Time

The Time trigger is useful when you want an automation to run at a specific time. Use it for daily routines, date-based reminders, or automations that follow a helper or a timestamp sensor.

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 the type of trigger to add.
5. Select Time.
6. Choose a fixed time, or select a date/time helper or timestamp sensor.
7. Optional: Under Days of the Week, limit the trigger to specific days.
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, use trigger: time. A basic example looks like this:

trigger: time
at: "07:00:00"

This runs every day at 7:00 AM.

Options in YAML

In YAML, at supports a fixed time string, an input_datetime, a timestamp sensor, a mapping with entity_id and offset, a limited template, or a list that mixes those formats.

For a fixed time string, use HH:MM or HH:MM:SS. If you omit seconds, Home Assistant uses :00.

When you use an input_datetime, the trigger behavior depends on how that helper is configured:

• A time-only helper fires every day at that time.
• A date-only helper fires once at midnight on that date.
• A helper with both date and time fires once at that date and time.

When you use a timestamp sensor with entity_id and offset, Home Assistant adds the offset to that sensor time. Use a negative offset to run before the sensor time.

You can also provide more than one value in at. A YAML list can combine fixed times, helpers, timestamp sensors, and entity-plus-offset mappings.

Limited templates are also supported in at. Home Assistant evaluates them when the trigger is set up.

The weekday option accepts one weekday such as mon or a list of weekdays. It works with all supported at formats, including input_datetime entities.

Good to know

• You can use a fixed time, a date/time helper, or a timestamp-style sensor.
• If the source entity is unknown or unavailable, the trigger waits until it has a valid value again.
• YAML also supports multiple at values in one trigger.
• With entity-based times, a positive offset may never fire if the source entity updates before the offset is reached.

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].

For this trigger, there is no target entity to change. To test it, set the trigger a few minutes into the future or use a helper you can adjust from the UI.

More examples

Real scenarios where this trigger fires in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: turn on a light at 7:00 AM on weekdays

If you want a simple weekday routine, this automation turns on a light every weekday morning.

• Trigger: Time
  • At time: 07:00:00
  • Days of the Week: Monday through Friday
• Action: Turn on light

alias: "Turn on the kitchen light on weekday mornings"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "07:00:00"
    weekday:
      - mon
      - tue
      - wed
      - thu
      - fri
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.kitchen

Automation: send a reminder when a helper time is reached

If you store a reminder time in a helperA helper is a virtual entity you create inside Home Assistant. It is not backed by a physical device. Helpers store values, track state, or do calculations that your automations and dashboards need. [Learn more], this automation can notify you when that time is reached. The helper must be created separately.

• Trigger: Time
  • At time: Reminder helper
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My Device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Send my daily reminder"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: input_datetime.daily_reminder
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: "It is time for your daily reminder."

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:

• Time pattern: Triggers periodically at a defined interval.

• State: Triggers when the state or an attribute changes.