HA Actions

Control LCARdS from automations, scripts, voice assistants, and Developer Tools

LCARdS registers a set of HA actions under the lcards domain. Once the integration is installed they appear automatically in:

• Automations & Scripts: action: blocks in YAML or the visual editor
• Voice assistants that call HA services
• Developer Tools → Actions (one-shot testing)
• The REST / WebSocket API for external integrations

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Targeting

Several lcards.* actions support targeting specific browsers/devices and/or users. Set any combination of the below fields for supported services. If these options are omitted, then the action is global and every connected browser will pick it up.

Field	Type	Description
target_device_ids	list	Browser device UUIDs (localStorage.lcards_device_id in each tab)
target_device_names	list	Display names set in Config Panel → Users & Devices or via ?lcards_device= URL param. Non-unique names match every device sharing that name.
target_user_ids	list	HA user UUIDs
target_user_names	list	HA user display names (case-insensitive)

See Users & Devices for how device IDs and display names are assigned.

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Alert Mode Actions

Alert state is stored in input_select.lcards_alert_mode, the single source of truth. All alert actions update that entity, which propagates automatically to the ThemeManager (colour palette), SoundManager (alert sounds), and any lcards-alert-overlay cards on the dashboards.

lcards.set_alert_mode

Set any alert mode by name.

Field	Type	Required	Options
mode	select	✅	red_alert, yellow_alert, blue_alert, gray_alert, black_alert, green_alert

action: lcards.set_alert_mode
data:
  mode: red_alert

Shortcut actions

One-shot actions that each set the corresponding alert mode directly. All support targeting; when targeting fields are present only the matched browsers update their local alert state (global input_select.lcards_alert_mode is not written).

Action	Effect
lcards.red_alert	Activates red alert
lcards.yellow_alert	Activates yellow alert
lcards.blue_alert	Activates blue alert
lcards.gray_alert	Activates gray alert
lcards.black_alert	Activates black alert
lcards.clear_alert	Returns to normal (green_alert)

action: lcards.red_alert

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Screen Effect Actions

Play or clear layered screen effects on connected browser tabs. Supports targeting.

Effects are applied per slot: backdrop (CSS filters), color (colour overlay), and canvas (animated canvas). Slots are independent: you can update one without touching the others. See Screen Effects for the full preset reference and parameter docs.

lcards.trigger_effect

Play one or more layered screen effects.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
layers	object	✅	Per-slot effect config: see below
duration	number		Auto-clear all effects after this many ms (100–300000). Omit for a persistent effect that must be cleared manually.
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

layers object: each key is a slot name; omit a slot to leave it unchanged, set it to null to clear it. Each slot object requires a preset key plus any preset-specific overrides:

Slot	Preset	Key params
backdrop	blur	amount (e.g. "8px")
backdrop	grayscale	amount (e.g. "100%")
backdrop	saturate	amount (e.g. "200%")
backdrop	contrast	amount (e.g. "200%")
backdrop	hue-rotate	angle (e.g. "90deg")
color	color-tint	color (e.g. "rgba(200,0,0,0.35)")
color	vignette	opacity (e.g. 0.7)
canvas	static	opacity, scale
canvas	pixelate	opacity, pixelSize
canvas	glitch	opacity, intensity
canvas	scanlines	opacity

See Screen Effects for full parameter details.

# Red-tinted blur - persistent until cleared
action: lcards.trigger_effect
data:
  layers:
    backdrop:
      preset: blur
      amount: "12px"
    color:
      preset: color-tint
      color: "rgba(180,0,0,0.35)"

# TV static for 5 seconds, then auto-clear
action: lcards.trigger_effect
data:
  duration: 5000
  layers:
    canvas:
      preset: static
      opacity: 0.4

# Target one device, all three slots
action: lcards.trigger_effect
data:
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet
  layers:
    backdrop:
      preset: grayscale
      amount: "80%"
    color:
      preset: vignette
      opacity: 0.5
    canvas:
      preset: scanlines
      opacity: 0.3

lcards.clear_effect

Clear one or all active screen effects. Supports targeting.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
slot	select		Which slot to clear: backdrop, canvas, or color. Omit to clear all slots.
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

# Clear all active effects on all browsers
action: lcards.clear_effect

# Clear only the backdrop slot
action: lcards.clear_effect
data:
  slot: backdrop

# Clear everything on a specific device
action: lcards.clear_effect
data:
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

---

Sound Actions

Play a sound effect on connected browser tabs, without touching alert mode, theme, or any screen effect. Useful for subtle audio cues from automations (e.g. a soft chime when a kiosk tablet wakes). Supports targeting.

