Referenced entities are missing or not currently available

Configuration
1

I’m kinda at a loss on this one. I have, what I think is, a pretty simple set up that isn’t working as I expect it to.

I have an input_boolean that I would like to turn on using an automation, delay for a period, and then turn it back off.

The problem is, my input_boolean entity is being reported as missing or unavailable when my automation is triggered.

This is my automation:

alias: Pause large loads
description: ""
triggers: []
conditions: []
actions:
  - action: switch.turn_on
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.prohibit_large_loads
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: "{{ states('input_text.force_mid_power_minutes') | float(30) }}"
      seconds: 0
  - action: switch.turn_off
    metadata: {}
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: input_boolean.prohibit_large_loads
mode: restart

When my automation is triggered (by a button entity), I get this in my logs:

2025-01-17 08:57:48.275 WARNING (MainThread) [homeassistant.helpers.service] Referenced entities input_boolean.prohibit_large_loads are missing or not currently available

If I use the search feature on my dashboard I can see the input_boolean.prohibit_large_loads entity just fine.

Screenshot 2025-01-17 at 9.00.51 AM
Screenshot 2025-01-17 at 9.00.51 AM1124×1482 69 KB

Could anyone give me some pointers to help me figure out why home assistant is telling me that the entity is missing or unavailable?

Thanks!

2

Wrong domain. You should try:

- action: input_boolean.turn_on
1 Like
3

Thank you!

I’m still feel really new at home assistant and things like this trip me up often.

1 Like
4

Hi johnwdailey,

If that’s a real automation, you also need a trigger. If you are doing something that does not need a trigger, that is a script which has a GUI editor as well.

Trying to build an automation without a trigger will make you sad.

5

It gets triggered by a button on my dashboard.

6

It needs a trigger statement. If it don’t have one, put that basically same code into the script editor and use the button to action the script.

OR

Add a trigger to that watching the button and when the button is pushed, the automation runs.

7

Are you sure? It’s working as is… I just verified that the boolean is updated when I hit the button on my dashboard.

8

Automatons without triggers are asking for trouble.
(Unless you put them in the script format.)

I do not recommend doing that.

2 Likes
9

Taking your advice and working on it, thanks!

Related question:
my script has a delay in it, and I want subsequent triggering of the script to restart the delay, so in my automation I had mode: restart… How would I handle that in a script?

10

Should work the same, but test it.

1 Like
11

Looks like it works!

Thanks for helping to save me from a future headache

1 Like