2026.10.4
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Activate scene

Use this action to activate a Hue scene by typing its group (room) name and scene name exactly as they appear in the Hue app. This is mainly useful on legacy V1 Hue bridges (round shape), where scene entities are not created automatically, so you cannot use the standard scene action or the Activate Hue scene action to activate Hue scenes.

On a V2 bridge (square shape), use the Activate Hue scene action instead, as it targets scene entities directly and offers more options.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To activate a scene by name from an automation or a script:

  1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
  2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
  3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
  4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
  5. Search for and select Philips Hue: Activate scene.
  6. Set Group to the room name and Scene to the scene name, both exactly as they appear in the Hue app.
  7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Group

The name of the Hue group or room, exactly as it appears in the Hue app.
Scene

The name of the Hue scene, exactly as it appears in the Hue app.
Dynamic (Optional)

Start the scene’s dynamic color palette. This works on V2 bridges with scenes that support it.

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required. For how an automation or a script is built in YAML, refer to Automations in YAML and Scripts.

In YAML, refer to this action as hue.hue_activate_scene. A basic example looks like this:

ActionAn action makes Home Assistant do something, for example, turn on a light, send a notification, or activate a scene. Automations and scripts run a list of actions. [Learn more] 
action: hue.hue_activate_scene
data:
  group_name: "Living room"
  scene_name: "Energize"

Options in YAML

group_name string Required

The name of the Hue group or room, exactly as it appears in the Hue app.

scene_name string Required

The name of the Hue scene, exactly as it appears in the Hue app.

transition integer (Optional)

How long, in seconds, the lights take to reach the scene’s state.

dynamic boolean (Optional, default: false)

Start the scene’s dynamic color palette. This works on V2 bridges with scenes that support it.

Good to know

  • The group and scene names must match the names in the Hue app exactly, including capitalization.
  • If no bridge can activate the scene, the action does nothing and a warning is logged. Double-check the names if a scene does not activate.

Still stuck?

To test the action on its own, run it in the automation editor with Run action, and check the message that it shows. To see what the action did when the automation ran, open the trace of that run. For details, refer to Testing automations. For common problems and their solutions, refer to Troubleshooting automations.

If that doesn’t help, the Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Tip

AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can also explain actions or suggest the right one when you describe what you want in plain language.

Related actions

Explore related actions:

  • Activate Hue scene: Activates a Hue scene with extra control over options like dynamic mode and brightness.