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advanced-camera-card/docs/usage/2-way-audio.md
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Dermot DuffyandClaude Opus 4.8 b701366762 feat: Align automations with Home Assistant triggers and conditions (#2527)
Split automations into HA-style `triggers`, ongoing `conditions`, and
`actions`, with compatibility migrations for existing Advanced Camera
Card configs.

## Summary

At a glance (details below):

- **Added** `triggers:` -- a required, HA-shaped block: stock `state` /
`numeric_state` / `template` plus card-specific triggers (`camera`,
`view`, `fullscreen`, ...).
- **Added** the HA-native `if` / `then` / `else` action.
- **Removed** `actions_not` (replaced by `if` / `then` / `else`).
- **Removed** the ambient `advanced_camera_card` template namespace (use
`acc` instead).
- **Changed** the trigger template surface to a top-level `trigger.*`
variable (as in HA); the nested `acc.trigger.*` paths are removed.
- **Changed** `conditions:` to ongoing gates only -- they no longer wake
an automation, and change-only forms (`config`, valueless `camera` /
`view` / `state`) become triggers, not conditions.
- **Changed** action templates to render per step, so a later action
sees state an earlier one changed.
- **Compatibility:** HA-shaped YAML is accepted (singular keys,
single-or-list, `and` / `or` / `not` shorthand, `entity` / `entity_id`).
- **Migration:** existing configs upgrade automatically; anything that
cannot be converted faithfully is recorded under `__UPGRADE_FAILURE__`
for manual fixup.

## Breaking Changes

### 1. Automations now require triggers

Before this PR, `automations[].conditions` served two roles:

- They decided whether the automation should run.
- They also acted as the thing that woke the automation up.

After this PR:

- `triggers` wake the automation.
- `conditions` only gate it at the instant a trigger fires.

Most existing automations are migrated automatically from `conditions:`
to `triggers:`.

### 2. `actions_not` is retired

Legacy `actions_not` is replaced by an HA-style `if` action with `then`
/ `else`.

Faithful conversions are automatic. Cases that cannot be faithfully
converted are recorded under `__UPGRADE_FAILURE__.automations` and must
be migrated manually.

### 3. Template surface aligned with Home Assistant

Two related template changes, both auto-migrated:

- **Top-level `trigger.*`.** Automation actions now receive a top-level
`trigger` template variable, like Home Assistant. Legacy nested paths
such as `acc.trigger.state.to` and
`advanced_camera_card.trigger.camera.to` are migrated automatically when
they appear inside template strings.
- **The ambient `advanced_camera_card` template namespace is removed.**
The long-form ambient namespace (`advanced_camera_card.camera`,
`advanced_camera_card.view`, `advanced_camera_card.config`) is retired
in favour of its shorter `acc` alias -- supported since v7.1.0, and the
only spelling the new trigger surface uses. Existing templates are
migrated automatically by rewriting the `advanced_camera_card.` prefix
to `acc.`.

### 4. Trigger-only condition forms are no longer valid conditions

Some legacy "conditions" were really change detectors. These are now
triggers only:

- `condition: config`
- valueless `camera`
- valueless `view`
- valueless `state` / picture-elements state condition with neither
`state` nor `state_not`

These are automatically promoted in automations and stripped from
overrides/elements where they would no longer be meaningful as ongoing
conditions.

### 5. Template truthiness now follows Home Assistant behavior

Template conditions and template triggers intentionally use different
truthiness rules, matching HA:

- A template condition passes only when the rendered value is `true`
(case-insensitive), matching HA's `condition.py`.
- A template trigger uses HA's broader `result_as_boolean` coercion: a
non-zero number, or `1` / `true` / `yes` / `on` / `enable`
(case-insensitive), counts as true.

### 6. Action templates render when each action executes

Action templates are now rendered per action step, not once for the
whole sequence. This means a later action can see card-local state
changed by an earlier action in the same sequence.

The `trigger` context is fixed for the automation run. HA entity state
updates still depend on the frontend receiving updated HASS state over
the websocket.

## Automatic Migrations

### Automation `conditions:` to `triggers:`

Simple legacy automation:

```yaml
# Before
automations:
  - conditions:
      - condition: fullscreen
        fullscreen: true
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: substream_on
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
automations:
  - triggers:
      - trigger: fullscreen
        fullscreen: true
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: substream_on
```

State conditions become HA-style state triggers:

```yaml
# Before
automations:
  - conditions:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door
        state: 'on'
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: live
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
automations:
  - triggers:
      - trigger: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door
        to: 'on'
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: live
```

Multiple conditions become both triggers and ongoing conditions:

```yaml
# Before
automations:
  - conditions:
      - condition: camera
        cameras: [front_door]
      - condition: fullscreen
        fullscreen: true
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: substream_on
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
automations:
  - triggers:
      - trigger: camera
        cameras: [front_door]
      - trigger: fullscreen
        fullscreen: true
    conditions:
      - condition: camera
        cameras: [front_door]
      - condition: fullscreen
        fullscreen: true
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: substream_on
```

The flattened trigger list is an implicit OR. The retained `conditions:`
list is an implicit AND checked when any trigger fires.

