Add “Replace Device” Functionality to the Official Shelly Integration

[maurizioHA]

Integration name

Shelly

Link to integration documentation on our website

No response

Describe the enhancement

Feature Request: Add “Replace Device” functionality to the official Shelly integration

I would like to propose the addition of a “Replace Device” feature for the official Shelly integration in Home Assistant.

ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT already provide a similar feature that allows users to replace a failed device with a new one without losing entity IDs, automations, dashboards, or historical data. This is extremely useful for long‑term maintenance, especially because some devices naturally wear out over time.

Why this feature is important

Shelly devices (relays, dimmers, Mini modules, etc.) are widely used, and when one fails the replacement process is currently quite time‑consuming:

• remove the old device
• add the new one
• recreate or rename entities
• update automations, scripts, dashboards, areas, helpers, etc.

A built‑in Replace Device function would allow users to:

• keep the same entity IDs
• migrate entities from the old device to the new one
• avoid breaking automations and dashboards
• simplify maintenance for large Shelly installations

Comparison with existing functionality

ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT already support device replacement, providing:

• seamless migration
• preserved entity IDs
• no automation breakage
• consistent user experience

It would be great to have the same capability in the Shelly integration, which is one of the most widely used in Home Assistant.

Conclusion

Adding a Replace Device feature to the official Shelly integration would greatly improve usability and maintenance, and align Shelly with other integrations that already support device replacement.

Thank you for considering this enhancement.

Use cases

Use case – how would this feature be used?

The “Replace Device” feature would be used whenever a Shelly device fails, wears out, or needs to be swapped with a newer model. Instead of deleting the old device and manually fixing all broken entities, automations, dashboards, and helpers, the user would simply:

1. Select the old Shelly device in Home Assistant.
2. Choose “Replace Device”.
3. Pair or add the new Shelly device.
4. Home Assistant automatically maps the new hardware to the existing logical device.

This would preserve:

• entity IDs
• areas
• automations and scripts
• dashboard cards
• helpers and references
• historical data

This feature is especially useful for relays and dimmers installed behind switches, where physical access is limited and replacements are common over time. It dramatically reduces maintenance time and prevents automation breakage in large Shelly-based installations.

Anything else?

No response

[github-actions[bot]]

🏷️ I've automatically added the integration: shelly label to help categorize this feature request.

[maurizioHA]

Thank you for adding the label.

If you need any additional details, examples, or clarification about the Replace Device feature for the Shelly integration, I’m happy to provide more information. This enhancement would greatly simplify maintenance for users with multiple Shelly devices and align the integration with the existing Replace functionality available in ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT.

[karwosts]

Where does this feature live within ZHA? I don't recall seeing such a thing.

[maurizioHA]

You’re right to ask — ZHA does not expose a clearly visible “Replace Device” button in the same way Zigbee2MQTT does. The feature does exist in ZHA, but it works differently and is not available for Wi‑Fi integrations like Shelly.

In ZHA, device replacement is handled through an internal workflow that appears only in specific situations. When you pair a new Zigbee device that matches the signature of an existing one, ZHA may offer to map the new hardware to the old logical device. This preserves entity IDs and avoids breaking automations, but it only applies to Zigbee devices and only when ZHA detects a compatible replacement candidate.

Because Shelly devices are Wi‑Fi based, they do not benefit from this mechanism. That’s why a dedicated “Replace Device” feature would be extremely useful for the Shelly integration — especially for relays and dimmers installed behind switches, where replacements are common and manually fixing entities, automations, dashboards, and helpers is time‑consuming.

Adding this functionality would bring Shelly in line with what ZHA and Zigbee2MQTT already offer for Zigbee devices and would greatly simplify long‑term maintenance for users with large Shelly deployments.

[Hedda]

FYI, there a roadmap issue tracking the same thing:

• Make replacing a device a nice experience OpenHomeFoundation/roadmap#85

[Waghead]

This is also needed for Matter devices.

[Hedda]

As well as all standard protocols such as Zigbee (ZHA integration), Z-Wave, Thread, and Bluetooth. Again see this roadmap issue tracking the same thing:

• Make replacing a device a nice experience OpenHomeFoundation/roadmap#85