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Trigger data in templates

When a trigger starts an automation, the trigger passes data to the automation about what happened, such as which entity changed, and its old and new state. You can use this trigger data in the templates of your conditions and actions. For example, you can turn off the light that triggered the automation, or put the name of the sensor that triggered it in a notification.

Template variables

The trigger data is in the trigger variable. To use a property of the trigger data in a template, write trigger. followed by the name of the property, such as {{ trigger.to_state.state }}. Each type of trigger passes different properties. For the full list, refer to Trigger properties.

Automations also have two more variables:

this: The state of the automation itself.
context: The context of the run. Only available in the actions.

For example:

{{ trigger.platform }} is the type of trigger, such as state or calendar
{{ trigger.to_state.name }} is the name of the entity that triggered a state trigger
{{ this.attributes.friendly_name }} is the name of the automation

Seeing the trigger data of a run

To find out which properties a trigger passes, look at the trigger data of a real run:

In the automation editor, when a trigger reacts, select the Triggered message on its row. The Triggering event detail dialog shows the trigger data. For details, refer to Checking what triggered an automation.
In the trace of a run, select the trigger. Under Step details, Changed variables shows the trigger data.

When you run the actions of an automation with Run actions, or start the automation with the Trigger automation action, there’s no trigger data. trigger.platform is None, and templates that use other trigger properties fail. To test an automation with real trigger data, use a simulated trigger.

Trigger properties

The template variable trigger contains the data of the trigger that started the automation. All triggers include a few shared properties, and each type of trigger adds its own.

Properties of all triggers

All triggers include the following properties:

trigger.platform: The type of trigger, such as state or calendar. For a trigger whose key contains a dot, such as an entity trigger, it’s the full trigger key, such as light.turned_on.
trigger.alias: The alias of the trigger, or None if the trigger has no alias.
trigger.id: The id of the trigger. If you didn’t set an id, it’s the same as trigger.idx. To do something different depending on which trigger started the automation, use the Triggered by condition.
trigger.idx: The position of the trigger in the list of triggers, as a string. The first trigger is "0", so compare it with a string, such as trigger.idx == "0".

Most triggers also include trigger.description, a short text that describes what triggered the automation, such as state of light.kitchen. The sentence and persistent notification triggers don’t include trigger.description.

Entity triggers

Entity triggers react to a change of one or more entities, such as Light turned on. In YAML, an entity trigger uses the domain of the entities and the name of the trigger, such as trigger: light.turned_on.

These are the properties available for an entity trigger:

trigger.platform: The full trigger key, such as light.turned_on.
trigger.entity_id: The entity ID of the entity that changed.
trigger.from_state: The previous state object of the entity.
trigger.to_state: The new state object of the entity.
trigger.for: Timedelta object of how long the entity had to stay in the new state, or None if the trigger has no duration.
trigger.description: state of followed by the entity ID, such as state of light.kitchen.

Some other triggers with a full trigger key, such as Timer remaining time reached or To-do item added, include different properties.

Calendar triggers

These are the properties available for a Calendar trigger.

trigger.platform: calendar. For the Calendar event started and Calendar event ended triggers, it’s the full trigger key: calendar.event_started or calendar.event_ended.
trigger.event: The trigger event type, either start or end.
trigger.entity_id: The entity ID of the calendar.
trigger.offset: Timedelta object with the offset to the event. If the trigger has no offset, the offset is zero.
trigger.calendar_event: The calendar event object that matched.
trigger.calendar_event.summary: The title or summary of the calendar event.
trigger.calendar_event.start: The start date or date and time of the calendar event, as an ISO 8601 string, for example 2026-10-17 or 2026-10-17T11:30:00-07:00.
trigger.calendar_event.end: The end date or date and time of the calendar event, as an ISO 8601 string, for example 2026-10-18 or 2026-10-17T11:45:00-07:00. For an all-day event, the end date is the day after the last day of the event.
trigger.calendar_event.all_day: true if the event spans the entire day, otherwise false.
trigger.calendar_event.description: A detailed description of the calendar event, if available.
trigger.calendar_event.location: Location information for the calendar event, if available.
trigger.calendar_event.status: The status of the calendar event, either confirmed or tentative, if available. This is the status of the event itself, not your reply to an invitation.
trigger.calendar_event.uid: The unique ID of the calendar event, if available.
trigger.calendar_event.rrule: The recurrence rule of a recurring calendar event, such as FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=MO, if available.
trigger.calendar_event.recurrence_id: The ID of this occurrence of a recurring calendar event, if available.

The time zone in start and end depends on the calendar integration.

Device triggers

These are the properties available for a Device trigger.

A device trigger is built on another type of trigger, such as a state, numeric state, event, or zone trigger. It includes the properties of that trigger, except for trigger.platform:

trigger.platform: device for most device triggers. Some integrations use a different value. For example, MQTT device triggers use mqtt.

Event triggers

An event trigger reacts when an event of the configured event type fires.