### Trigger-only legacy conditions

Legacy `config` conditions become `config` triggers:

```yaml
# Before
automations:
  - conditions:
      - condition: config
        paths: [menu.style]
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: status_bar
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
automations:
  - triggers:
      - trigger: config
        paths: [menu.style]
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: status_bar
```

Trigger-only leaves are removed from retained `conditions:` blocks
because they no longer describe an ongoing state.

### `actions_not` to `if` / `then` / `else`

```yaml
# Before
automations:
  - conditions:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: input_boolean.camera_alerts
        state: 'on'
    actions:
      - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
        advanced_camera_card_action: live
    actions_not:
      - action: none
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
automations:
  - triggers:
      - trigger: state
        entity_id: input_boolean.camera_alerts
    actions:
      - if:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: input_boolean.camera_alerts
            state: 'on'
        then:
          - action: custom:advanced-camera-card-action
            advanced_camera_card_action: live
        else:
          - action: none
```

If the legacy automation had no conditions, or only trigger-only
conditions, `actions_not` is dropped because the old `else` branch could
not be reproduced as an ongoing predicate.

### Trigger template paths

```yaml
# Before
message: 'Door is {{ acc.trigger.state.to }} from {{ acc.trigger.state.from }}'
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
message: 'Door is {{ trigger.to_state.state }} from {{ trigger.from_state.state }}'
```

Path rewrites performed automatically:

| Old path                   | New path                   |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| `acc.trigger.state.entity` | `trigger.entity_id`        |
| `acc.trigger.state.from`   | `trigger.from_state.state` |
| `acc.trigger.state.to`     | `trigger.to_state.state`   |
| `acc.trigger.camera.from`  | `trigger.from_acc.camera`  |
| `acc.trigger.camera.to`    | `trigger.to_acc.camera`    |
| `acc.trigger.view.from`    | `trigger.from_acc.view`    |
| `acc.trigger.view.to`      | `trigger.to_acc.view`      |
| `acc.trigger.config.from`  | `trigger.from_acc.config`  |
| `acc.trigger.config.to`    | `trigger.to_acc.config`    |

The same rewrites are applied for the older
`advanced_camera_card.trigger.*` namespace.

### Ambient template namespace

Any remaining long-form ambient `advanced_camera_card.*` references
(outside the trigger surface) are rewritten to the `acc.*` alias:

```yaml
# Before
title: 'Now viewing {{ advanced_camera_card.camera }}'
```

```yaml
# After, automatic
title: 'Now viewing {{ acc.camera }}'
```

## Manual Migration Cases

### `__UPGRADE_FAILURE__.automations`

If a legacy automation cannot be converted faithfully, the original
automation is recorded under:

```yaml
__UPGRADE_FAILURE__:
  automations:
    - ...
```

These entries require manual migration.

The main known case is legacy `actions_not` with a condition whose
trigger can only fire on a rising edge, such as:

- `condition: template`
- `condition: screen`
- `condition: numeric_state` without an entity-backed state to watch

Those conditions can start the `then` branch, but cannot reliably start
the `else` branch when they stop matching.

### Unsupported HA conditions and triggers

This PR aligns the card with HA where supported, but it is not a full HA
automation engine.

Unsupported HA condition families include:

- `time`
- `zone`
- `sun`
- `location`
- `device`
- `condition: trigger`

Unsupported HA trigger platforms include:

- `event`
- `time`
- `time_pattern`
- `sun`
- `zone`
- `calendar`
- `webhook`
- `tag`
- `device`
- `mqtt`

The card-specific camera `triggers:` feature (which auto-selects and
wakes the card on camera events such as motion) is a separate feature
from automation `triggers:`, despite the shared word.

### Trigger IDs and variables

HA keys such as `id`, `alias`, and `variables` are accepted so pasted HA
YAML validates, but they are ignored by the card. There is no
`trigger.id` support in this PR.

## New Compatibility Features

This PR also makes card config more forgiving for HA-style YAML:

- `trigger`, `condition`, and `action` singular keys are accepted and
normalized to `triggers`, `conditions`, and `actions`.
- Single trigger, condition, and action objects are accepted where lists
are expected.
- `if`, `then`, and `else` accept a single item or a list.
- Composite condition shorthand is accepted:
  - `{ and: [...] }`
  - `{ or: [...] }`
  - `{ not: [...] }`
  - `{ condition: [...] }` as an implicit AND
- State conditions resolve expected state values that name another
entity, matching HA/Lovelace behavior.
- Both `entity` and `entity_id` are accepted on state and numeric
conditions and triggers (a superset of HA's two dialects), so there is
no forced rename.
- `state_not` remains supported as a card/Lovelace-friendly extension.

