Steps
Step reference
Every When, And and Then step in the Flow Editor.
When
What starts the flow
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Device changes | A device turns on, opens, unlocks… |
| Time of day | At a set time, on chosen days |
| Sunrise / sunset | Around sunrise or sunset |
| Someone arrives / leaves | The home, a person or a place becomes occupied or empty |
| Entry point | Other flows can link in here; name it |
| Manual start | Press the tab on the step to run the flow by hand |
| Sensor reading | A sensor crosses a value or changes |
| Every N minutes / hours | Repeat on a fixed interval, on chosen days |
| Cron schedule (advanced) | A 5-field cron expression, home timezone |
| Button pressed | A button helper or a physical button / remote key is pressed |
| Timer finishes | A timer helper runs out (or is cancelled) |
| Attribute changes | Battery, brightness, HVAC action… changes |
| Alarm panel | Armed, disarmed, triggered… |
| Schedule starts / ends | Two exits: when a weekly schedule becomes active, and when it becomes inactive |
| Day parts | Morning, day, evening… one exit per period — plus Away and No period when watching presence |
| Holiday | At a set time on US holidays |
And
Only continue if…
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Device is | A device is in a given state |
| Sensor is | Only if a reading is above, below or between |
| Time is between | Only inside a time window |
| Day of week | Only on chosen days |
| Holiday | Only on (or only off) US holidays |
| Schedule is active | Only while a weekly schedule is active |
| Someone is home | Only when the home, a person or a place is occupied / empty |
| Attribute is | Only if an attribute equals / is above, below, between |
| Alarm is | Only while armed / disarmed / triggered |
| Day or night | Only in daylight, or after sunset |
| Hasn't run recently | Let this branch through at most once per window |
| Variable is | Compare a value remembered by "Set variable", or a value of the trigger |
Then
What happens
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Control devices | Turn on, dim, lock, set… |
| Activate scene | Run one or more scenes |
| Send notification | Push, text or email the household |
| Wait | Pause before the next step |
| Wait until | Pause until a device, reading or time is reached |
| Stop waiting | Cancel this flow's (or another flow's) pending waits |
| Link to flows | Run one or more flows, at a chosen entry point |
| Integration action | Run a service an integration provides |
| Debug message | Write a line to the Messages window while debugging |
| Stop | End the run here, or just this branch |
| Set variable | Remember a value, a count or a time for later runs |
| Log | Write a line into the run history |
| Speak | Announce a message on media players |
| Call a web API | Send an HTTP request to a device or an online service |