These are the properties available for a Manual event received trigger.

trigger.platform: event.
trigger.event: Event object that matched.
trigger.event.event_type: Event type.
trigger.event.data: Optional event data.
trigger.event.context: The context of the event. For example, trigger.event.context.user_id is the ID of the user who caused the event, if any.

Geolocation triggers

These are the properties available for a Geolocation trigger.

trigger.platform: geo_location.
trigger.entity_id: Entity ID of the geolocation entity.
trigger.from_state: Previous state object of the entity. None if the entity was just created.
trigger.to_state: New state object of the entity. None if the entity was removed.
trigger.event: The trigger event type, either enter or leave.
trigger.source: The Geolocation platform creating the trigger event.
trigger.zone: State object of the zone.

Home Assistant triggers

The Home Assistant trigger is recommended for automations instead of homeassistant_start or homeassistant_stop events.

These are the properties available for a Home Assistant trigger.

trigger.platform: homeassistant.
trigger.event: The trigger event type, either start or shutdown.

MQTT triggers

These are the properties available for an MQTT message received trigger.

trigger.platform: mqtt.
trigger.topic: Topic that received the payload.
trigger.payload: Payload.
trigger.payload_json: The payload parsed as JSON. Only available if the payload is valid JSON. It can be a dictionary, a list, or a single value, such as a number.
trigger.qos: QoS of the payload.

Numeric state triggers

These are the properties available for a Numeric state crossed threshold trigger.

trigger.platform: numeric_state.
trigger.entity_id: Entity ID that the trigger monitors.
trigger.below: The below threshold, if any. If the threshold is set by an entity, this is the entity ID.
trigger.above: The above threshold, if any. If the threshold is set by an entity, this is the entity ID.
trigger.from_state: The previous state object of the entity. None if the entity was just created.
trigger.to_state: The new state object that triggered the trigger.
trigger.for: Timedelta object of how long the state has met the above/below criteria, or None if the trigger has no duration.

Persistent notification triggers

These properties are available for a Persistent notification trigger.

trigger.platform: persistent_notification.
trigger.update_type: Type of persistent notification update: added, removed, or updated.
trigger.notification: Notification object that triggered the persistent notification trigger.
trigger.notification.notification_id: The notification ID.
trigger.notification.title: Title of the notification, if any.
trigger.notification.message: Message of the notification.
trigger.notification.created_at: DateTime object indicating when the notification was created, in UTC.

Sentence triggers

These are the properties available for a Sentence trigger.

trigger.platform: conversation.
trigger.sentence: The text of the sentence that you said or typed.
trigger.slots: Object with matched slot values.
trigger.details: Object with matched slot details by name, such as wildcards. Each detail contains:
- name: The name of the slot.
- text: The matched text.
- value: The output value. For more information, refer to lists.
trigger.device_id: The device ID that captured the command, if any.
trigger.satellite_id: The entity ID of the satellite that captured the command, if any.
trigger.user_input: Object with details about the command, such as text, language, conversation_id, agent_id, device_id, and satellite_id.

State triggers

These are the properties available for a State changed trigger.

trigger.platform: state.
trigger.entity_id: Entity ID that the trigger monitors.
trigger.from_state: The previous state object of the entity. None if the entity was just created.
trigger.to_state: The new state object that triggered the trigger. None if the entity was removed.
trigger.for: Timedelta object of how long the state has been in the new state, or None if the trigger has no duration.
trigger.attribute: The attribute that the trigger monitors, or None if the trigger monitors the state.

Sun triggers

These are the properties available for a Sun trigger.

trigger.platform: sun.
trigger.event: The event that just happened: sunset or sunrise.
trigger.offset: Timedelta object with the offset to the event. If the trigger has no offset, the offset is zero.

Sun triggers with a full trigger key, such as Sunrise (sun.sunrise), don’t include trigger.event or trigger.offset.

Tag triggers

These are the properties available for a Tag trigger.

trigger.platform: tag.
trigger.event: The tag_scanned event object.
trigger.event.data.tag_id: The tag ID captured.
trigger.event.data.name: The name of the tag, or None if the tag has no name.
trigger.event.data.device_id: The device ID that captured the tag, or None if not known.

Template triggers

These are the properties available for a Template trigger.

trigger.platform: template.
trigger.entity_id: Entity ID that caused the change.
trigger.from_state: Previous state object of the entity that caused the change.
trigger.to_state: New state object of the entity that caused the template to change.
trigger.for: Timedelta object of how long the template has been true, or None if the trigger has no duration.

If the template changed because of time, for example because it uses now(), trigger.entity_id, trigger.from_state, and trigger.to_state are None.

Time triggers

These are the properties available for a Time trigger.

trigger.platform: time.
trigger.now: DateTime object that triggered the time trigger, in your local time zone.
trigger.entity_id: The entity ID of the Date and/or time helper or the sensor that set the time, or None if the trigger uses a fixed time.

