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Configuration Debug Diagnostics

Jason Rhubottom edited this page Apr 21, 2026 · 5 revisions

Debug & Diagnostics

The Debug & Diagnostics screen gives you targeted tools for troubleshooting cover behavior β€” from promoting specific log messages to INFO level, to running the full automation pipeline without ever moving your covers.

Where to find it

Open a cover's options (Settings β†’ Devices & Services β†’ Adaptive Cover Pro β†’ Configure) and choose Debug & Diagnostics from the menu.

Cover Capabilities

At the top of the screen, the integration displays a read-only summary of what each bound cover entity supports β€” whether it can report position, stop mid-travel, and receive open/close commands. This is detected directly from Home Assistant's entity registry, not from your configuration. Use it to confirm why a cover behaves differently from others (for example, why one cover can be sent to a specific percentage but another only receives open/close commands).

Settings

Dry Run

Option Default
dry_run Off

When enabled, the integration runs the full update cycle β€” pipeline evaluation, sensor updates, diagnostics β€” but does not send any movement commands to your covers. Every sensor updates normally: the Decision Trace shows the handler that won, and Last Skipped Action records what would have been sent and why.

Use Dry Run to:

  • Validate a new configuration before going live
  • Confirm that the right pipeline handler fires for a given sun position or sensor state
  • Test automation logic in the middle of the day without disturbing your home

⚠️ All other automations and manual commands still work normally β€” only the commands from this integration are suppressed.

Debug Mode

Option Default
debug_mode Off

When enabled, log messages for the selected categories below are promoted from DEBUG to INFO. This makes them visible in the Home Assistant log without adding custom_components.adaptive_cover_pro: debug to configuration.yaml.

Turn off when you are done troubleshooting. Leaving it on permanently adds noise to your log and can make other issues harder to spot.

Log Categories

Option Default
debug_categories None selected

Multi-select. Only active when Debug Mode is on. Selecting a category promotes that subsystem's log messages to INFO; unselected categories remain at DEBUG.

Category What it traces When to use it
Manual Override Override detection decisions, grace period, wait-for-target logic A cover won't stop detecting manual control, or it clears the override too early
Reconciliation The 1-minute position retry loop A cover drifts back to an old position after you move it manually
Pipeline Priority handler chain β€” which handler fired, which returned None, what position each proposed The wrong handler seems to be winning, or a handler isn't firing when expected
Motion Motion sensor events, timeout countdown, transition to timeout state Motion-based control isn't triggering, or the cover doesn't return to the solar position after motion clears

Select only the categories relevant to the symptom. Running all four at once produces a lot of output and can make it harder to isolate the issue.

Manual Override Event Buffer Size

Option Default Range
debug_event_buffer_size 50 events 10–200 (step 10)

Controls how many recent manual-override detection events are kept in a rolling ring buffer. Each event records:

  • Timestamp
  • Cover entity ID
  • Action taken (override started, cleared, extended, etc.)
  • Expected position vs. detected position
  • Threshold used for detection
  • Reason string explaining the decision

Events appear in the HA Diagnostics download for offline analysis. The buffer resets on integration reload.

Increase this value for intermittent issues that require a longer observation window β€” for example, an override that incorrectly triggers once or twice per day.


Quick Reference

Symptom Setting to use
Cover won't stop detecting manual control Debug Mode + Manual Override category
Cover keeps clearing manual override too early Debug Mode + Manual Override category
Cover drifts back to the wrong position Debug Mode + Reconciliation category
Wrong pipeline handler is winning Debug Mode + Pipeline category
Motion sensor not triggering or releasing Debug Mode + Motion category
Validate a new config without moving covers Dry Run
Intermittent override issue, need more history Increase Event Buffer Size

Downloading Diagnostics

To download a full diagnostics snapshot: Settings β†’ Devices & Services β†’ Adaptive Cover Pro β†’ three-dot menu β†’ Download Diagnostics. The resulting JSON includes all Debug & Diagnostics configuration values, the manual override event buffer, and a complete snapshot of the last pipeline result.

For a step-by-step troubleshooting guide, see Troubleshooting.

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