developer-tools

Home Assistant

oleander

by oleander

Transform your smarter home with Home Assistant: advanced home automation smart home control and secure device managemen

Enables natural language control of Home Assistant smart home systems with tools for querying entity states, executing service calls, and retrieving system information through secure WebSocket or stdio communication.

github stars

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Both formats append explainx.ai attribution and the canonical URL for this MCP server listing.

Works with any MCP-compatible clientSecure token-based authenticationDemo mode with mock data

best for

  • / Smart home owners wanting voice/chat control
  • / Home automation enthusiasts building AI assistants
  • / Developers creating natural language home interfaces

capabilities

  • / Query smart device states and properties
  • / Execute Home Assistant service calls
  • / Control lights, switches, and other entities
  • / Retrieve system information and history
  • / Manage automations and scenes
  • / Access entity attributes and metadata

what it does

Connects Large Language Models to Home Assistant, enabling natural language control and querying of smart home devices and automations.

about

Home Assistant is a community-built MCP server published by oleander that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Transform your smarter home with Home Assistant: advanced home automation smart home control and secure device managemen It is categorized under developer tools.

how to install

You can install Home Assistant in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

license

MIT

Home Assistant is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

readme

Home Assistant MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating with Home Assistant, allowing LLMs to control and query your smart home.

Features

  • Query and control Home Assistant entities via natural language
  • Works with any MCP-compatible client (like Claude Desktop)
  • Provides tools for state management, service calls, history, and more
  • Secure authentication using Home Assistant long-lived access tokens
  • Multiple transport options (stdio for local processes, SSE for remote clients)
  • Demo mode with mock data for testing and demonstration when Home Assistant is not available

Installation

# Install globally using bun
bun install -g home-assistant-mcp-server

# Or install from source
git clone https://github.com/oleander/home-assistant-mcp-server.git
cd home-assistant-mcp-server
bun install
bun run build
bun link

Configuration

Create a .env file in your current directory with the following variables:

# Required configurations
HASS_URL=http://your-home-assistant:8123  # URL to your Home Assistant instance
HASS_TOKEN=your_long_lived_access_token   # Long-lived access token for authentication

# Optional configurations
PORT=3000                # Port for the HTTP server (default: 3000)
HASS_MOCK=false          # Enable mock data mode when Home Assistant is unavailable (default: false)

Environment Variables

VariableRequiredDefaultDescription
HASS_URLYes-URL to your Home Assistant instance (e.g., http://homeassistant.local:8123)
HASS_TOKENYes-Long-lived access token for authenticating with Home Assistant
PORTNo3000Port number for the HTTP server when using HTTP/SSE transport
HASS_MOCKNofalseWhen set to "true", enables mock data mode for testing without a Home Assistant connection

To get a long-lived access token:

  1. Log in to your Home Assistant instance
  2. Click on your profile (bottom left)
  3. Scroll down to "Long-Lived Access Tokens"
  4. Create a new token with a descriptive name
  5. Copy the token value (you won't see it again)

Usage

Running as a standalone server

# Standard mode (requires a running Home Assistant instance)
home-assistant-mcp-server                # Start with HTTP/SSE transport
home-assistant-mcp-server --stdio        # Start with stdio transport for direct process communication

# Demo mode (with mock data when Home Assistant is unavailable)
home-assistant-mcp-server --mock         # Start with HTTP/SSE transport and mock data
home-assistant-mcp-server --stdio --mock # Start with stdio transport and mock data

Integration with Claude Desktop

To use with Claude Desktop:

  1. Edit your Claude Desktop config file:

    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  2. Add the server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "homeassistant": {
      "command": "home-assistant-mcp-server"
      "env": {
        "HASS_URL": "http://your-home-assistant:8123",
        "HASS_TOKEN": "your_token_here",
        "HASS_MOCK": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you have Home Assistant running, simply remove the --mock flag and set HASS_MOCK to false.

