Launch Python script on a Host machine within HA

[SuperMaximus (Max)]

Please advise how to run a Python3 script that is located outside HA directory on a Host machine?

I have a custom Python Yolo inference script that uses Nvidia CUDA (available form a host machine). Everything works pretty well, except impossibility to run this script from a shell_command within HA.
Is there a workaround for this?

[JTPublic (JT)]

If your script is outside of HA directory, you may have to whitelist the folder in Configuration>homeassistant>allowlist_external_dirs so HA can ‘see’ it.

My python scripts are inside HA folder and run fine on my Home Assistant Core using shell_command, for example:

/usr/bin/python3.10 /home/homeassistant/.homeassistant/myscripts/myscript.py

Hope that helps.

[SuperMaximus (Max)]

I’ve tried to whitelist my folder /home/max/yolov5-flask/
and it seems that HA doesn’t allow it. I receive the error
Not a directory @ data['allowlist_external_dirs'][1]
like here

Configuration error for allowlist_external_dirs

Good observation… @VijayS, why not raising this as an issue in Github…

Same error in case of whitelist_external_dirs:

Here’s the excerpt:

[JTPublic (JT)]

I don’t think there is a ‘whitelist_external_dirs’ variable for homeassistant, only allowlist_external_dirs

[SuperMaximus (Max)]

@JTPublic

allowlist_external_dirs

Yeah, but allowlist_external_dirs if I place there my /home/... directory also gives same mistake.
My script when I execute the shell_command just leaves the error in the Log:

Logger: homeassistant.components.shell_command
Source: /usr/src/homeassistant/homeassistant/components/shell_command/__init__.py:115
Integration: Shell Command ([documentation](https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/shell_command), [issues](https://github.com/home-assistant/home-assistant/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3A%22integration%3A+shell_command%22))
First occurred: 20:46:21 (1 occurrences)
Last logged: 20:46:21

Error running command: `python3 /config/photos/camfront.py`, return code: 1

[wmaker (Tommy Long)]

@SuperMaximus

Please advise how to run a Python3 script that is located outside HA directory on a Host machine?

If I read this correctly, your Home Assistant is running as a guest VM with the Host having the Yolo/CUDA-hardware python executable. If correct, you may need to have HA treat Yolo/CUDA-hardware as being on a remote machine. There are a few threads around in the HA community on how to do this using ssh. Here is one of them:

SSH'ing from a command line sensor or shell command

I’ve noticed there’s a significant number of posts looking for help on this topic and the posters all seem to struggle with a few common issues. I realized I’ve been almost copying and pasting my responses on these topics so it seemed like a good case for a community guide. What will this cover This guide will walk through the process of getting a command which ssh’s into another machine to get some simple data ready to be included in a command line sensor. To keep it simple I’ll use the same …

[SuperMaximus (Max)]

Thanks for hint, but…
I have an Error return code: 127 while executing this script:

Error running command: `sshpass -p 'pass' ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no [email protected] "python3 /home/max/yolov5-flask/camfront.py"`, return code: 127

I am using HA in docker, and it seems to be some kind of privileges issue specifically for my HA user. But I don’t understand what I need to do to make it fixed.

From a 3rd party PC I execute this script successfully & it does the job.

/home/max/yolov5-flask/

is my host machine (which concurrently runs Home Assistant docker) path.
Need help, scratching my head on finding solution.

[SuperMaximus (Max)]

Solved by installing ‘sshpass’ inside the Homeassistant docker container.
And now it works like a charm