Node-RED for Home Assistant

Node-RED Automations Advanced

Node-RED is a visual programming tool that makes complex automations manageable. Drag nodes, connect them with wires, and build automations that would be impossible (or very tedious) in Home Assistant’s standard automation editor.

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🤔 Why Node-RED?

HA Automations vs Node-RED

Feature	HA Automations	Node-RED
Learning curve	Low	Medium-high
Visual editor	Simple	Advanced
Debugging	Limited	Excellent
Loops	❌	✅
Variables	Limited	Flow/Global
JavaScript	❌	✅
Reuse (subflows)	❌	✅
Time-based logic	Basic	Advanced

When to Use Node-RED?

Use Node-RED when you need:

• Complex logic with many conditions
• Loops and repeated actions
• Custom JavaScript code
• Better debugging and troubleshooting
• Reusable automation blocks

Stick with HA automations when:

• The automation is simple (trigger → action)
• You prefer YAML/UI
• You want to keep everything in one system

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📦 Installation

As Home Assistant Add-on

1. Go to Settings → Add-ons

2. Click Add-on Store (bottom right)

3. Search for “Node-RED”

4. Select Node-RED and click Install

5. Configure the add-on:

   # Important settings:
   ssl: false  # Set to true if you have SSL
   credential_secret: "your-secret-key"

6. Start the add-on and enable:

   • ✅ Start on boot
   • ✅ Watchdog
   • ✅ Show in sidebar

7. Open Node-RED via the sidebar

Docker Installation

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3'
services:
  nodered:
    image: nodered/node-red:latest
    container_name: nodered
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "1880:1880"
    volumes:
      - ./nodered-data:/data
    environment:
      - TZ=Europe/Copenhagen

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🔗 Home Assistant Integration

Create Access Token

1. In Home Assistant, click your profile picture (bottom left)

2. Scroll down to Long-Lived Access Tokens

3. Click Create Token

4. Name it “Node-RED”

5. Copy the token - you can only see it once!

Configure Server in Node-RED

1. Drag an events: state node onto the workspace

2. Double-click and click the pencil icon next to Server

3. Fill in:

   Name: Home Assistant
   Base URL: http://homeassistant.local:8123
   Access Token: [your token from previous step]

4. Click Add then Done

Install Companion Integration (Optional)

For extra features like enabling/disabling flows from HA:

1. Install via HACS:

   • Search “Node-RED Companion”
   • Install and restart HA

2. Add integration:

   • Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration
   • Search “Node-RED”

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🧱 Node-RED Basics

Terminology

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        FLOW (Tab)                           │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │              SEQUENCE (Connected nodes)              │   │
│  │   ┌──────┐    ┌──────┐    ┌──────┐    ┌──────┐     │   │
│  │   │ NODE │───►│ NODE │───►│ NODE │───►│ NODE │     │   │
│  │   └──────┘    └──────┘    └──────┘    └──────┘     │   │
│  │        msg.payload is passed between nodes          │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │              ANOTHER SEQUENCE                        │   │
│  │   ┌──────┐    ┌──────┐                              │   │
│  │   │ NODE │───►│ NODE │                              │   │
│  │   └──────┘    └──────┘                              │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Term	Description
Node	A single building block (trigger, action, logic)
Sequence	Connected nodes forming one automation
Flow	All sequences on one tab
msg	Message passed between nodes
msg.payload	Default data field in the message

Variable Scopes

Scope	Available To	Use Case
msg	Only current sequence	Data between nodes
flow	All nodes on same tab	Shared data on flow
global	All nodes everywhere	Shared data across all

// Set variables
flow.set("myVar", "value");
global.set("globalVar", 123);

// Read variables
let x = flow.get("myVar");
let y = global.get("globalVar");

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🏠 Home Assistant Nodes

The Most Important Nodes

Node	Function	Use
events: state	Trigger on state change	Start automations
current state	Read current state	Conditions
call service	Call HA service	Actions
wait until	Wait for state	Delays with conditions
trigger: state	Trigger with multiple conditions	Advanced triggers
api	General API access	Everything else

Node-RED Flow Example

events: state Node

Triggers when an entity changes state:

# Configuration:
Entity: light.living_room
If State: "on"          # Optional: Only trigger on this state
For: 00:00:05           # Optional: Only if state holds for 5 sec

Output:

msg.payload = "on";           // New state
msg.data.old_state.state      // Old state
msg.data.entity_id            // Entity ID

current state Node

Read state in the middle of a flow (doesn’t trigger itself):

# Configuration:
Entity: binary_sensor.motion_kitchen
If State: "on"
# If state matches → Output 1
# If not → Output 2 (or stop)

call service Node

Execute actions in Home Assistant:

# Example: Turn on light
Domain: light
Service: turn_on
Entity: light.living_room
Data: {"brightness": 255, "color_temp": 350}

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📝 Practical Examples

Example 1: Simple Motion Lighting

[events: state]──►[call service]
   motion_sensor      light.turn_on

[events: state]──►[delay]──►[call service]
   motion_sensor    2 min     light.turn_off
   (off)

Flow JSON:

[
  {
    "id": "motion_on",
    "type": "server-state-changed",
    "entity_id": "binary_sensor.motion_living_room",
    "ifstate": "on",
    "wires": [["light_on"]]
  },
  {
    "id": "light_on",
    "type": "api-call-service",
    "domain": "light",
    "service": "turn_on",
    "entity_id": "light.living_room"
  }
]

Example 2: Conditional Automation (Night Only)

[events: state]──►[current state]──►[call service]
   motion            sun.sun          light.turn_on
                     (below_horizon)

The sun entity is used to check if it’s night before turning on the light.