Sound playback always respects the target device's master Sound Effects Enabled toggle (input_boolean.lcards_sound_enabled); if the user has muted sounds, play_sound stays silent too. It does not check the cards / ui / alerts category toggles, since an automation-triggered sound isn't tied to any of those categories.

See Sound Configuration for the full event list, schemes, and per-user/per-device overrides.

lcards.play_sound

Provide either event_type or asset_key, not both. If both are given, asset_key wins.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
event_type	select		Plays whatever sound is currently configured for that UI event on the target device; respects its per-event override and active sound scheme. One of the 26 event keys listed in Sound Configuration.
asset_key	string		Plays one exact sound file (e.g. lcards_default_system_ready), bypassing the target's scheme/overrides entirely. Find valid keys via the Config Panel Sound tab or window.lcards.core.assetManager.getRegistry('audio').list() in the browser console.
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

# Play the user's configured "notification" sound on all browsers
action: lcards.play_sound
data:
  event_type: notification

# Subtle wake chime on one kiosk tablet, alongside the screen-wake call
action: lcards.play_sound
data:
  event_type: notification
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

# Play one exact sound file regardless of the device's active scheme
action: lcards.play_sound
data:
  asset_key: lcards_default_system_ready
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

---

Portal Overlay Actions

Display or clear a custom HA card over the full-screen portal on connected browser tabs. Supports targeting.

Cards are mounted in the 'ha-service' portal slot, which is independent of the Alert and Connection overlay slots; they do not interfere with each other.

For more advanced use-cases, you can refer to using browser_mod integration page.

lcards.show_portal_card

Displays a card or message in the portal overlay.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
content	object	✅	Any HA card config (type: custom:lcards-button, type: entities, etc.)
layers	object		SEM effect layers: same shape as lcards.trigger_effect
position	select		Content anchor. Default: center. Options: center, top, top-left, top-right, bottom, bottom-left, bottom-right, left, right
width	string		CSS width for the content container, e.g. '400px'
height	string		CSS height for the content container
duration	number		Auto-dismiss after this many milliseconds (100–300000)
dismiss	boolean		Whether clicking the backdrop dismisses the overlay
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

action: lcards.show_portal_card
data:
  content:
    type: custom:lcards-button
    entity: light.bridge
  position: center
  width: "360px"
  duration: 10000
  dismiss: true
  layers:
    backdrop:
      preset: blur
      amount: "8px"
    color:
      preset: color-tint
      color: "rgba(0,0,0,0.5)"

# Target a specific device
action: lcards.show_portal_card
data:
  content:
    type: markdown
    content: "# Alert!\nDoor opened."
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

lcards.clear_portal_card

Hides the portal card shown by show_portal_card. Only clears the 'ha-service' slot; alert and connection overlays are unaffected. Supports targeting.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

action: lcards.clear_portal_card

# Clear on a specific device only
action: lcards.clear_portal_card
data:
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

---

Borg Assimilation Actions

Trigger and clear the Borg Assimilation mode from automations. Both actions support targeting.

To clear, you can call lcards.borg_deassimilate or simply relaod the page - this does not persist across reloads.

lcards.borg_assimilate

Trigger the Borg assimilation on one or all connected browsers.

Field	Required	Default	Description
intro_duration	No	-	Auto-dismiss the intro after this many ms (1000–60000). Omit for click-to-dismiss.
site_count	No	8	Number of injection sites on screen (1–20)
tendrils_per_site	No	5	Bézier tendrils per injection site (1–24)
tendril_length	No	600	Maximum tendril reach in pixels (100–1200)
particle_count	No	2	Nano-probe particles per tendril (0–6); 0 disables particles
transition_style	No	blur_fade	Palette transition: blur_fade, flash, fade_only, off
font_swap	No	true	Set to false to skip the Borg font injection; all other effects (palette, canvas intro, persistent layers) still run.
suppress_persistent	No	false	Suppress all persistent effects after intro. Ignored if persistent_layers is also set.
intro_layers	No	-	Advanced. Full per-slot layers dict. Canvas param keys accept either snake_case or camelCase; both are normalised. Values override the corresponding flat shortcuts.
persistent_layers	No	-	Advanced. Full per-slot layers dict. Overrides suppress_persistent when set. Pass {} to suppress all.
target_device_ids	No	-	→ Targeting
target_device_names	No	-	→ Targeting
target_user_ids	No	-	→ Targeting
target_user_names	No	-	→ Targeting

