Breaking change (v7.3.0): ha_config_set_yaml has been moved to beta.
🚀 Get Started
The recommended way to run ha-mcp is the HA-MCP Custom Component. It installs into Home Assistant through HACS, runs the full server in-process, and works on every Home Assistant installation type — Home Assistant OS, Supervised, Container, and Core — with full feature parity. It is the easiest setup in every case, with no access token to manage.
Add it to Home Assistant via HACS (the preferred install):
Quick start:
- Install the HA-MCP Custom Component from HACS — click the badge above, or in HACS open Integrations → ⋮ → Custom repositories, add
https://github.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp-integration (category: Integration), then Download.
- Restart Home Assistant.
- Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration, search for HA-MCP Custom Component, choose HA-MCP Server, and click Submit. Creating the entry starts the server.
- Copy the connect URL from the entry's Configure screen (Settings → Devices & Services → HA-MCP Custom Component → HA-MCP Server → Configure) — it is also printed in the Home Assistant log. A notification confirms the server started and points you there.
- Paste that URL into your AI client — done.
Connect URL. The Configure screen gives you a Home Assistant webhook URL for remote clients — https://<your-ha-domain>/api/webhook/<webhook-id> through Nabu Casa or any reverse proxy already pointed at Home Assistant (locally, http://<ha-host>:8123/api/webhook/<webhook-id>). For clients on the same network, the server is also reachable directly at http://<ha-ip>:9584/private_<random>.
- Replaces other install methods: the in-process server is a complete, standalone ha-mcp install — it takes the place of the app (add-on), Docker, and uvx/PyPI (stdio) methods. Run only one; do not run the in-process server alongside another install.
- Local only? Turn off Remote access via webhook in the entry options — no webhook is registered at all, while the direct port and sidebar panel keep working.
- Settings panel: while the server runs, an admin-only HA-MCP panel appears in the Home Assistant sidebar for managing tools, feature flags, backups, and themes.
- Optional authentication: set Webhook authentication to
ha_auth to require a Home Assistant account sign-in instead of using the secret URL as the credential.
- Manual install (no HACS): copy
custom_components/ha_mcp_tools/ from this repository into your Home Assistant config/custom_components/ directory, then restart and add the integration as above.
The component's second entry type, the File & YAML services entry (HA-MCP File & YAML Tools), is only needed if you enable ha-mcp's opt-in file and YAML editing tools (feature flags, off by default) — skip it otherwise; you can add it later at any time. It works with any server type (in-process, app, Docker, or stdio).
Full in-process server documentation → · Setup Wizard for client-specific config →
🏠 Home Assistant app (add-on)
Prefer to run ha-mcp as a Home Assistant app (add-on)? On Home Assistant OS and Supervised installs it is a close second — no access token to manage, and it works with Claude Desktop, Claude.ai, ChatGPT, and any other MCP client on your local network or configured for remote access.
Add the repository to your Home Assistant instance:
If that opens the App store without an add-repository dialog (a known Home Assistant issue), add it manually: Settings → Apps → Install app → ⋮ → Repositories, then paste https://github.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp.
Install "Home Assistant MCP Server" from Settings → Apps → Install app and click Start. (Home Assistant 2026.2 renamed "Add-ons" to "Apps"; on older versions this is the Add-on store.)
Open the Logs tab to find your unique MCP URL.
Connect your AI client to that URL — no token or credential setup needed.
Full app documentation →
⚠️ Configure exactly one install method per client. The custom component, the app, Docker/PyPI, and local stdio are independent ways to run the same server — pick one and point your AI client at that single URL. Keeping two entries for the same server in one client (for example a local uvx ha-mcp@latest entry with HOMEASSISTANT_URL / HOMEASSISTANT_TOKEN alongside an app or component URL) is a known cause of connection hangs.
Other install methods
These run the server outside Home Assistant — useful for Container / Core installs (which can't run apps) or a separate host. The Setup Wizard generates the exact client-specific config for each.
Docker (HTTP server): run ghcr.io/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp in HTTP mode, pointed at your Home Assistant URL and a long-lived token, and connect your client to its secret URL. See the Setup Wizard for the full command and per-client config.
PyPI / uvx (HTTP server): run the published ha-mcp package with uvx ha-mcp@latest (or pip) as a streamable-HTTP server the same way. Details in the Setup Wizard.
Local stdio (not recommended): runs ha-mcp on your own machine over stdio. The one-command installers in the Demo server section below use this path; the Setup Wizard covers connecting it to your own Home Assistant.
OIDC authentication: gate remote access behind an external identity provider (Authentik, Keycloak, Auth0, etc.) instead of a secret URL — all authenticated users share the server's Home Assistant credentials. See OIDC Mode.
