Timer is idle

The Timer is idle condition passes when the timer is not running. Use it when an automation should continue only if the timer has not started yet, has finished, or was cancelled.

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 timer 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 Timer is idle.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, set how long the timer must stay idle before the condition passes. Leave the default 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 timer.is_idle. A basic example looks like this:

condition: timer.is_idle
target:
  entity_id: timer.guest_room

This passes when timer.guest_room is idle.

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 timer entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific timer entity, such as timer.living_room.
• Device: every timer entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every timer entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every timer entity on a floor.
• Label: every timer 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 timer is idle when it has not started yet, has finished, or was cancelled.
• Timers that are unavailable or unknown are skipped for Any and cause All to fail.

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: start the guest room light only if the timer is idle

If the guest room timer is not already running, you can safely start a new timed lighting routine.

• Trigger: Time: 19:00
• Condition: Timer is idle
  • Target: Guest room timer
• Condition passes if: Any
• Action: Turn on light

alias: "Turn on the guest room light only if the timer is idle"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "19:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: timer.is_idle
    target:
      entity_id: timer.guest_room
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.guest_room

Automation: arm the alarm only if the departure timer is idle

Use this condition to avoid arming the alarm while a departure timer is still running.

• Trigger: Person leaves home zone
• Condition: Timer is idle
  • Target: Departure timer
• Condition passes if: Any
• Action: Arm away

alias: "Arm the alarm only if the departure timer is idle"
triggers:
  - trigger: zone
    entity_id: person.alex
    zone: zone.home
    event: leave
conditions:
  - condition: timer.is_idle
    target:
      entity_id: timer.departure
actions:
  - action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home

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:

• Timer is active: Tests if one or more timers are active.

• Timer is paused: Tests if one or more timers are paused.