1/1/2025 happy new year.
So I’ve gone back to my original hack to keep dash on echo devices. Although I love the sound hack my devices still find a way to return to home screen or blank screens on my echos. I’ve shut off everything in their settings too. I don’t want to have to manually load and tap every day. My way uses the Alexa skills, routines and automation to load the dash every 9 minutes so it’s always on. As a bonus I only have it running during hours I’m awake so the echo can take a break each night.
Updating as of Dec 2025 there is another easier way.
Simply create your dashboard and include a swipe card. 1st card on the swipe is something you want like a Clock for example. The 2nd card which will always be out of view is an iframe card pointed to https://dagammla.gitlab.io/keep-silk-open/iframe.html
That’s it. Open silk browser on your echo device and the url to your dashboard. Swipe to the iframe card and tap it to say keep open. Then swipe back to hide it. Now your dash will stay active. Still need to do a small scroll up to get rid of the address bar is all.
End update.
†original †***
Since amazon has blocked the apps needed to accomplish this on newer firmwares I will tell you how i have gotten a newer echo show 15 to keep my ha dashboard open, mostly all the time. I think its easier as well.
To make the Alexa routine run every 19 minutes you need an external trigger. I created a ha switch, input_boolean.silk for example that you can then discover in alexa. Either nabu casa or other worka arounds like emulated hue.
Or maybe use a motion sensor
Then you create an automation to turn it off and back on every 10 minutes or less.
Then you can create a routine in Alexa that everytime the switch turns on it runs a custom action with the words “return to silk”.
Or better to use this but alot if work:
follow this Dashboard skill to create a skill then the routine should say “Open dashboard view.” (all credt to the author) More work but cleaner and always opens the right ip address.
Load silk manually and navigate to your homepage, log in. Check stay logged in box. then start your automation. I’d imagine you could do the same thing with motion detection as a trigger.
Automation example:
alias: "Echo show dash "
description: ""
trigger:
- platform: time_pattern // or use motion if you want
minutes: /10
condition:
- condition: time
after: "07:00:00"
before: "20:00:00"
weekday:
- sat
- fri
- thu
- wed
- tue
- mon
- sun
action:
- service: input_boolean.turn_off
data: {}
target:
entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
- delay:
hours: 0
minutes: 0
seconds: 2
milliseconds: 0
- service: input_boolean.turn_on
data: {}
target:
entity_id: input_boolean.alexasilk
mode: single
Hey, just found this via google search after buying an Echo Show 15. Trying to permanently display my DAKboard on this thing…I can’t get rid of the nav bar in Silk, though. Any pointers?
Got it, thanks. For now I just set up a routine to launch silk, open the DAK url using the “mypage” custom skill when I either A) ask to open my calendar or B) it detects motion. It isn’t great with B, but I was able to set the thing to only ever show Amazon photos when it switches out of Silk, and I gotta say a combination calendar dashboard / photo frame works for me
@Littlejoe
I managed to setup the boolean, create the automation, discovered boolean it in Alexa, but get stuck in setting up the routine.
I’m not able to find in WHEN: “alexasilk opens”. I can only select from a predefined list that the routine wizard gives me.
Yes I also called it alexasilk in HA. Alexa discovered the boolean and the toggle in Alexa interacts with the toggle of input_boolean.alexasilk, so that all seems to work fine. But then setting up the routine in Alexa, how did you do it?
Thanks @Littlejoe so the problem is, I don’t see alexasilk as an option when selecting SMART HOMEm, like you do. Is there anything specific I need to select for the alexasilk HELPER in HA in order to make sure that Alexa discovers it in the right way?
Do you use naba casa? If not then you’ll have to use a workaround that more complex. They are mentioned here. Home assistant and Alexa without Nabu Casa (and AWS if possible) One uses node red and a 3rd party persons site. The other uses alexa skills. I just paid for nabu casa. For the voice assistant integration. Sorry
I’ve tried this method and it works, the only problem is the Echo Show makes a bit of a beeping noise every time the automation runs. Even if I set the volume to 0, it turns it back to 1 notch of volume when alexa needs to respond to the command. Anyone have a workaround for this?