Example 3: Timeout with Reset

Light that turns off after 5 minutes without motion, but resets if there’s new motion:

[events: state]──►[stoptimer]──►[call service]
   motion (on)      reset          (nothing)
       │
       └──────────►[stoptimer]──►[call service]
                    start 5min     light.turn_off

Install stoptimer

node-red-contrib-stoptimer is installed via: Menu → Manage palette → Install → Search “stoptimer”

Example 4: Multi-Room Presence

Turn lights on/off based on which rooms have motion:

// Function node to track active rooms
let activeRooms = global.get("activeRooms") || [];
let room = msg.data.entity_id.replace("binary_sensor.motion_", "");

if (msg.payload === "on") {
    if (!activeRooms.includes(room)) {
        activeRooms.push(room);
    }
} else {
    activeRooms = activeRooms.filter(r => r !== room);
}

global.set("activeRooms", activeRooms);
msg.activeRooms = activeRooms;
return msg;

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🔧 Advanced Techniques

Subflows (Reusable Logic)

Create your own nodes from a group of nodes:

1. Select the nodes you want to reuse

2. Menu → Subflows → Selection to Subflow

3. Name your subflow

4. The new subflow appears in the palette under “subflows”

5. Drag it in wherever you need it

Link Nodes

Connect sequences across flows without drawing long wires:

Flow 1:                           Flow 2:
[trigger]──►[link out: "alarm"]   [link in: "alarm"]──►[action]

Inject Node for Testing

Test your flows without waiting for real triggers:

[inject]──►[rest of your flow]
  (manual trigger via click)

Configure inject node with test data:

msg.payload = "on";
msg.data = {
    entity_id: "binary_sensor.test",
    old_state: { state: "off" }
};

Debug Node

See what’s happening in your flow:

[trigger]──►[debug]──►[action]
              │
              └──► Shows msg in Debug panel

Tip: Set debug to “complete msg object” to see everything.

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📚 Useful Palettes

Install via Menu → Manage palette → Install:

Palette	Description
node-red-contrib-bigtimer	Advanced time-based scheduling
node-red-contrib-stoptimer	Start/stop/reset timers
node-red-contrib-weekday	Filter on weekdays
node-red-contrib-time-range-switch	Routing based on time
node-red-contrib-schedex	Sunset/sunrise scheduling
node-red-dashboard	Build dashboards in Node-RED

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🐛 Troubleshooting

Flow Won’t Deploy

# Check:
1. All nodes have valid connections
2. No red triangles on nodes (configuration errors)
3. Server connection is configured
4. Access token is valid

Automation Doesn’t Trigger

1. Add debug node after trigger

2. Check that entity_id is correct

3. Verify that “If State” matches

4. Check Debug panel for output

Connection to HA Fails

# Check access token:
1. Create new token in HA
2. Update server config in Node-RED
3. Deploy all flows
4. Restart Node-RED add-on

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📋 Best Practices

Organization

Practice	Description
One tab per area	Living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc.
Comments	Use comment nodes for explanation
Naming	Give all nodes descriptive names
Subflows	Reuse logic instead of copy/paste

Performance

# Avoid:
- events: all node (uses many resources)
- Polling in loops (use triggers instead)
- Large debug outputs in production

# Use:
- "Modified Flows" deploy type
- Specific entity triggers
- Disable debug nodes when not in use

Backup

Node-RED flows are stored in:

# Add-on:
/config/node-red/flows.json

# Docker:
./nodered-data/flows.json

Include this file in your Home Assistant backup!

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Ofte stillede spørgsmål

Should I move all my automations to Node-RED?

No! Use Node-RED for complex automations and keep simple automations in HA. There's no reason to make things more complicated than necessary.

Can Node-RED run without Home Assistant?

Yes, Node-RED is a standalone tool. You can use it for other IoT projects, API integrations, and much more. The HA nodes are just an extra module.

What happens to my automations if Node-RED goes down?

Automations in Node-RED stop. That's why it's important to keep critical automations (alarm, security) in Home Assistant itself, or have watchdog enabled on Node-RED.

Can I see Node-RED automations in HA's automations list?

Not directly. With the Node-RED Companion integration, however, you can see and enable/disable flows from HA's UI.

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📚 Next Steps

HA Dashboard Design

Build beautiful dashboards.

See guide →

First Automation

Start with HA’s built-in automations.

See guide →

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Last updated: December 2025