Trigger Siri shortcut from HA

Mobile Apps Home Assistant Companion for Apple
#1

@robbiet480 has a nice rundown on how to launch Siri shortcuts that control HA functions from iOS, voice, actionable notifications and so forth here:

Those work beautifully- nice work Robbie. However, I can’t figure out how to do this in reverse and have a script in HA call a Siri shortcut that is able to do things that HA can’t (without user intervention like an actionable notification). As a simple example, the Shortcuts app is able to start specific Apple TV apps so that I can, say, turn on CNBC with my morning wakeup. Since there’s no way to use home device states in Homekit to trigger shortcuts, I can’t set up a dummy switch from HA. While a series of arrow pushes could be scripted using the Apple TV integration in HA, it’s clunky, and if I move my apps around the the ATV home screen then this breaks. From what I can tell, none of this is changing with iOS 14 and/or tvOS 14.

Has anyone found a workaround for this?

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#3

I have the same question. My use case is I want a motion sensor in HA to trigger a Siri shortcut on my wall mounted iPad to turn up the screen brightness level.

Is triggering a Siri shortcut from HA possible at all today?

#4

Hello, i’m thinking of putting a tablet on the wall as a home assistant control center. I have an ipad that I hardly use and I would like to know how I can make the screen turn on automatically when someone approaches and also if I can use wallpanel on ios … thank you very much

#5

This would be killer functionality I can see many use cases for. Apple has intentionally crippled personal shortcuts so those based on location, time, ect must be verified before running for security. This basically makes them useless.

My use case is this: I love my “auto arrival” scene, opening the garage door and unlocking the front door, but don’t want it “completely” automatic. A personal iOS shortcut can speak “Welcome Home, please say the password to prepare the house” and wait for your spoken response before sending the call-service request to make all the magic happen. With your iPhone connected to CarPlay this is even more awesome. However, I can’t find any way to trigger that automation without manual confirmation tapping on the screen (which defeats the purpose of an automation.) Yes, I know I can use a “Hey Siri” to do the same, but it’s awesome to have an electronic butler care enough to ask first :slight_smile:

I know the app Pushcuts can somehow send notifications to automatically run shortcuts without user confirmation. Is there any way this functionality could be added to the Home Assistant iOS app?

So many killer functions possible if so …

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#6

I second this (or third or fourth). I have a shortcut that can open HomeCam on my Apple TV. Would be nice to trigger that when there’s motion or a doorbell press.

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#10

looks like it is available now : Executing a Shortcut via Home Assistant Notifications Siri Shortcuts | Home Assistant Companion Docs

#11

Unfortunately, Apple still requires you to acknowledge the notification so that it will go to Shortcuts to execute.

#12

Any news on this, now that Shortcuts has come to the Mac?

#13

Anyone figured out how to avoid the nofitication, and open the shortcut directly. Otherwise it will only work if someone is active on the phone.

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#14

Would love this too! Same use case with a wall mounted iPad

I now have it actually working too. Didn’t look at it yet, but it is fairly easy to do so. Unfortunately @ihf1 is totally right with having to actively click the notification. This is very unfortunate.

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#15

There is a trick, workaround really.
The only way to avoid interaction with the iPad/iPhone is with shortcut power automation.

If you want HA to trigger something on your iPad/iPhone, depending on state of something or a simple trigger, whatever it is you’ll need a smart socket on which iPad/iPhone is connected.
Set up shortcuts power disconnect automation to do whatever you want once the device is disconnected from power.
And that’s about it. Have an automation or a script in HA trigger smart socket to turn off / cut power for a minute so it can trigger iOS power disconnect automation and by that run whatever shortcut you’ve associated with that iOS automation. ( just turn off the notify when run and ask before running in the iOS automation ).

Now if you want to have it do a couple of things and make it smarter, you can have the shortcut full of IF conditions accompanied with post and get, combined with Rest api and this Shortcut for HA Curl Rest Api modified by you to suite your needs

As for morning Apple TV opening certain thing, just set your disconnect from power automation with shortcut that has if condition with time of when you usually wake up so it runs and opens stuff only at that set time.
( same can be achieved with android tv’s by sending them power on and open app commands using ha companion app iOS shortcuts integration)

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#16

this is actually a really nice idea. Have to see if I h ave a powerplug laying around somewhere, but I’ll definitely will try this! Thanks.

tonight I finally had some time to try this, it was a bit of a hassle but I got it working. thanks!

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#17

Rookies. Just create a dummy switch and link it from HA via HomeKit. :joy:

#18

To do what exactly?

#19

Hey keiron1992, please tell us how did you do that. I ask because you can’t create an automation in Apple Home to trigger a shortcut. Thats not possible at the moment.

#20

Hi @fmon, this may be too late and I don’t tried it yet, but check out Run shortcuts from the command line - Apple Support, it says you can run Siri shortcuts from the shell, so maybe you can run via ssh or something else. Sorry for my english!!

#21

Create a switch in HomeKit. Create an automation that runs your shortcut when that switch turns on or off.

#22

I can’t create a Personal automation that’s triggered by a switch turning on/off, I can only create a Home automation. But a Home automation, even if I use “Convert To Shortcut”, can’t run a shortcut.
What am I missing?

Edit: The Convert to Shortcut option in a home automation only has a fraction of actions available. Significantly less than what’s available for personal automations and shortcuts. That’s why I don’t understand how having a switch in HomeKit can trigger a regular shortcut.

#23

I’ve tried everything to get this working with a company supplied iPhone and it’s not possible to have a virtual switch trigger a Personal Automation.

Why anyone using Home Assistant would choose to use an iPhone is beyond me. It’s so restrictive and there’s so little you can do with it compared to Android.

#24

This is interesting… what else can you do besides shortcuts?