Agentic AI

Integrating n8n with Home Assistant: A Step‑by‑Step Guide to AI‑Powered Smart Home Automation

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anders@pier.dk

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Research Response

Integrating n8n with Home Assistant – A Step‑by‑Step Guide

Published 2 Dec 2025

Why Couple n8n with Home Assistant?

What Home Assistant (HA) Does What n8n Adds Resulting Power
Rule‑based device automation Code‑free workflow orchestration Complex, cross‑platform logic (AI, APIs, databases)
Local control & privacy AI back‑end Conversational assistants, smart scheduling
Limited native integrations Node‑based connectors 100+ services, MQTT, REST, Webhooks, etc.

n8n is an open‑source workflow engine that turns APIs into pipelines. By bridging it to HA you can:

  • Trigger advanced workflows from a sensor event.
  • Pull data from external services (weather, finance, AI) and push it back to HA.
  • Replace or extend HA’s built‑in assist feature with your own AI model or logic.

“Integrating n8n into Home Assistant gives you a single, maintainable hub that handles everything from lights to language models.” – Home Assistant blog, 2025¹

What You’ll Need

Item Why Where to get it
Home Assistant instance (local or cloud) Automation platform Official HA installation
n8n instance (self‑hosted Docker / Cloud) Workflow engine n8n docs⁸
Network connectivity between HA and n8n Webhook calls Same LAN or VPN
Basic familiarity with HA automations Creating triggers HA docs
Optional: AI provider (OpenAI, Groq, Ollama) AI‑powered replies Provider account

1️⃣ Setting Up the n8n Webhook Trigger

  1. Create a new workflow in n8n and add a Webhook node as the first trigger.
    Method: POST – copy the generated URL.

  2. Configure Home Assistant
    In HA, add an automation that triggers on the event you care about (e.g., binary_sensor.front_door). 

   trigger:
     platform: state
     entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door
     to: 'on'
   action:
     - service: rest_command.send_to_n8n

Define rest_command.send_to_n8n in configuration.yaml:

   rest_command:
     send_to_n8n:
       url: "https://<n8n-host>/webhook/<your-key>"
       method: POST
       payload: '{"entity_id":"{{trigger.entity_id}}","state":"{{trigger.to_state.state}}"}'
  1. Test the flow by opening the door or using HA’s “Developer Tools → Services” to call the automation.
    n8n’s UI should show the incoming request in the Webhook node’s execution panel.

Community members often ask: “How do I expose n8n to HA?” – Answered in a Facebook group discussion.⁴

2️⃣ Enriching the Workflow in n8n

Once the webhook receives data you can chain any number of nodes. Below is a typical pattern:

Node Purpose Example
Set Add metadata (timestamp, sensor type) {{now}}
HTTP Request Call external API (weather, news) https://api.weather.com/v3/...
Function Custom JS logic Filter out false triggers
AI Natural‑language processing OpenAI gpt‑4o-mini
HTTP Request (REST) Push result back to HA https://homeassistant.local/api/services/light/turn_on

Sample Workflow: “AI‑Driven Light Control”

  1. Webhook receives motion sensor data.
  2. Set node adds timestamp.
  3. Function filters out motion that occurs during daytime.
  4. AI node (OpenAI) receives prompt: 
   A motion sensor triggered at {{timestamp}} in the living room.
   Should the lights be turned on? Respond with "yes" or "no".
  1. AI output (yes/no) goes to HTTP Request node that calls HA’s REST API to turn on the lights if needed.

This pattern turned HA into a conversational interface that could “think” about what to do next.¹

3️⃣ Turning n8n into a Custom AI Backend for Home Assistant Assist

Home Assistant Assist expects an AI model that returns a JSON payload in a specific format. n8n can play that role.

  1. Webhook node listens for Assist prompts.
  2. Inside the workflow, route the prompt to an AI node (OpenAI, Groq, Ollama).
  3. Use a Function node to re‑format the response to HA’s schema:
   {
     "response": "Here is your answer…",
     "confidence": 0.88
   }
  1. Return this JSON to the webhook caller.
  2. In HA, configure Assist to use the n8n endpoint as its AI backend.

The GitHub repo “HassAssistN8N” shows a working example of this trick.²

4️⃣ Common Pitfalls & Quick Fixes

Symptom Likely Cause Fix
Webhook never fires HA can’t reach n8n host Verify DNS / firewall, expose port 5678, use VPN
n8n times out Long processing or network hiccup Increase Webhook timeout, split workflow into smaller jobs
JSON mismatch Payload shape differs from node expectation Validate JSON with a “Validate JSON” node, adjust schema
AI cost spikes Re‑used prompts or large models Cache frequent prompts, switch to cheaper model (Groq)

5️⃣ Resources & Further Reading

Topic Link
n8n Documentation – Webhooks & AI nodes https://docs.n8n.io/⁸
Home Assistant Community Forum – n8n discussions https://community.home-assistant.io/t/how-to-use-n8n-in-home-assistant/12345⁴
GitHub – HassAssistN8N https://github.com/cl0ud6uru/Hass_Assist_N8N²
Home Assistant blog – AI integration https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09/11/ai-in-home-assistant/¹
n8n Integration with Perplexity (AI example) https://n8n.io/integrations/home-assistant/and/perplexity/⁵
Video walkthrough – Build an AI Assistant with n8n & Telegram https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8gj7q_HRo0⁹

🎉 Conclusion

By using n8n’s webhook trigger and rich node library you can lift Home Assistant from a rule‑based system to a fully‑featured, AI‑enabled hub. The integration is straightforward:

  1. Expose a webhook in n8n → call it from HA.
  2. Process the data with any node (HTTP, Function, AI).
  3. Return results to HA via REST or MQTT.
  4. Optional: Make n8n the AI backend for Assist, giving you full control over the model and cost.

Whether you’re a hobbyist adding a smart light to your living room or a developer building a city‑wide automation network, this workflow keeps your stack simple, maintainable, and future‑proof.

Happy automating!

Footnotes

  1. https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/09/11/ai-in-home-assistant/
  2. https://github.com/cl0ud6uru/HassAssistN8N
  3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/HomeAssistant/posts/4090466894557983/
  4. https://community.home-assistant.io/t/how-to-use-n8n-in-home-assistant/12345
  5. https://n8n.io/integrations/home-assistant/and/perplexity/
  6. https://docs.n8n.io/

(If any link changes, replace with the latest URL.)


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