# Broadcast - click-to-dismiss
action: lcards.borg_assimilate

# Auto-dismiss after 12 seconds
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  intro_duration: 12000
  transition_style: fade_only

# More injection sites, denser tendrils, longer reach
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  site_count: 12
  tendrils_per_site: 14
  tendril_length: 900
  particle_count: 3

# Custom intro with extra blur backdrop
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  intro_duration: 10000
  site_count: 12
  intro_layers:
    backdrop:
      preset: blur
      amount: "6px"

# Suppress all persistent effects - palette + font only
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  suppress_persistent: true

# Keep the existing font - palette + canvas intro still run
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  font_swap: false

# Target a specific device
action: lcards.borg_assimilate
data:
  intro_duration: 10000
  target_device_names:
    - Living Room TV

lcards.borg_deassimilate

Reverse the Borg assimilation and restore all browsers to normal.

Field	Required	Default	Description
with_outro	No	true	Play outro layers before reverting. false = immediate silent revert.
outro_layers	No	-	Layers dict for the outro. Longest duration param determines wait time. Omit for defaults (glitch on canvas, 1200 ms).
revert_transition_style	No	fade_only	Palette transition back to normal: flash, fade_only, blur_fade, off
target_device_ids	No	-	→ Targeting
target_device_names	No	-	→ Targeting
target_user_ids	No	-	→ Targeting
target_user_names	No	-	→ Targeting

# Broadcast - default glitch outro
action: lcards.borg_deassimilate

# Immediate silent revert
action: lcards.borg_deassimilate
data:
  with_outro: false

# Custom outro
action: lcards.borg_deassimilate
data:
  outro_layers:
    canvas:
      preset: glitch
      duration: 800
      intensity: 0.6
  revert_transition_style: fade_only

---

Frontend Control Actions

These actions can be helpful for troubleshooting, or just clean loading front-end. Both support targeting.

lcards.reload

Forces the matching browser tabs to reload (window.location.reload()). Useful after pushing new assets or changing configuration.

Field	Type	Required	Notes
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

# Broadcast - reload all tabs
action: lcards.reload

# Reload a single device
action: lcards.reload
data:
  target_device_names:
    - Kitchen Tablet

WARNING

This immediately reloads the matched browser tabs. Use with care if users are actively interacting with dashboards.

lcards.set_log_level

Changes the JS frontend log level at runtime across matched tabs and updates the Python logger hierarchy simultaneously. Verbose output appears in the browser console immediately, no HA restart or page reload required. Supports targeting.

Field	Type	Required	Options
level	select	✅	off, error, warn, info, debug, trace
target_device_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_device_names	list		→ Targeting
target_user_ids	list		→ Targeting
target_user_names	list		→ Targeting

action: lcards.set_log_level
data:
  level: debug

---

Automation Examples

Red alert on motion

alias: Red alert on motion
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
    to: "on"
action:
  - action: lcards.red_alert

Cycle through alert modes on a button press

alias: Demo alert cycle
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_button.demo_alert
action:
  - action: lcards.set_alert_mode
    data:
      mode: "{{ states('input_select.demo_alert_cycle') }}"

Enable debug logging when a dev mode flag is set

alias: LCARdS debug on dev mode
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
action:
  - choose:
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
            state: "on"
        sequence:
          - action: lcards.set_log_level
            data:
              level: debug
      - conditions:
          - condition: state
            entity_id: input_boolean.lcards_dev_mode
            state: "off"
        sequence:
          - action: lcards.set_log_level
            data:
              level: warn

Subtle chime when a kiosk tablet wakes

alias: Tablet wake chime
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
    to: "on"
action:
  - action: rest_command.fully_kiosk_wake_screen  # your existing wake call
  - action: lcards.play_sound
    data:
      event_type: notification
      target_device_names:
        - Kitchen Tablet

Borg mode: assimilate all browsers, auto-revert after 30 minutes

automation:
  - alias: "Borg Mode"
    trigger:
      - platform: time
        at: "20:00:00"
    action:
      - action: lcards.borg_assimilate
        data:
          intro_duration: 10000
      - delay:
          minutes: 30
      - action: lcards.borg_deassimilate

---

Related

• Borg Assimilation: full console API, layer params, and sequence documentation
• Screen Effects: full preset reference for layers params used by trigger_effect, show_portal_card, and the borg actions
• Sound Configuration: event list, schemes, and per-user/per-device overrides used by play_sound
• Users & Devices: how device IDs and display names are assigned
• Alert Mode Lab: interactive alert mode configuration