Update is available

The Update is available condition passes when one or more targeted update entities currently have an update available. Use it when an automation should continue only if a device or service still has an update ready to install.

This condition is useful for scheduled maintenance automations, reminders, and checks you want to run before installing an update.

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 Update is available.
5. Select what you want to check. Under By target (see Targets), pick the device, area, floor, label, or specific update entity you want to evaluate.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, enter how long the update must have stayed available before the condition passes.
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 update.is_available. A basic example looks like this:

condition: update.is_available
target:
  entity_id: update.office_router_firmware

This passes when update.office_router_firmware is currently available.

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 update entity behind that target.

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

• This condition checks update entities whose state is on, which means an update is available.
• Entities in the unavailable or unknown state are ignored.
• With All, the condition passes only if every available targeted update is available. If every targeted entity is unavailable or unknown, All passes and Any fails.
• If you use for, each matching update must stay available for the full time you set.

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: install an update in the evening if it is still available

If you prefer to install updates at a quieter time, this automation checks each evening whether an update is still available and starts the installation.

• Trigger: Time: 21:00
• Condition: Update is available
  • Target: Office router update
• Action: Install update

alias: "Install an update during the evening if it is still available"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "21:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: update.is_available
    target:
      entity_id: update.office_router_firmware
actions:
  - action: update.install
    target:
      entity_id: update.office_router_firmware

Automation: remind yourself every morning about a pending update

If you want a simple daily reminder, this automation checks every morning whether your media player still has an update available and sends a message if it does.

• Trigger: Time: 08:00
• Condition: Update is available
  • Target: Living room media player update
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My Device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Remind me every morning about a pending update"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "08:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: update.is_available
    target:
      entity_id: update.living_room_media_player_firmware
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      title: "Update still available"
      message: >
        The living room media player still has an update waiting.

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:

• Update is not available: Tests if one or more updates are not available.