⚠️ stdio has known transport issues. The stdio transport has connection problems that streamable HTTP does not (#1713). It is recommended only for demo/testing tinkering — for a real setup, use the custom component or an HTTP method above.
🌐 Remote access (Nabu Casa / Webhook Proxy app / OpenAI Tunnel)
Using the HA-MCP custom component? You do not need the Webhook Proxy — the component has its own built-in webhook for remote access (see the Get Started quick start at the top). The proxy is for the app (it can also front another external server via its mcp_server_url option). The OpenAI Tunnel below is different: it applies to any install method when Home Assistant isn't publicly reachable at all (no Nabu Casa or reverse proxy).
Already have Nabu Casa or another reverse proxy pointing at your Home Assistant? The Webhook Proxy app routes MCP traffic through your existing setup — no separate tunnel or port forwarding needed.
- Install the MCP Server app (see above) and the Webhook Proxy app from the same store
- Start the webhook proxy and restart Home Assistant when prompted
- Copy the webhook URL from the app logs:
MCP Server URL (remote): https://xxxxx.ui.nabu.casa/api/webhook/mcp_xxxxxxxx
- Configure your AI client with that URL
For other remote access methods (Cloudflare Tunnel, custom reverse proxy), see the Setup Wizard.
ChatGPT / Codex behind a firewall (OpenAI Tunnel). ChatGPT connectors normally require a publicly reachable URL. If you can't (or don't want to) expose one, the community OpenAI Tunnel for HA-MCP integration by @norpol runs OpenAI's tunnel-client inside Home Assistant and connects your local MCP server URL to an OpenAI-hosted tunnel over an outbound-only connection — no port forwarding, reverse proxy, or public URL. Point it at your ha-mcp URL, then attach the ChatGPT connector to the same tunnel ID. See the FAQ entry and #1811.
Webhook proxy documentation →
🧪 Demo server (Windows / macOS / Linux)
Want to try ha-mcp before connecting your own Home Assistant? No paid subscription required. These one-command scripts set up a local stdio connection to a hosted demo environment so you can see it working in a few minutes. Each script's Connect your own Home Assistant link then shows how to point it at your instance.
🍎 macOS
- Go to claude.ai and sign in (or create a free account)
- Open Terminal and run:
curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp/master/scripts/install-macos.sh | sh
- Download Claude Desktop (or restart: Claude menu → Quit)
- Ask Claude: "Can you see my Home Assistant?"
You're now connected to the demo environment! Connect your own Home Assistant →
🐧 Linux
Anthropic doesn't ship Claude Desktop for Linux, so pick one path:
Claude Desktop — free, via the community build:
- Install the community Claude Desktop for Linux build and sign in with a free claude.ai account
- Open Terminal and run:
curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp/master/scripts/install-linux.sh | sh
- Restart Claude Desktop, then ask: "Can you see my Home Assistant?"
Claude Code — official CLI, requires a paid Claude plan:
- Install Claude Code:
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
- Configure ha-mcp, then run
claude:curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp/master/scripts/install.sh | sh -s -- --claude-code
- Start
claude, run /mcp to confirm, then ask: "Can you see my Home Assistant?"
Full Linux guide →
🪟 Windows
- Go to claude.ai and sign in (or create a free account)
- Open Windows PowerShell (from Start menu) and run:
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/homeassistant-ai/ha-mcp/master/scripts/install-windows.ps1 | iex
- Download Claude Desktop (or restart: File → Exit)
- Ask Claude: "Can you see my Home Assistant?"
You're now connected to the demo environment! Connect your own Home Assistant →
🧙 Setup Wizard for 15+ clients
Claude Code, Gemini CLI, ChatGPT, Open WebUI, VSCode, Cursor, and more.
Having issues? Check the FAQ & Troubleshooting
💬 What Can You Do With It?
Just talk to Claude naturally. Here are some real examples:
| You Say |
What Happens |
| "Create an automation that turns on the porch light at sunset" |
Creates the automation with proper triggers and actions |
| "Add a weather card to my dashboard" |
Updates your Lovelace dashboard with the new card |
| "The motion sensor automation isn't working, debug it" |
Analyzes execution traces, identifies the issue, suggests fixes |
| "Make my morning routine automation also turn on the coffee maker" |
Reads the existing automation, adds the new action, updates it |
| "Create a script that sets movie mode: dim lights, close blinds, turn on TV" |
Creates a reusable script with the sequence of actions |
Spend less time configuring, more time enjoying your smart home.
