Alert Mode

Alert Mode gives LCARdS coordinated, dashboard-wide visual states that match the classic Star Trek red/yellow alert experience.

Alert mode is more than a colour change — it shifts the entire dashboard UI together:

• Theme colours transform — the whole HA UI palette shifts; hues, saturation, and token values rotate to match the alert level across every element on screen. All transform parameters are fully configurable per alert mode via the Alert Mode Lab in the LCARdS Config Panel.
• Sound plays — the Sound Manager fires the matching alert audio scheme automatically.
• Alert Overlay activates — the lcards-alert-overlay card reacts and displays its full-screen backdrop and content card for the triggered alert condition.
• Rules-driven animations — cards and MSD overlays can be configured to pulse, flash, or animate when a specific alert level is active. This is opt-in via the Rules Engine, not automatic.
• HA helpers stay in sync — the input_select.lcards_alert_mode helper always reflects the current state, so HA automations can both trigger and react to alert level changes.

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Alert Levels

Level	Description
green	Normal operation — default state
yellow	Caution / yellow alert
red	Red alert — maximum urgency
blue	Blue alert (specific condition)
gray	Reduced / standby mode
black	Black alert

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Triggering Alert Mode

Alert mode can be triggered from multiple places:

Set a tap action on any card to call the input_select.select_option service:

tap_action:
  action: call-service
  service: input_select.select_option
  service_data:
    entity_id: input_select.lcards_alert_mode
    option: red_alert

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Required Helper

Alert mode requires the input_select.lcards_alert_mode helper to be defined in Home Assistant.

The easiest way to create it is via the Helpers tab in the LCARdS Config Panel (one click to create all required helpers). Alternatively, add the following to configuration.yaml:

input_select:
  lcards_alert_mode:
    name: LCARdS Alert Mode
    options:
      - green_alert
      - yellow_alert
      - red_alert
      - blue_alert
      - gray_alert
      - black_alert
    initial: green_alert
    icon: mdi:alert

TIP

The Helpers tab in the Config Panel creates all LCARdS helpers — including this one — in a single click.

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Configuring Alert Appearance

Alert Mode Lab

The Alert Mode Lab tab in the LCARdS Config Panel is the primary tool for configuring how each alert level looks and behaves:

• Colour palette transforms — adjust hue rotation, saturation shift, and lightness for the full dashboard palette per alert level
• Preview transforms live before saving
• Configure sounds per alert level

Alert Overlay Card

The lcards-alert-overlay card provides the full-screen backdrop and content card. Place one instance on any dashboard view where you want overlay behaviour:

type: custom:lcards-alert-overlay
backdrop:
  blur: 4px
  tint_color: "rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.15)"
content_card:
  position: center
  width: 400px

See Alert Overlay Card for the full configuration reference.

Rules-Driven Animations

Cards can be configured to animate when specific alert levels are active. This is done through the Rules Engine rather than automatically. Example:

rules:
  - conditions:
      - entity: input_select.lcards_alert_mode
        state: red_alert
    apply:
      animation: pulse_red
    targets:
      tags: [status-indicator]

See Rules Engine for the full condition and apply reference.