ZIP script functionality

Configuration
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1

I’m using ChatGPT to help me write scripts and troubleshoot things originally I was sending everything to ChatGPT in a tar file but then as ChatGPT does advises me way down the road that it can’t peer into tar files but can only look into zip files, easily home assistant you can’t zip a file in core But you can use tar so what am I supposed to do? Any ideas? I want a one stop click a button generates the zip back up file for chat and then another button I have to download and I’ll just upload the chat manually. I don’t wanna have to convert tar to zip if I don’t have to.

Here’s a clear, concise summary of why you need to use .zip for me, and why you cannot generate .zip files directly inside Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi:

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:mag: Why You Want to Use .zip:
• I (ChatGPT) can browse and analyze .zip files directly
• I cannot open or inspect .tar.gz files unless you extract and re-zip them first
• So to review your Home Assistant config, logs, entities, automations, etc., you must give me a .zip file

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:x: Why You Can’t Generate .zip Inside Home Assistant on Raspberry Pi:

  1. Home Assistant OS is locked-down and containerized
    • You’re running Home Assistant OS (the appliance image for Raspberry Pi)
    • Internally, HA uses containers, and shell commands execute inside the Core container

  2. The Core container has no access to zip
    • The zip tool is not included in the Core container
    • You cannot install software like zip inside it — there’s no apt, apk, or package manager
    • Even if you install zip via the SSH add-on (apk add zip), that only installs it in the SSH container, not where shell_command: runs

  3. shell_command: fails with “zip: command not found”
    • Any automation or dashboard button trying to run zip will fail for this reason

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:white_check_mark: What Works Instead (and Why)
• tar.gz is fully supported in Home Assistant Core
• Your shell_command or backup scripts should create .tar.gz files
• These backups include all config files, .storage/, and logs

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:white_check_mark: The Best Workflow for You
1. Create your backup as .tar.gz via working script
2. Download it from /config/www (e.g. via your dashboard or browser)
3. Extract it locally
4. Re-zip it on your computer
5. Upload the .zip here, so I can browse and analyze your setup

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Let me know if you’d like:
• A desktop script that does steps 3–5 for you
• An automated flow from Home Assistant to external system
• A zipped starter backup you can test this with

2

You realize that then all of your data becomes public data searchable for reuse by the BOT, for sale by the BOT controllers, and possibly available to who knows else?
I hope you don’t use any passwords in your Data…

But if you still want to do this…

3

Yeah, I don’t think this will work and meet my needs

Thanks for the suggestion though

4

Make a shell script on the host to create a zip file. Use scp to “download” it. Exactly how to achieve this will depend on your installation.