Automation stops if 1 action fails

Configuration
1

An automation can have multiple actions and if one action fails for any reason , the remaining actions are not executed … which can be very ennoying.

This is already a known issue , for example :

In the HA documentation , this is not covered as a limitation … Automation actions - Home Assistant

The issue is that there is nothing in the “action” part of an automation , to exit of the blocking action in order that the automation continue , in such case.

I may have missed existing solution for this , but is there at least an existing workaround ?

Thank you

2

Writing your automations and sensors so that they don’t fail.

You can also put your dodgy actions in a script and call that with the script.turn_on service. See https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/script/#waiting-for-script-to-complete

3

Yes and it’s all explained in the 2 year-old thread you linked to (which tom_l summarized for you).

If you provide an example of an automation that is causing you difficulties, we can help you improve it.

4

Thank you @tom_I and @Taras for your answers.

Please find the last example that I encountered yesterday .

An automation is triggered by alarm mode ( away in my example) in order to have several actions .

action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - '{{ on_alarm == ''armed_away'' }}'
        sequence:
          - domain: mobile_app
            type: notify
            device_id: d957d8cbeda5fd04ddebc66cc1c22f6b
            message: 'house mode {{ on_alarm }} '
          - service: media_player.media_stop
            target:
              entity_id: media_player.sonos_salon
          - service: switch.turn_on
            target:
              entity_id: switch.ds418_home_mode
          - service: light.turn_off
            target:
              entity_id: light.ikea_tradfri_driver_30w
          - service: light.turn_on
            target:
              entity_id: light.ikea_tradfri_driver_30w
          - service: switch.turn_off
            target:
              entity_id:
                - switch.freebox_wifi
                - switch.ikea_tradfri_control_outlet
                - switch.lumi_lumi_plug_maeu01_3a581900_on_off
                - switch.metered_wall_plug_switch
          - service: script.sonos_say
            data:
              sonos_entity: media_player.sonos_salon
              volume: 0.2
              tts_message: alarme mise en mode absence de la maison
              delay: '00:00:05'

One of the actions is to activate the surveillance station in my Synoly NAS using the switch “switch.ds418_home_mode” to activate the cameras in Surveillance Station , as described in the DSM integration … Synology DSM - Home Assistant

This automation used to work flawless but the state of the “switch.ds418_home_mode” became “unavailable” during the night due to a short power failure because the NAS is set to restart by WoL only.

=> The action “switch.turn_on” did not execute and the automation did not complete

5

How do you want the automation’s action to behave if the state of switch.ds418_home_mode is unavailable? Do you want it to simply skip the switch.turn_on action and continue to the next action?

         ...
          - service: media_player.media_stop
            target:
              entity_id: media_player.sonos_salon
          - choose:
              - conditions: "{{ states('switch.ds418_home_mode') != 'unavailable' }}"
                sequence:
                  - service: switch.turn_on
                    target:
                      entity_id: switch.ds418_home_mode
            default:
              - service: notify.persistent_notification
                data:
                  title: 'Warning - Problem with switch'
                  message: 'Could not turn on switch.ds418_home_mode because it is unavailable.'
          - service: light.turn_off
            target:
              entity_id: light.ikea_tradfri_driver_30w
          ...
6

Thanks for your reply .

I would say it is better to skip the action than to stop the automation , so Yes to skip and continue to the next action in this particular case

7

OK then implement the suggested changes in my previous post. If the switch’s state is not unavailable it will be turned on. If it is unavailable it will report it via a persistent notification and then continue to the next action. The “choose/default” serves as an “if/else”.

8

@ 123 Taras,

Yes for sure the “choose/default” solution will work for this automation when generated outside blueprint but in my case this is an automation generated by blueprint :
So this has to be changed a bit for compatibility to the blueprint ( not sure and not tested ):

From

  
- service: switch.turn_on
  target: !input "switches_on"

To :


# add variables from input selector :
  switch_name: !input "switches_on"

# action part for all switches to turn on

- choose:
       - conditions: "{{ states('switch_name') != 'unavailable' }}"
         sequence:
             - service: switch.turn_on
               target:
                   entity_id: !input "switches_on"
  default:
    - service: notify.persistent_notification
      data:
                title: 'Warning - Problem with switch'
                message: 'Could not turn on {{ switch_name }} because it is unavailable.

Please have a look ?
Thank you

9

I don’t recall you mentioning that this automation is produced by a blueprint (until now).

OK, so your choice is to either modify the blueprint or each individual automation it produces.