This is how I do my alerts in Home Assistant with an LCARS twist.
Here's an ASCII flowchart showing the general flow:
┌──────────────────────┐
│ alert_initiator_* │ ← User/system script (e.g. fire, AQI)
└────────┬─────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Set alert state helpers: │
│ input_select.alert_state_color │
│ input_text.alert_state_reason │
└────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Alert Master Processor (AMP) Automation │
│ Trigger: alert_state_color or reason change│
└────────┬───────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ Create scene.snapshot │
│ (scene.pre_alert_lighting) │
└────────┬─────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Alert State Effects │
└────────────┬────────────┬─────────┘
│ │
▼ ▼
┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐
│ Lighting Effect │ │ Screen Effect │
│ via: │ │ via: │
│ script.alert_ │ │ script.alert_ │
│ effect_light │ │ effect_screen│
└────────────────┘ └────────────────┘
│
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Audio Alert (inline in AMP) │
│ - Based on input_text.alert_state_reason │
│ - Plays appropriate audio clip │
└────────────────────────────────────┘
[ Meanwhile… ]
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ alert_resolver_* scripts │ ← User/system-triggered
└────────┬───────────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Reset alert state: │
│ input_select.alert_state_color = "none" │
│ input_text.alert_state_reason = "none" │
└────────┬─────────────────────────────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AMP detects reset state │
│ → Runs script.alert_effect_light_color_resolver│
│ - Turn off light effect scripts │
│ - Wait until confirmed off or timeout │
│ - Restore scene.pre_alert_lighting_state │
│ - Log failure if unresolved after timeout │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
alert_state_color is an "input select" helper with four possible states, none, red, yellow, and blue. alert_state_reason has every possible reason for every possible alert:
The Alert Master Processor monitors changes to these entities and acts accordingly. It's a complex automation.
alias: Alert Master Processor
description: >-
Any entity, script, or automation wanting to set an alert state must do so
through the AMP, by setting alert_state_color and alert_state_reason. The AMP
detects changes to alert_state_color, which sets screen and lighting colors.
alert_state_ reason determines the audio alert and triggers the specific
script for that reason. When both states are set to none, the automation
cancels lighting scripts and screen colors, and stops audio playback.
triggers:
- alias: Monitor alert_state_color and alert_state_reason
entity_id:
- input_select.alert_state_color
- input_select.alert_state_reason
trigger: state
from: null
to: null
conditions: []
actions:
- alias: If none, resolve all and stop
choose:
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: none
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: none
sequence:
- alias: Turn off all _signal scripts; need to do this first
action: script.turn_off
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id:
- script.alertstate_blue_aqi_hazardous_signal
- script.alertstate_blue_aqi_very_unhealthy_signal
- script.alertstate_red_tornado_warning_signal
- script.alertstate_red_severe_thunderstorm_warning_signal
- script.alertstate_red_severe_thunderstorm_warning_with_high_winds_signal
- script.alertstate_yellow_severe_thunderstorm_watch_signal
- script.alertstate_yellow_tornado_watch_signal
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id:
- script.alert_effect_light_color_resolver
- script.alert_effect_screen_color_resolver
alias: Turn on resolver scripts; do not wait for them to finish
- action: media_player.media_stop
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id:
- media_player.vlc_telnet
- media_player.vlc_telnet_2
alias: Stop VLC media players
- action: logbook.log
metadata: {}
data:
name: Alert Master Processor
message: >-
"none" state of alert_state_color and alert_state_reason was
detected, stopping.
- stop: if "none", then we should not activate anything else.
- alias: >-
Stores the state of the alert lights for retrieval when the state is
resolved
data:
scene_id: pre_alert_lighting_state
snapshot_entities:
- light.kitchen_lightstrip
- light.stairs
- light.hallway
- light.office_wall_left
- light.office_wall_right
action: scene.create
- delay:
hours: 0
minutes: 0
seconds: 2
milliseconds: 0
- alias: Choose alert lighting effect
choose:
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: red
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_light_color_red
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: yellow
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_light_color_yellow
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: blue
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_light_color_blue
- alias: Choose alert screen color
choose:
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: red
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_screen_color_red
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: yellow
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_screen_color_yellow
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_color
state: blue
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alert_effect_screen_color_blue
- action: media_player.media_stop
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id:
- media_player.vlc_telnet_2
- media_player.squeezeplay_2c_7b_a0_43_f4_e5
- action: input_boolean.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: input_boolean.alert_audio_active
alias: Enable audio output until the user disables it
- alias: Choose audio alert
choose:
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: red_fire
sequence:
- action: script.alert_audio_reason_fire
alias: fire
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: red_tornado_warning
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_red_tornado_warning_signal
alias: tornado warning
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: yellow_tornado_watch
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_yellow_tornado_watch_signal
alias: tornado watch
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: yellow_severe_thunderstorm_watch
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_yellow_severe_thunderstorm_watch_signal
alias: severe thunderstorm watch
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: red_severe_thunderstorm_warning
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_red_severe_thunderstorm_warning_signal
alias: severe thunderstorm warning
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: red_severe_thunderstorm_warning_with_high_winds
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: >-
script.alertstate_red_severe_thunderstorm_warning_with_high_winds_signal
alias: severe thunderstorm warning with high winds
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: blue_co
sequence:
- action: script.alert_audio_reason_co_detected
alias: carbon monoxide
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: blue_airquality_hazardous
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_blue_aqi_hazardous_signal
alias: air quality hazardous
- conditions:
- condition: state
entity_id: input_select.alert_state_reason
state: blue_airquality_very_unhealthy
sequence:
- action: script.turn_on
metadata: {}
data: {}
target:
entity_id: script.alertstate_blue_aqi_very_unhealthy_signal
alias: air quality very unhealthy
mode: restart