions:
  - condition: media_player.is_volume
    target:
      area_id: downstairs
    options:
      threshold:
        type: below
        value:
          number: 20
      behavior: all
actions:
  - action: vacuum.start
    target:
      entity_id: vacuum.main_floor

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:

• Media player is muted: Tests if one or more media players are muted.

• Media player is playing: Tests if one or more media players are playing.