Chatomation

AI-powered home automations for Hubitat Elevation through natural conversation. Just describe what you want in plain English and the AI builds the automation for you.

Example:

"I want the kitchen light to turn on when there is motion in the kitchen after 10pm but I want it to be at 20%. Then after 10 mins of no motion it turns the lights back off."

No rules to configure. No conditions to set up. Just talk.

Features

• Natural language — describe automations the way you'd explain them to a person
• Conversational — each automation has its own chat thread; the AI asks clarifying questions if needed
• OpenAI & Claude — choose GPT or Claude and plug in your own API key
• Runs locally — the AI is only used when creating or modifying an automation; once built, the rule executes entirely on your hub with zero API calls
• Full device support — lights, dimmers, color bulbs, motion sensors, contact sensors, locks, thermostats, fans, shades, garage doors, valves, alarms, speakers, and more
• Conditions — time of day, hub modes, device states, days of the week
• Delays — "turn off after 10 minutes of no motion" just works
• Sunrise / Sunset — schedule actions relative to sun events with optional offsets
• Enable / Disable — pause and resume automations like Rule Machine
• Modify by chat — jump back into the conversation to change anything
• Error notifications — logs everything and sends push alerts when something fails

Requirements

• Hubitat Elevation hub (any current firmware)
• An API key from OpenAI or Anthropic
  • OpenAI: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
  • Anthropic: https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys

Installation

Step 1 — Install the parent app

1. In your Hubitat admin, go to Apps Code
2. Click New App
3. Copy the entire contents of chatomation.groovy and paste it in
4. Click Save

Step 2 — Install the child app

1. Still in Apps Code, click New App again
2. Copy the entire contents of chatomation-automation.groovy and paste it in
3. Click Save

Step 3 — Add the app

1. Go to Apps → Add User App
2. Select Chatomation
3. Configure the settings:
   • AI Provider — choose OpenAI or Anthropic
   • API Key — paste your key
   • Model — pick a model (gpt-4o or claude-sonnet recommended)
4. Under Devices, select all the devices you want Chatomation to have access to
5. Optionally select a Notification Device for error alerts (e.g., the Hubitat mobile app)
6. Click Done

Creating Your First Automation

1. Open Chatomation from your Apps list
2. Click Create New Automation
3. Click Open Chat
4. Type what you want in plain English, for example:

   Turn on the porch light at sunset and off at sunrise.

5. The AI will either create the automation immediately or ask a clarifying question
6. Once the rule is generated, you'll see a summary of what it does
7. Click Done — the automation is now running

Managing Automations

Action	How
Pause / Resume	Open the automation → toggle Enable Automation
Modify	Open the automation → Open Chat → describe the change
Delete	Open the automation → scroll to bottom → Remove
View rule details	Open the automation → the JSON rule is shown at the bottom

Supported Triggers

Trigger	Example
Device event	"When there's motion in the hallway..."
Time schedule	"Every day at 7am..."
Sunrise / Sunset	"At sunset..." or "30 minutes before sunrise..."
Mode change	"When the hub switches to Night mode..."

Supported Conditions

Condition	Example
Time window	"...only after 10pm"
Hub mode	"...only in Away mode"
Device state	"...only if the front door is locked"
Day of week	"...only on weekdays"

Tips

• Be specific about device names — the AI sees your actual device names, so use them naturally. If you have two "Kitchen Light" devices, the AI will ask which one you mean.
• Combine triggers and conditions freely — "When the garage door opens and it's after dark, turn on the driveway lights and send me a notification."
• Modify anytime — open the chat and say "change the brightness to 50%" or "also turn on the hallway light."
• Cost — API calls only happen when you chat. A typical automation costs a fraction of a cent to create. Once running, there are zero API costs.

Files

File	Description
chatomation.groovy	Parent app — settings, device selection, AI API integration
chatomation-automation.groovy	Child app — chat UI, rule engine, event handling

License

MIT