Node-RED Flow Manager

Node-RED Flow Manager is a Home Assistant custom component that allows you to monitor and control your Node-RED flows directly from the Home Assistant dashboard. It discovers your flows automatically and creates a Switch entity for each one, allowing you to enable or disable complex automations with a single toggle.

✨ Features

• Auto-Discovery: Automatically fetches all flows (tabs) from your Node-RED instance.

• Real-time Control: Enable/Disable flows instantly via switch entities.

• Flow Parameters: Display and edit flow environment variables directly from Home Assistant using text and number entities.

• Debug Visibility: Monitor real-time debug node output for each flow via sensor entities.

• Secure Connection: Supports username/password authentication and SSL/TLS.

• Status Monitoring: See at a glance which automation flows are active.

• Dynamic Updates: Integration polls Node-RED every 120 seconds to automatically discover new flows and environment variables.

• Manual Refresh: Use the "Refresh Flows" button on the Node-RED Service device to instantly check for changes.

• Configuration URL: Direct link to the flow in Node-RED from the Home Assistant Device page.

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📸 Screenshots

Flow Parameter Editing

Manage your flow settings without opening the Node-RED editor.

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📋 Prerequisites

• Home Assistant: Version 2023.1.0 or newer (recommended).
• Node-RED: Accessible via network (e.g., addon or separate container).
  • If using Node-RED Addon in HA: Ensure the "credential_secret" is set if you want to use authentication, or simpler, use the internal URL http://nodered.home:1880 (hostname and port may vary).

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🚀 Installation

Option 1: HACS (Recommended)

Installing via Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) ensures you get automatic updates.

1. Open HACS: Navigate to HACS from the Home Assistant sidebar.
2. Add Custom Repository:
   • Click the three dots (menu) in the top-right corner.
   • Select Custom repositories.
   • Repository URL: https://github.com/VilniusTechnology/ha-node-red-flow-manager
   • Category: Select Integration.
   • Click Add.
3. Install:
   • Search for Node-RED Flow Manager in the HACS integrations list.
   • Click Download.
4. Restart: Restart Home Assistant for the custom component to be loaded.

Option 2: Manual Installation

1. Download: Download the node-flow-manager zip or clone the repository.
2. Copy Files:
   • Locate the custom_components folder in your Home Assistant configuration directory (usually /config/).
   • Copy the custom_components/node_red_flow_manager folder from this project into your HA custom_components folder.
   • Directory structure should look like:

     /config/custom_components/node_red_flow_manager/__init__.py
     /config/custom_components/node_red_flow_manager/manifest.json
     ...
     

3. Restart: Restart Home Assistant.

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⚙️ Configuration

Once installed, you need to add the integration to Home Assistant.

1. Navigate to Settings > Devices & Services.
2. Click the + ADD INTEGRATION button in the bottom right.
3. Search for Node-RED Flow Manager.
4. Fill in the connection details:

Field	Description	Example
Host	The hostname or IP address of your Node-RED instance.	192.168.1.100 or localhost or nodered.home depending on your setup.
Port	The port Node-RED is listening on.	1880 (default)
Username	(Optional) Username if adminAuth is enabled in Node-RED.	admin
Password	(Optional) Password for the above user.	password123
Verify SSL	Check this if using HTTPS with a valid certificate.	Unchecked (default)
Public URL	(Optional) External URL to link to Node-RED from HA.	http://nodered.home

5. Click Submit. If the connection is successful, you will be prompted to assign the device to an area.
6. To change these settings later (e.g. update Public URL), go to the integration card and click Configure.

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💡 Usage

Viewing Flows

1. Navigate to Settings > Devices & Services.
2. Click on Devices within the Node-RED Flow Manager integration card.
3. Each Flow (Tab) in Node-RED appears as its own Device.
4. Click on a Flow Device to see all its controls (Switch, Params, Debug) and a link to open it in Node-RED.
5. The Node-RED Service device contains the Refresh Flows button.

Controlling Flows

• Turn Off: Disabling the switch will set the underlying Node-RED flow to disabled: true. The flow will stop processing messages immediately.
• Turn On: Enabling the switch sets disabled: false. The flow resumes operation.

Configuring Flow Parameters

1. Each environment variable in a Node-RED flow is automatically exposed as a Text or Number entity.
2. Changing these values in Home Assistant updates the Node-RED flow configuration safely (without losing other settings).

Monitoring Debug Output

1. A Debug Sensor is created for each flow.
2. The sensor state shows the latest debug message.
3. The history attribute contains the last 20 debug messages with timestamps and node IDs.

Force Update / Refresh

To manually force an update of the flows (e.g., after adding a new flow in Node-RED):

1. Navigate to Settings > Devices & Services.
2. Select the Node-RED Flow Manager integration.
3. Click on the Node-RED Service device.
4. Press the Refresh Flows button.

Automation Example

You can now use these switches in Home Assistant automations!

Example: Disable "Holiday Mode" flow when you arrive home.

automation:
  - alias: "Disable Holiday Automations"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: group.family
        to: "home"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.holiday_lights_flow

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🗑️ Uninstall

To remove the integration:

1. Remove Integration Entry:
   • Go to Settings > Devices & Services.
   • Find Node-RED Flow Manager.
   • Click the three dots on the integration card and select Delete.
2. Remove Component Files:
   • If installed via HACS:
     • Open HACS > Integrations.
     • Find Node-RED Flow Manager.
     • Click the three dots and select Remove.
   • If installed manually:
     • Delete the custom_components/node_red_flow_manager directory from your configuration folder.
3. Restart: Restart Home Assistant.

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☕ Support

If you find this integration useful and want to support its development:

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❓ Troubleshooting

• "Failed to connect": Ensure the Host/IP is reachable from the Home Assistant container. If running Node-RED as an addon, try using the container name (e.g., a0d7b954-nodered).
• Authentication Error: Verify your Node-RED settings.js adminAuth configuration.
• Entities not showing: Only "Tabs" are created as switches. Sub-flows or individual nodes are not currently supported.