Schedule is on

The Schedule is on condition is useful when an automation should continue only while a schedule block is active. Use it to limit automations to certain times, or to check whether a routine is currently in effect before doing something.

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 schedule you want to check. You can also select an area, a floor, a device, or a label.
5. From the conditions shown for that target, select Schedule is on.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, set how long the schedule block must have been active.
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 schedule.is_on. A basic example looks like this:

condition: schedule.is_on
target:
  entity_id: schedule.evening_routine
options:
  for: "00:30:00"

This passes when schedule.evening_routine has been active for 30 minutes.

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 schedule entity behind that target.

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

• A schedule in the unknown or unavailable state does not match this condition.
• If you use For at least, the schedule must stay active for the entire time.
• To check for the opposite state, use Schedule is off.

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: turn on the hallway light when motion is detected during the night schedule

If you only want a motion-based automation at certain times, you can use a schedule to decide when it is allowed to run.

• Trigger: State: Motion detected
• Condition: Schedule is on
  • Target: Night hallway schedule
• Action: Turn on light
  • Target: Hallway light

alias: "Turn on the hallway light during the night schedule"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
    to: "on"
conditions:
  - condition: schedule.is_on
    target:
      entity_id: schedule.night_hallway
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.hallway

Automation: turn on the coffee machine only after the morning schedule has been active for 20 minutes

If you want a little delay at the start of your morning routine, you can check whether the schedule has already been active for a while.

• Trigger: Time: 06:50
• Condition: Schedule is on
  • Target: Morning kitchen schedule
  • For at least: 00:20:00
• Action: Turn on switch
  • Target: Coffee machine plug

alias: "Turn on the coffee machine after the morning schedule has been active for 20 minutes"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "06:50:00"
conditions:
  - condition: schedule.is_on
    target:
      entity_id: schedule.morning_kitchen
    options:
      for: "00:20:00"
actions:
  - action: switch.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: switch.coffee_machine

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:

• Schedule is off: Tests if one or more schedule blocks are currently not active.