Hey everyone!
I built a small open-source desktop app that shows always-on-top toast
notifications with a live MJPEG camera feed whenever a Home Assistant
automation fires — no RTSP configuration needed.
How it works
Your HA automation fires a custom event:
action: event.fire
event_type: ha_video_toast
event_data:
camera: camera.doorbell
duration: 15
The app listens via WebSocket and streams the feed directly from HA's
built-in camera proxy (/api/camera_proxy_stream/<entity>).
Features
- Live MJPEG video in the toast (streams from HA, no RTSP setup)
- Multi-monitor support — choose which screen shows toasts
- Corner selector — stack toasts from any corner of the screen
- Respects Windows Do Not Disturb / Focus Assist
- Full GUI settings — no YAML config files
- "View Live" button — opens the camera stream directly in your browser
- Start with Windows option
- Python + tkinter, lightweight
Screenshots
Links
- GitHub: GitHub - vessosa/ha-video-toast: A Home Assistant companion that displays a toast notification with a live camera feed whenever an automation is triggered. Perfect for glanceable alerts in the corner of your screen. · GitHub
- Requires Python 3.11+
Works great with Frigate, Reolink, or any camera entity in HA.
Tested on Windows — Linux/macOS support coming.
Would love feedback, ideas, or PRs!!