Test entity state: is_state

The is_state template function tests if an 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] is in a specific state. It returns true or false. This is probably the template function you’ll use most often, and it’s the recommended way to check what state something is in.

Whenever you need to make a decision based on the current state of a deviceA device is a model representing a physical or logical unit that contains entities. or sensorSensors return information about a thing, for instance the level of water in a tank. [Learn more], is_state is the way to do it. Is the alarm armed? Is someone home? Is a door open? Is the washing machine still running? These are all yes/no questions about the state of an entity, and is_state answers them. It’s also safer than comparing states directly, because it will never throw an error if the entity doesn’t exist yet (for example, during Home Assistant startup). It returns false.

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ is_state("device_tracker.phone", "home") }}

true

{% if "device_tracker.phone" is is_state("home") %}
  Phone is home!
{% endif %}

Phone is home!

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically. Function parameters without a default are required.

is_state(
    entity_id: str,
    state: str | list[str],
) -> bool

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Checking against multiple states

You can pass a list of states to check against. The function returns true if the entity’s state matches any value in the list.

{{ is_state("vacuum.roborock", ["cleaning", "returning"]) }}

true

Good to know

• Returns false (not an error) when the entity does not exist, making it safer than string comparison during startup.
• The state to compare against is always a string. Numeric states need to be wrapped in quotes, like is_state("sensor.x", "25").
• Passing a list of states returns true if any of them match, acting like an OR check.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn 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].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Use in an automation conditionConditions are an optional part of an automation that will prevent an action from firing if they are not met. [Learn more]

Only run the rest of the automationAutomations in Home Assistant allow you to automatically respond to things that happen in and around your home. [Learn more] if the alarm is armed away.

condition:
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{ is_state("alarm_control_panel.home", "armed_away") }}

Combine with iif in a notification

Send a notificationYou can use notifications to send messages, pictures, and more, to devices. [Learn more] that includes the current state of the front door, using iif to convert the state into a human-readable word.

action:
  - action: notify.mobile
    data:
      message: >
        The front door is
        {{
          iif(is_state("binary_sensor.front_door", "on"),
          "open", "closed")
        }}

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Get entity state: states - Returns the state value of an entity, or lets you iterate over all entity states.

• Get state attribute: state_attr - Returns the value of a specific attribute from an entity’s state.

• Test state attribute: is_state_attr - Tests if a specific attribute of an entity has a given value.

• Check if entity has a value: has_value - Tests if an entity exists and has a valid state (not unavailable or unknown).