Time pattern triggers

These are the properties available for a Time pattern trigger.

trigger.platform: time_pattern.
trigger.now: DateTime object that triggered the time pattern trigger, in your local time zone. If the trigger reacts every second, for example with seconds: "*", trigger.now is in UTC instead. To get the local time in that case, use as_local(trigger.now).

Webhook triggers

These are the properties available for a Webhook trigger.

trigger.platform: webhook.
trigger.webhook_id: The webhook ID that was triggered.
trigger.json: The JSON data of the request, if the request has a JSON content type.
trigger.data: The form data of the request, if the request doesn’t have a JSON content type.
trigger.query: The URL query parameters of the request. Empty if the request has none.

Zone triggers

These are the properties available for a Zone trigger.

trigger.platform: zone.
trigger.entity_id: Entity ID that the trigger monitors.
trigger.from_state: Previous state object of the entity. None if the entity was just created.
trigger.to_state: New state object of the entity. None if the entity was removed.
trigger.zone: State object of the zone.
trigger.event: Event that the trigger observed: enter or leave.

Zone triggers with a full trigger key, such as Zone entered (zone.entered), are entity triggers.

State of the automation

The template variable this contains the state object of the automation at the moment the automation is triggered, before the new run starts. You can also use this in trigger_variables. this doesn’t change while the actionsAn action makes Home Assistant do something, for example, turn on a light, send a notification, or activate a scene. Automations and scripts run a list of actions. [Learn more] run, even if the state of the automation changes. To find out who or what caused the run, refer to Context of the run.

These are the most useful properties of this:

this.attributes.last_triggered: When the automation last ran before this run, or None if the automation never ran. A run only counts if the conditions of the automation were met. Use it to limit how often the automation does something, for example, to send a notification at most once an hour.
this.entity_id: The entity ID of the automation. Use it to refer to the automation itself, for example, in a blueprintA blueprint is a script, automation, or template entity configuration with certain parts marked as configurable. This allows you to create multiple scripts, automations, or template entities based on the same blueprint, with each having its own configuration-specific settings. Blueprints are shared by the community on the blueprints exchange in the forum. [Learn more], where you don’t know the entity ID in advance.
this.attributes.friendly_name: The name of the automation.
this.attributes.current: The number of runs of the automation that already existed. In Queued mode, this includes the runs that are waiting in the queue. Only useful if the mode of the automation is Parallel or Queued.
this.attributes.id: The ID of the automation, if it has one.

Context of the run

The template variable context contains the context of the current run. You can use context in the actions of an automation and in scripts. context isn’t available in the variables section of an automation or script, or in the conditions of an automation.

context has the following properties:

context.id: The ID of the run.
context.parent_id: In an automation, the ID of the context of the event that triggered the automation.
context.user_id: The ID of the user who started the run, if any. In an automation, context.user_id is always empty.

To find out which user caused an automation to run, use the context of the trigger instead. For example, use trigger.to_state.context.user_id for a state trigger, or trigger.event.context.user_id for an event trigger.

Examples

Notify when a person changes location

The notification uses the old and new state of the entity, and the ID of the trigger.

Automation

triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.paulus
    id: paulus_device
actions:
  - action: notify.notify
    data:
      message: >
        Paulus just changed from {{ trigger.from_state.state }}
        to {{ trigger.to_state.state }}
    This was triggered by {{ trigger.id }}</code></pre>

Send an MQTT message to a notifier named in the topic

The last part of the MQTT topic picks the notifier, and the payload is the message.

Automation

triggers:
  - trigger: mqtt
    topic: "/notify/+"
actions:
  - action: >
      notify.{{ trigger.topic.split('/')[-1] }}
    data:
      message: "{{ trigger.payload }}"

Turn off a light that was left on

One trigger monitors several lights. The action turns off whichever light triggered the automation.

Automation

triggers:
  # Multiple entities for which you want to perform the same action.
  - trigger: state
    entity_id:
      - light.bedroom_closet
      - light.kiddos_closet
      - light.linen_closet
    to: "on"
    # Trigger when someone leaves one of those lights on for 10 minutes.
    for: "00:10:00"
actions:
  - action: light.turn_off
    target:
      # Turn off whichever entity triggered the automation.
      entity_id: "{{ trigger.entity_id }}"

Turn off lights when certain people scan a tag

The trigger only reacts to tag scans by certain users. The condition checks the ID of the scanned tag in the event data.

Automation

triggers:
  # When an NFC tag is scanned by Home Assistant...
  - trigger: event
    event_type: tag_scanned
    # ...By certain people
    context:
      user_id:
        - 06cbf6deafc54cf0b2ffa49552a396ba
        - 2df8a2a6e0be4d5d962aad2d39ed4c9c
conditions:
  # Check NFC tag (ID) is the one by the front door
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{ trigger.event.data.tag_id
         == '8b6d6755-b4d5-4c23-818b-cf224d221ab7' }}
actions:
  # Turn off various lights
  - action: light.turn_off
    target:
      entity_id:
        - light.kitchen
        - light.bedroom
        - light.living_room

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