  1. Restart Claude Desktop

Available Tools

The server exposes several tools for interacting with Home Assistant:

  • states - Query entity states
  • lights - List lights
  • light - Control a light
  • service - Call Home Assistant services
  • history - Retrieve historical entity data
  • services - List available services
  • config - Get Home Assistant configuration
  • domains - List available domains
  • error_log - Get Home Assistant error log
  • devices - Get all devices in Home Assistant

For detailed usage examples, see docs/hass-mcp.md.

Security

This server requires a Home Assistant access token with full access. Consider these security recommendations:

  • Only run the server on trusted networks
  • Use HTTPS if exposing the server remotely
  • Keep your .env file secure and don't commit it to source control
  • Consider using a token with limited permissions when possible

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

FAQ

What is the Home Assistant MCP server?
Home Assistant is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
How are reviews shown for Home Assistant?
This profile displays 55 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.5 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.

Use Cases

Extended AI Capabilities

Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation

Example

Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services

Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent

Context Enhancement

Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data

Example

Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases

Get more accurate, context-aware responses

Workflow Automation

Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools

Example

Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification

Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop 0.7.0+ or Cursor IDE with MCP support
  • Basic understanding of MCP architecture and capabilities
  • Access credentials for integrated services (if required)
  • Willingness to experiment and iterate on configuration

Time Estimate

15-60 minutes depending on server complexity

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install MCP server: npm install -g [package-name] or via GitHub
  2. 2.Add server configuration to ~/.claude/mcp.json
  3. 3.Provide required credentials and configuration
  4. 4.Restart Claude Desktop to load new server
  5. 5.Test basic functionality with simple prompts
  6. 6.Explore capabilities and experiment with use cases
  7. 7.Document successful patterns for reuse

Troubleshooting

  • MCP server not loading: Check config syntax, verify installation
  • Connection errors: Check network, firewall, credentials
  • Feature not working: Read server docs, check required parameters
  • Performance issues: Monitor resource usage, check for network latency
  • Conflicts with other servers: Check port assignments, namespace collisions

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Read server documentation thoroughly before setup
  • +Start with simple use cases to validate functionality
  • +Test in non-production environment first
  • +Monitor resource usage and performance
  • +Keep servers updated for bug fixes and new features
  • +Document configuration for team members
  • +Use environment variables for sensitive configuration

✗ Don't

  • Don't grant overly permissive access to MCP servers
  • Don't skip reading security considerations in docs
  • Don't expose sensitive data without proper controls
  • Don't run untrusted MCP servers without code review
  • Don't ignore error messages—investigate root cause

💡 Pro Tips

  • Combine multiple MCP servers for powerful workflows
  • Create custom MCP servers for your specific needs
  • Share successful configurations with team
  • Use MCP inspector for debugging
  • Join MCP community for tips and troubleshooting

Technical Details

Architecture

Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.

Protocols

  • Model Context Protocol (MCP)
  • JSON-RPC 2.0
  • stdio or HTTP transport

Compatibility

  • Claude Desktop
  • Cursor IDE
  • Custom MCP clients

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.

Integration

  • Tool composition: Chain multiple MCP tools in workflows
  • Context augmentation: Provide AI with relevant external data
  • Action delegation: Let AI execute tasks on external systems
  • Bidirectional sync: Keep AI context and external systems in sync

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.

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Ratings

4.555 reviews
  • Lucas Choi· Dec 24, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Home Assistant is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Chaitanya Patil· Dec 16, 2024

    I recommend Home Assistant for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • Pratham Ware· Dec 16, 2024

    Home Assistant has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.

  • Kabir Anderson· Nov 15, 2024

    According to our notes, Home Assistant benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • Piyush G· Nov 7, 2024

    Strong directory entry: Home Assistant surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • Shikha Mishra· Oct 26, 2024

    Home Assistant is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.

  • Kabir Lopez· Oct 10, 2024

    Home Assistant is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.

  • Lucas Verma· Oct 6, 2024

    We wired Home Assistant into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.

  • Yuki Ndlovu· Sep 25, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Home Assistant is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Kabir Bansal· Sep 17, 2024

    I recommend Home Assistant for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

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