Incomplete to-do items

The Incomplete to-do items condition helps you check whether a list still has work left. You can test whether the number of incomplete items is above, below, inside, or outside a range, and use that result to send a reminder or block another automation until the list is in the state you want.

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 to-do list you want to check. You can also select an area, floor, device, entity, or label if that target resolves to one or more to-do lists.
5. From the conditions shown for that target, select Incomplete to-do items.
6. Under Threshold type, set the number of incomplete items the condition checks against:
   1. Pick whether the list should be Above, Below, In range, or Outside range of the threshold.
   2. Select Number or Entity:
      • Number: Enter a fixed item count directly.
      • Entity: Use an input_number, number, or sensor entity as the threshold value.
      • If you use In range or Outside range, enter both a lower and upper value.
7. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
8. Under For at least, set how long the list must stay at the matching count before the condition passes. Leave it at zero to pass right away.
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 todo.incomplete. A basic example looks like this:

condition: todo.incomplete
target:
  entity_id: todo.shopping_list
options:
  threshold:
    type: above
    value:
      number: 3

This passes when todo.shopping_list has more than 3 incomplete items.

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 todo entity behind that target.

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

• The condition checks the current state of the to-do list entity, which is the number of incomplete items.
• To-do lists in the unavailable or unknown state are skipped when Home Assistant evaluates this condition.
• If you only need to know whether a list is fully done, use All to-do items completed instead.

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 when the shopping list gets too long

If the shopping list keeps growing through the week, this automation sends a reminder when there are more than five incomplete items.

• Trigger: Time: 18:00
• Condition: Incomplete to-do items
  • Target: Shopping list
• Threshold type: Above 5
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My Device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Remind me when the shopping list gets long"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "18:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: todo.incomplete
    target:
      entity_id: todo.shopping_list
    options:
      threshold:
        type: above
        value:
          number: 5
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: >
        Your shopping list has more than 5 incomplete items.

Automation: turn on an entry light when the errands list still has open items

If you want a visual reminder before you leave, this automation turns on a light when the errands list still has between 1 and 3 incomplete items.

• Trigger: Time: 07:00
• Condition: Incomplete to-do items
  • Target: Errands list
• Threshold type: In range 1 to 3
• Action: Turn on light

alias: "Turn on the entry light when errands are still pending"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "07:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: todo.incomplete
    target:
      entity_id: todo.errands_list
    options:
      threshold:
        type: between
        value_min:
          number: 1
        value_max:
          number: 3
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.entryway

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:

• All to-do items completed: Tests if all to-do items are completed in one or more to-do lists.