• CONTROL
  • MONITOR
  • DISCOVER
  • MANUAL

How to control smart home devices with your AI

Connect your Home Assistant instance to your AI agent. Once linked, you can manage your hardware using plain text commands.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

Can I use my AI to run my smart home?

Yes. Your agent uses Home Assistant to check device states and trigger hardware actions. You get direct control over your lights, thermostats, and sensors through your chat interface.

The outcomes

What you can achieve

Your agent handles the technical calls so you can just talk to your house.

CONTROL

Toggle hardware

The AI triggers specific services to flip switches or dim lights. You get immediate physical changes in your home.

MONITOR

Check device status

Your agent looks up the current state of any sensor. You'll know if the garage door is open or if the AC is running.

DISCOVER

Find available tools

The AI identifies which services your hardware supports. This ensures it only attempts commands your devices actually understand.

MANUAL

Human oversight

The AI won't change your Home Assistant configuration files. You still manage the core setup and logic yourself.

The workflow

What your AI does when a command arrives.

The agent translates your intent into specific Home Assistant instructions.

  1. Scan devices

    The agent checks your system to see which lights, switches, or thermostats are currently online.

    list_entity_states

  2. Check capabilities

    It looks up exactly what commands are possible for a specific device, such as adjusting temperature or brightness.

    list_available_services

  3. Run action

    The agent sends the specific instruction to your hardware to perform the requested task.

    call_ha_service

  4. Verify state

    The agent checks the device again to confirm the command worked as expected.

    list_entity_states

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin controlling your home.

Starting points

Swap out the device names for the ones you actually use in your Home Assistant setup.

Home Assistant Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_PFndzyBgm6EFRgWmvVvPuFq5L6pWhKzeDkkABGnT/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Home Assistant capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "home-assistant-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_PFndzyBgm6EFRgWmvVvPuFq5L6pWhKzeDkkABGnT/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Turn off the living room lights.

  • What is the current temperature in the nursery?

  • Set the hallway thermostat to 72 degrees.

  • Are the kitchen smart plugs turned off?

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Home Assistant once, then ask.

Link your instance via the Vinkius dashboard. Your credentials stay encrypted and your agent will immediately see your device list.

Connect Home Assistant to your AI

FAQ

How the control works

  • 01

    Can the AI create new automations?

    No. The AI can only trigger existing services and read states. You must set up your automations within Home Assistant.

  • 02

    Can the AI delete my smart home entities?

    No. The tools only allow for calling services and reading states. The AI cannot delete or modify your device configurations.

  • 03

    Does the AI know my location?

    The AI only knows the state of the entities you have exposed through Home Assistant.

  • 04

    Can I use this with any smart device?

    The AI can control any device that is already integrated into your Home Assistant instance.

  • 05

    Will the AI run commands automatically?

    No. The AI only performs actions when you specifically ask it to via your AI client.

  • More questions about Home Assistant? The Connector page answers them. See everything the Home Assistant Connector can do

Connect Home Assistant to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more