I did a wee search but could not find too much on this (but apologies if I missed it). I have 5 ESP32-C3s, all running well for a while now, with an example yaml from one of them, as shown below.
The 5# yamls are identical, w.e.o. lines 2 and 3, which define names. That is it, the remaining 95% of the yamls are the same for each device (all BT Proxy Trackers, for now).
display_name: esp32c3btproxykat
friendly_name: ESP32C3BTProxyKat
As the 5# yamls are the same, I thought to streamline future edits so I only need to make changes in one file, say esp32common.yaml.
So what I have done, having read the esphome packages section is to split my example working yaml into:
- The original first 3 lines (which includes the names) and package: section, which calls the esp32common.yaml file. I saved this as the original file name esp32c3btproxykat.yaml;
substitutions: # name substitutions ref Digiblur https://digiblur.com/wiki/ha/esphome-bluetooth-proxy-esp32c3/
display_name: esp32c3btproxykat
friendly_name: ESP32C3BTProxyKat
packages:
# wifi: !include common/wifi.yaml - example additional package for wifi
esp32c3devices: !include common/esp32c3btproxy-common.yaml
- A new yaml, esp32common.yaml, which contains the remaining 95% of the original yaml, without the above lines. I put this in /homeassistant/esphome/common.
However when I tried to verify it I got the following error:
INFO ESPHome 2025.4.0
INFO Reading configuration /config/esphome/esp32c3btproxykat.yaml...
Failed config
substitutions: None
display_name: esp32c3btproxykat
friendly_name: ESP32C3BTProxyKat
Must be string, got <class 'esphome.helpers.OrderedDict'>. did you forget putting quotes around the value?.
packages:
esp32c3devices:
esphome:
name: ${display_name}
friendly_name: ${friendly_name}
min_version: 2024.11.0
name_add_mac_suffix: False
wifi:
reboot_timeout: 3min
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
My understanding was that you could just call the common yaml from the main yaml for each device and that the display_name and friendly_name variables would be passed to the common_yaml. I will admit I am not 100% clear on this though!
I would really appreciate a heads up on why this is failing and how to achieve what it is I am looking to do. Thank you.
ORIGINAL WORKING YAML
substitutions: # name substitutions ref Digiblur https://digiblur.com/wiki/ha/esphome-bluetooth-proxy-esp32c3/
display_name: esp32c3btproxykat
friendly_name: ESP32C3BTProxyKat
esphome:
name: ${display_name}
friendly_name: ${friendly_name}
min_version: 2024.11.0
name_add_mac_suffix: false
wifi:
# output_power: 8.5dB # enable if having issues with connectivity
reboot_timeout: 3min
ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
password: !secret wifi_password
fast_connect: true # Optional. Required (true) if connecting to a hidden SSID; suggest disable if setting Manual IP
ap: # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails
ssid: ${display_name}
password: !secret wifi_ap_password
esp32:
variant: ESP32C3
board: esp32-c3-devkitm-1
framework:
type: esp-idf # This is important: the default "arduino" framework does not perform well.
sdkconfig_options:
CONFIG_BT_BLE_42_FEATURES_SUPPORTED: y # BLE 4.2 is supported by ALL ESP32 boards that have bluetooth, the original and derivatives.
CONFIG_BT_BLE_50_FEATURES_SUPPORTED: y # Also enable this on any derivative boards (S2, C3 etc) but not the original ESP32.
CONFIG_ESP_TASK_WDT: y
CONFIG_ESP_TASK_WDT_TIMEOUT_S: "10" # Extend the watchdog timeout, so the device reboots if the device appears locked up for over 10 seconds.
logger: # Enable logging
level: DEBUG # Debug=Default; use Verbose if error checking
# baud_rate: 0 # 0 Enables logging, but disables serial-port logging to free CPU and memory
ota: # Allow Over-The-Air updates
- platform: esphome
password: !secret ota_password
api: # Enable Home Assistant API; MUST check option under ESPHome Configure!
encryption:
key: !secret encryption_key
on_client_connected: # Only enable BLE tracking when wifi is up and api is connected;Gives single-core ESP32-C3 devices time to manage wifi and authenticate with api
- esp32_ble_tracker.start_scan:
continuous: true
on_client_disconnected: # Disable BLE tracking when there are no api connections live
if:
condition:
not:
api.connected:
then:
- esp32_ble_tracker.stop_scan:
# Optional Manual IP
# manual_ip:
# static_ip: 192.168.53.109
# gateway: !secret gateway
# subnet: !secret subnet
captive_portal:
esp32_ble_tracker:
id: ble_tracker
scan_parameters: # Bermuda suggests 280/320 or 920/1000 to allow offset BT/Wifi
interval: 320ms # default 1100ms
window: 280ms # default 1100ms
continuous: true
active: false #defaults to true - selecting false saves power but may not work
bluetooth_proxy:
active: true # Optional, defaults to false
button:
- platform: safe_mode
id: button_safe_mode
name: Safe Mode Boot
- platform: factory_reset
id: factory_reset_btn
name: Factory Reset
# time:
# - platform: homeassistant
# id: homeassistant_time
sensor:
- platform: uptime
# The uptime sensor is extremely helpful to know if your device is rebooting
# when it shouldn't be. This might indicate your interval-to-window timing is
# too tight, and the window needs to be reduced.
name: "Uptime Sensor"
update_interval: 60s