## Trigger Payloads

Automation action templates receive a top-level `trigger` object.

For stock `state` and `numeric_state` triggers:

```yaml
trigger.platform
trigger.entity_id
trigger.entity
trigger.from_state
trigger.to_state
```

For template triggers:

```yaml
trigger.platform
```

For card-specific triggers:

```yaml
trigger.platform # "acc"
trigger.type
trigger.from_acc
trigger.to_acc
```

The card does not currently expose HA's `id`, `idx`, `for`, `attribute`,
`above`, `below`, or `alias` trigger fields.

BREAKING CHANGE: Automations now follow Home Assistant's `triggers:` /
`conditions:` / `actions:` model. Automations require a `triggers:`
block and `conditions:` no longer wake an automation; `actions_not` is
removed in favour of an `if` / `then` / `else` action; the nested
`acc.trigger.*` template paths and the ambient `advanced_camera_card`
template namespace are removed (use the top-level `trigger.*` surface
and the `acc` alias); trigger-only condition forms (`config`, valueless
`camera` / `view` / `state`) are no longer valid conditions; and
template-condition vs template-trigger truthiness now follow HA.
Existing configs are upgraded automatically where a faithful conversion
exists; anything that cannot be converted is recorded under
`__UPGRADE_FAILURE__` for manual migration.

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-06-30 17:45:13 -07:00

4.7 KiB

2-way Audio

This card supports 2-way audio (e.g. transmitting audio from a microphone to a suitably equipped camera). In general, due to the myriad of different cameras, security requirements and browser limitations getting 2-way to work may be challenging.

Requirements

Environmental requirements

  • Must have a camera that supports audio out (otherwise what's the point!)
  • Camera must be supported by go2rtc for 2-way audio (see supported cameras).
  • Must be accessing your Home Assistant instance over https. The browser will enforce this.

Card requirements

  • Only Frigate cameras are supported.
  • Only the go2rtc live provider is supported.
  • Only the webrtc mode supports 2-way audio.

If your setup supports 2-way audio but detection is intermittent on load:

  • Increase cameras[].go2rtc.metadata_fetch_timeout_seconds.
  • Or force the capability with cameras[].capabilities.force: ['2-way-audio'].

Example configuration

type: custom:advanced-camera-card
cameras:
  - camera_entity: camera.office
    live_provider: go2rtc
    go2rtc:
      modes:
        - webrtc
      # Optional: For slower cameras increase timeout (default: 2)
      metadata_fetch_timeout_seconds: 10

Usage

Two-way audio is driven by the call menu button (a phone icon). It is enabled by default and appears in the live view whenever the selected camera -- or one of its dependencies -- supports 2-way audio.

  • Tap the call button to start an outbound call. An on-screen overlay appears with controls to mute/unmute the microphone, mute/unmute the inbound audio, and end the call. When more than one 2-way-audio camera is available the button becomes a submenu with one entry per camera.
  • Inbound calls (started by a view.triggers.actions.trigger: call trigger -- e.g. a doorbell) open the overlay in a ringing state with only two buttons: a red Reject and a green Answer.
  • When a call is answered (outbound calls are answered by definition) the inbound audio is unmuted automatically, so the caller can be heard. The microphone stays muted by default (push-to-talk) -- tap the microphone button in the overlay to speak. Both behaviors are configurable via live.microphone.auto_unmute and live.auto_unmute.
  • The camera will always load without the microphone connected, unless the always_connected microphone option is set to true. On the first call there may be a brief webrtc connection reset to include 2-way audio.
  • While a call is in progress the card locks disruptive actions (camera and substream changes, casting, reload, etc.) so an accidental tap, swipe, or button press doesn't cut the call off. Set live.controls.call.lock to false to disable this.
  • End the call with the overlay's end-call button. When the call ends the microphone and inbound audio are muted again.
  • The video automatically resets to remove the microphone after the number of seconds specified by disconnect_seconds have elapsed since the call ended.

Calls can also be controlled programmatically with the call_start, call_answer, and call_end actions -- for example, from an automation that fires when a doorbell sensor triggers. The call condition can be used to show or hide elements while a call is in progress.

Call lifecycle

The diagram below traces a call from start to finish:

Call lifecycle sequence diagram

Talking with a single tap

By default, two taps are needed to speak: start (or answer) the call so you can hear, then unmute the microphone via the in-call overlay so you can be heard. This push-to-talk default keeps the microphone muted until you explicitly choose to speak.

To collapse that to a single tap, unmute the microphone automatically when a call is answered:

live:
  microphone:
    auto_unmute: ['call']

For outbound calls the microphone opens the moment the call starts; for inbound calls it opens the moment you press the green answer button. Leave auto_unmute empty (the default) to always start muted regardless.