Vacuum started returning to dock

The Vacuum cleaner started returning to dock trigger fires when the vacuum finishes its current activity and sets out for its charging station. Use this to automate post-cleanup events, notifications, or dock preparation routines.

Use it to prepare for the robot to pass through a dark hallway, announce that cleaning is almost done, or turn off modes that only matter while active cleaning is in progress.

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 or create an automation.
3. In the When section, select Add trigger.
4. Search for Vacuum: Vacuum cleaner started returning to dock.
5. Select targets (individual/group, area, or floor).
6. Choose Trigger when: Each, First, or All as needed.
7. Under For at least, enter how long the vacuum must keep returning before the trigger fires.
8. Save the automation.

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 vacuum.started_returning. A basic example looks like this:

trigger: vacuum.started_returning
target:
  entity_id:
    - vacuum.upstairs
    - vacuum.downstairs
options:
  behavior: first

Options in YAML

YAML sometimes provides additional options for more complex use cases that are not available through the UI.

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 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 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

• This trigger fires only when a vacuum actually starts returning to its dock.
• If a vacuum comes back online from unavailable or unknown, that does not count as a return-to-dock event.

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 hallway light while the vacuum returns

If your vacuum docks in a darker part of the house, you can turn on a nearby light when it starts heading back so it can finish its route with a clear path.

• Trigger: Vacuum started returning to dock
• Target: Downstairs vacuum
• Condition: Sun is below horizon
• Action: Turn on hallway light

alias: "Light path for returning vacuum"
triggers:
  - trigger: vacuum.started_returning
    target:
      entity_id: vacuum.downstairs
conditions:
  - condition: sun
    after: sunset
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.hallway

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:

• Vacuum returned to dock: Triggers when a vacuum cleaner docks.

• Vacuum started cleaning: Triggers when a vacuum cleaner begins a cleaning task.