Jupyter + PyScript App: Interactive IDE-like development for Home Assistant

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Note: This is not a device integration, but a development tool/app for building automations more interactively.

Introduction

I’ve built a Home Assistant app that brings JupyterLab directly into Home Assistant with a PyScript-capable kernel, and I’m sharing it to gauge broader interest.

The idea is simple: make it easier to develop automations, not just run them.

Think of it as turning Home Assistant into a live Python IDE for automation development.

Why this exists

If you’ve used PyScript (or even YAML automations), the typical workflow is:

  • edit code
  • reload YAML / restart
  • test
  • repeat

It works, but it’s slow and a bit opaque when you’re debugging or experimenting.

This app gives you an IDE-like workflow inside Home Assistant:

  • Prototype automations interactively in a Jupyter notebook
  • Inspect entity state and call services in real time
  • Iterate quickly without restarting anything
  • Move working code directly into PyScript apps or automations

In practice, it turns Home Assistant into a live development environment for automation logic.

What it includes

  • JupyterLab running inside Home Assistant
  • A PyScript-capable kernel connected to your Home Assistant instance
  • A JupyterLab extension with an HA menu to:
    • regenerate PyScript stubs
    • reload YAML configuration
  • Notebook root under /config/pyscript so everything lives alongside your HA config

Resource considerations

This app runs a full JupyterLab environment inside Home Assistant and is relatively resource-intensive compared to typical apps.

  • Best suited for systems with moderate to high resources (e.g., x86/NUC, server-class hardware)
  • May be slow or impractical on lower-end systems such as Raspberry Pi with SD card storage
  • Uses additional disk space for the container and Python environment

If you’re running on constrained hardware, expect slower startup times and reduced responsiveness.

Example workflow

For example, you can:

  • prototype a new automation in a notebook
  • test it against live entity state
  • refine the logic interactively
  • then copy the working code into a PyScript app

No edit/reload cycle required.

Status

This is an early preview release to gauge community interest.

The core functionality is working and has been found useful for developing automations, but the app is still evolving. If there’s interest, I plan to continue refining the workflow and expanding features.

Feedback, issues, and suggestions would be very helpful at this stage.

Repo / install

GitHub:

You can add it as a custom repository in the App Store:

  • Settings → Apps → App Store → ⋮ → Repositories → Add
  • Paste the repo URL above
  • Install Jupyter + PyScript

Notes

  • This app has broad access to your Home Assistant config—treat it as highly privileged
  • Do not expose port 8888 publicly without proper authentication / VPN / similar protections

Curious if others would find this workflow useful, or if there are features that would make it more compelling. Feedback from real-world usage would be especially helpful.