Schedule block started

The Schedule block started trigger is useful when you want an automation to begin exactly when a scheduled time block starts. Use it to turn something on at the start of a routine, or to begin a follow-up action after a schedule has been active for a while.

Using this trigger from the user interface

If you prefer building automations visually, Home Assistant walks you through this trigger step by step. You pick what to watch, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this trigger in an automation:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. In the When section, select Add trigger.
4. Select what you want to monitor. Under By target (see Targets), pick the schedule you want to monitor. You can also select an area, a floor, a device, or a label.
5. From the triggers shown for that target, select Schedule block started.
6. Under Trigger when (see Behavior), pick Each, First, or All.
7. Under For at least, set how long the schedule block must stay active before the trigger fires.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this trigger 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 trigger as schedule.turned_on. A basic example looks like this:

trigger: schedule.turned_on
target:
  entity_id: schedule.morning_routine
options:
  for: "00:15:00"

This fires when schedule.morning_routine has been active for 15 minutes.

Options in YAML

Targets of the trigger

This trigger requires a target. The target is the object that Home Assistant will watch. You can select 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 as a target, and Home Assistant will watch every matching schedule entity behind that target.

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

You can also select different target types in one trigger. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same trigger to monitor 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 Trigger when option controls how the trigger responds:

• Each (default): the trigger fires every time any one of the targeted entities transitions. For example, if you monitor three motion sensors in the living room and someone walks past sensor 1, the automation fires. When they walk past sensor 2 a moment later, it fires again. Every individual event counts.
• First: the trigger fires only on the first transition in the targeted group, then waits until all targeted entities have reset before it fires again. For example, if you monitor the same three motion sensors, the automation fires when the first one picks up movement (someone entered the room). The other two firing afterward are ignored, so you get one notification per “someone walked in” event instead of three.
• All: the trigger fires only after the last targeted entity in the group has fired, meaning all of them are now in the expected state. For example, if you monitor the lights in the living room, bedroom, and hallway, the automation fires only once all three have turned off. This is useful for scenarios like “start the robot vacuum only after every light on the floor is off,” so you know the room is truly empty.

Good to know

• A schedule in the unknown or unavailable state does not trigger this automation.
• If the schedule stops being active before the For at least time finishes, the timer resets.
• To react when a schedule block ends instead, use Schedule block ended.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, create a new automation, and add this trigger. Save the automation, then change the state of the targeted entity to watch the trigger fire on your actual 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 trigger fires in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: turn on the porch light when the evening schedule starts

If you use a schedule to define when your porch light should be active, you can start the light automatically when that schedule block begins.

• Trigger: Schedule block started
  • Target: Evening porch light schedule
• Action: Turn on light
  • Target: Porch light

alias: "Turn on the porch light when the evening schedule starts"
triggers:
  - trigger: schedule.turned_on
    target:
      entity_id: schedule.evening_porch_light
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.porch

Automation: start the kitchen fan after the ventilation schedule has been active for 10 minutes

If you want a short delay before starting ventilation, you can wait until the schedule block has been active for a while.

• Trigger: Schedule block started
  • Target: Kitchen ventilation schedule
  • For at least: 00:10:00
• Action: Turn on fan
  • Target: Kitchen fan

alias: "Start the kitchen fan after 10 minutes"
triggers:
  - trigger: schedule.turned_on
    target:
      entity_id: schedule.kitchen_ventilation
    options:
      for: "00:10:00"
actions:
  - action: fan.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: fan.kitchen

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the trigger you’re using and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related triggers

These triggers work well alongside this one:

• Schedule block ended: Triggers when a schedule block ends.