Help with automation using "Choose"

Configuration
1

I’m trying to simply my plant watering reminder by having one automation to check varios plants’ soil moistures and broadcast a message specific to that plant.

When I run the automation manually, it reaches the “choose” function but never triggers.
I’ve set the threshold for one plant to below 50 to ensure that that conditon is true, but it still never fires.

WOuld someone mind poiting out what I’ve done wrong?

id: '1671341133008'
alias: Plants watering
description: ''
trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.kitchen_peace_lily_soil_moisture
    below: 50
    id: peace_lily
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.theatre_plants_soil_moisture
    below: 25
    id: theatre_plants
condition: []
action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - condition: trigger
            id: peace_lily
        sequence:
          - service: tts.cloud_say
            data:
              entity_id: media_player.kitchen_display
              message: The peace lily in the kitchen needs watering
          - service: tts.cloud_say
            data:
              entity_id: media_player.alarm_clock
              message: The peace lily in the kitchen needs watering
      - conditions:
          - condition: trigger
            id: theatre_plants
        sequence:
          - service: tts.cloud_say
            data:
              entity_id: media_player.kitchen_display
              message: The plants in the theatre need watering
          - service: tts.cloud_say
            data:
              entity_id: media_player.alarm_clock
              message: The plants in the theatre need watering
mode: restart
2

The issue is likely your testing procedure. When you use trigger-based conditions, you cannot test manually with the “Run” button because using that method skips the trigger and condition section of the automation completely. There is no trigger id for your Choose condition to test against.

3

What is the current state and usual behaviour of sensor.kitchen_peace_lily_soil_moisture? Your numeric_state trigger will only fire when the value goes from above 50 to below 50.

If that happens, you should be able to view the trace of the automation to see what happened.

4

The automation looks correct.
You can test it with the set state button:

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image809×777 41.8 KB

Just select the entity and set the new state. Keep in mind you need to be above 50 (so lets say 60) then change it to below (say 40).
So you may need to make two set states for it to trigger, first up above 50 then again to make it below.

The sensor will correct itself later again no need to “correct” it.

5

Yeah, I’ve tried that.

The current value for the peace lily is less than 25 anyway, but for sh1ts and giggles, I manually set the state and ran the automation again. Still no luck.

I’m guessing it may have something to do with the trigger_id as the previous poster said.

6

You shouldn’t run the automation.
The automation runs by itself if you do as I posted above.
Set the state above the limit then set it below. Do not touch the run button.

7

Yeap, automation seems correct. As Hellis states above you have to play with the values of the moisture sensors in the developer tools. Then you should be able to hear the message on the media players. If you don’t, go back to the automation and find the trace to see where it hangs.