Template

The Template condition checks whether a template renders true right now. Use it when no other condition can check what you need. For example, a template can compare two sensors with each other, or check the data of the trigger that started the automation.

If another condition can do the same check, such as State or Numeric state, that condition is easier to set up and to read later.

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 Template.
5. In Value template, enter a template that renders true when the automation should continue.
   • To try your template first, use the template editor.
6. 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, use condition: template. A basic example looks like this:

condition: template
value_template: >
  {{ state_attr('climate.living_room', 'temperature') | float(0) > 20 }}

This passes when the target temperature of the living room thermostat is above 20.

Options in YAML

The options in YAML are the same as in the UI.

Shorthand notation

In YAML, you can also write a template condition as the template only, without condition and value_template. The following example does the same as the basic example:

conditions:
  - "{{ state_attr('climate.living_room', 'temperature') | float(0) > 20 }}"

You can use the shorthand everywhere Home Assistant accepts a condition. This includes:

• The conditions of an automation, alone or in a list with other conditions
• The conditions of the And, Or, and Not blocks
• The conditions of a Choose option, and the while and until of a Repeat block
• The if of an If-then block
• A Condition step between the actions, written as condition: "{{ ... }}"

The following example combines two shorthand templates with a State condition. All three must be met:

conditions:
  - "{{ is_state('person.sam', 'home') }}"
  - condition: state
    entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home
    state: "disarmed"
  - "{{ now().hour < 22 }}"

Good to know

• The condition only passes if the template renders true. Upper and lower case don’t matter, so True also passes. Other values, such as 1, yes, or on, don’t pass.
• Combining values with and or or doesn’t always render true or false. For example, {{ my_list is defined and my_list }} renders the list itself. The condition then doesn’t pass, even if the list isn’t empty. To get true or false, use a comparison, such as {{ my_list is defined and my_list | length > 0 }}.
• If the template has an error, the condition fails with an error. The error is shown in the trace.
• If an entity in the template is unavailable or unknown, float and int can’t convert its state, and the template fails with an error. Give them a default value, such as float(0), or check the entity first with has_value().
• In an automation, the template can use the trigger variable, which describes what started the automation. For details, refer to Available trigger data.
• This condition checks the template right now. To start an automation when a template becomes true, use the Template trigger.
• For more about templates, refer to Templates in automation conditions.

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. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

Automation: suggest opening the windows when it’s cooler outside

At 18:00, this automation sends a notification, but only if it’s cooler outside than inside.

• Trigger: Time
  • At time: 18:00:00
• Condition: Template
  • Value template: {{ has_value('sensor.outdoor_temperature') and has_value('sensor.indoor_temperature') and states('sensor.outdoor_temperature') | float < states('sensor.indoor_temperature') | float }}
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My Device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Suggest opening the windows"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "18:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{ has_value('sensor.outdoor_temperature')
         and has_value('sensor.indoor_temperature')
         and states('sensor.outdoor_temperature') | float
             < states('sensor.indoor_temperature') | float }}
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: "It's cooler outside. Open the windows to cool down the house."

Automation: notify only about a big jump in power use

When the power use of the house changes, this automation sends a notification, but only if the power went up by more than 2000 W at once. The template uses the trigger variable to compare the old and the new value.

• Trigger: State changed
  • Entity: House power (sensor.house_power)
• Condition: Template
  • Value template: {{ trigger.from_state.state | is_number and trigger.to_state.state | float(0) - trigger.from_state.state | float > 2000 }}
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My Device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Notify about a big jump in power use"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: sensor.house_power
conditions:
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{ trigger.from_state.state | is_number
         and trigger.to_state.state | float(0)
             - trigger.from_state.state | float > 2000 }}
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: "The power use of the house just went up by more than 2000 W."

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

Explore related conditions:

• State: Tests if an entity, or one of its attributes, has a specific state.

• Numeric state: Tests if the number in the state of an entity, or in one of its attributes, is above or below a limit.