✨ Features
| Category |
Capabilities |
| 🔍 Search |
Fuzzy entity search, deep config search, system overview |
| 🏠 Control |
Any service, bulk device control, real-time states |
| 🔧 Manage |
Automations, scripts, helpers, dashboards, areas, zones, groups, calendars, blueprints |
| 📊 Monitor |
History, statistics, camera snapshots, automation traces, ZHA devices |
| 💾 System |
Backup/restore, updates, apps, device registry |
| 🔒 Safety |
Read Only Mode toggle, per-tool enable/disable, tool security policies (user approval), automatic edit backups |
Complete Tool List (87 tools)
| Category |
Tools |
| Apps (add-ons) |
ha_get_app, ha_manage_app |
| Areas & Floors |
ha_list_floors_areas, ha_remove_area_or_floor, ha_set_area_or_floor |
| Assist |
ha_manage_pipeline |
| Automations |
ha_config_get_automation, ha_config_remove_automation, ha_config_set_automation |
| Blueprints |
ha_manage_blueprints |
| Calendar |
ha_config_get_calendar_events, ha_config_remove_calendar_event, ha_config_set_calendar_event |
| Camera |
ha_get_camera_image |
| Dashboard |
ha_get_dashboard_screenshot (beta) |
| Dashboards |
ha_config_delete_dashboard_resource, ha_config_delete_dashboard, ha_config_get_dashboard, ha_config_list_dashboard_resources, ha_config_set_dashboard_resource, ha_config_set_dashboard |
| Developer |
ha_dev_manage_server, ha_dev_manage_settings |
| Device Registry |
ha_get_device, ha_remove_device, ha_set_device |
| Energy |
ha_manage_energy_prefs |
| Entity Registry |
ha_get_entity_exposure, ha_get_entity, ha_remove_entity, ha_set_entity |
| Files |
ha_delete_file (beta), ha_list_files (beta), ha_read_file (beta), ha_write_file (beta) |
| Groups |
ha_config_list_groups, ha_config_remove_group, ha_config_set_group |
| HACS |
ha_get_hacs_info, ha_manage_hacs |
| Helper Entities |
ha_config_list_helpers, ha_config_set_helper, ha_remove_helpers_integrations |
| History & Statistics |
ha_get_automation_traces, ha_get_history, ha_get_logs |
| Integrations |
ha_get_integration, ha_get_system_health, ha_set_integration |
| Labels & Categories |
ha_config_get_category, ha_config_get_label, ha_config_remove_category, ha_config_remove_label, ha_config_set_category, ha_config_set_label |
| Matter |
ha_manage_radio |
| Scenes |
ha_config_get_scene, ha_config_remove_scene, ha_config_set_scene |
| Scripts |
ha_config_get_script, ha_config_remove_script, ha_config_set_script |
| Search & Discovery |
ha_get_overview, ha_get_state, ha_search |
| Service & Device Control |
ha_bulk_control, ha_call_event, ha_call_service, ha_get_operation_status, ha_list_services |
| System |
ha_config_get_yaml (beta), ha_config_set_yaml (beta), ha_manage_backup, ha_manage_custom_tool (beta), ha_manage_security_policy, ha_manage_theme, ha_manage_updates, ha_reload_core, ha_restart |
| Todo Lists |
ha_get_todo, ha_remove_todo_item, ha_set_todo_item |
| Utilities |
ha_eval_template, ha_report_issue |
| Zones |
ha_get_zone, ha_remove_zone, ha_set_zone |
🆚 ha-mcp vs. Home Assistant's built-in MCP Server
Home Assistant ships its own MCP Server integration. It is built on the Assist pipeline, so a connected MCP client can read and control the entities you have exposed to Assist and run the intents Assist understands — handy for voice-style control of already-exposed devices.
ha-mcp is a standalone server built for configuring, building, and debugging your smart home, not just controlling it. On top of device control, it adds capabilities the built-in integration does not have:
| Capability |
Built-in MCP Server |
ha-mcp |
| Control exposed devices, query states |
Yes |
Yes |
| Entity scope |
Only entities exposed to Assist |
Everything in Home Assistant |
| Create / edit automations, scripts, scenes |
No |
Yes |
| Build & edit dashboards |
No |
Yes |
| Debug automations from traces, read history & logs |
No |
Yes |
| Manage helpers, areas, zones, labels, groups |
No |
Yes |
| Backups, apps, HACS, device & entity registry |
No |
Yes |
Rule of thumb: Use the built-in integration for voice-style control of devices you have already exposed; use ha-mcp when you want an AI assistant that can also build
ha-mcp is an unofficial Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and others control and query a Home Assistant smart home installation using natural language — creating automations, controlling devices, managing dashboards and more.