Vacuum is returning

The Vacuum cleaner is returning condition passes when one or more targeted vacuums are returning to their dock or base.

Use this when you only want an automation to run while the robot is on its way home, like turning on a light near the dock, delaying another routine, or waiting to start cleanup until the path is clear again.

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 Vacuum: Vacuum cleaner is returning.
5. Under Targets, select the vacuum entity, an area, a floor, or a label.
6. Under Condition passes if (see Behavior), pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, enter how long the vacuum must keep returning 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 vacuum.is_returning. A basic example looks like this:

condition: vacuum.is_returning
target:
  entity_id: vacuum.downstairs
options:
  behavior: any

This passes when vacuum.downstairs is returning to its dock.

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 vacuum entity behind that target.

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

• Entities with state unavailable or unknown are ignored when Home Assistant evaluates the condition.
• With Any (default), the condition passes if at least one targeted vacuum is returning.
• With All, the condition passes only if every targeted vacuum that Home Assistant can evaluate is returning.
• If every targeted vacuum is unavailable or unknown, Any fails and All passes.

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 dock light if the vacuum is returning

At night, this automation checks whether the vacuum is currently returning to the dock. If it is, the nearby light turns on to help light the final part of its path.

• Trigger: Time: 22:00
• Condition: Vacuum is returning
• Target: Downstairs vacuum
• Action: Turn on light

alias: "Light dock area for returning vacuum"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "22:00:00"
conditions:
  - condition: vacuum.is_returning
    target:
      entity_id: vacuum.downstairs
    options:
      behavior: any
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.dock_area

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.