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Visibility Configuration Guide

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tempus2016 edited this page Jul 22, 2026 · 5 revisions

Dynamic visibility lets a chore show or hide itself based on the state of any Home Assistant entity. This guide walks through configuring it end to end.

The Chores tab

Quick Start

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. Open the TaskMate panel

    • Click TaskMate in the Home Assistant sidebar

  2. Go to Chores

    • Either + Add chore to create one, or click the ✏ button on an existing chore's row to edit it

  3. Open the visibility settings

    • In the chore dialog, expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing
    • Set the three visibility fields (see below)

  4. Save

    • Save the chore; the change takes effect on the next refresh

  5. Test

    • Open a child card
    • Verify the chore appears and disappears as the entity changes

Older versions of TaskMate configured chores through Settings → Devices & Services → TaskMate → Configure. That wizard is gone — everything is managed from the TaskMate panel now.

Visibility Fields Explained

Field 1: Show When Entity Is (optional)

What it does: Specifies which Home Assistant entity controls the chore's visibility.

Examples of valid entity IDs:

  • binary_sensor.dishwasher
  • sensor.soil_moisture
  • input_boolean.guest_mode
  • switch.laundry_room
  • sensor.outdoor_temperature
  • number.threshold_value

How to find your entity ID:

  1. Go to Developer Tools > States
  2. Search for the entity you want
  3. Copy the entity ID from the left column
  4. Paste into the visibility field

Leaving it blank: If you leave this field empty, visibility filtering is disabled and the chore always shows. Setting the operator to None has the same effect, and is what a chore starts with.

Field 2: How to Compare

What it does: Specifies the comparison operator to use.

Available operators:

Operator Best For Example
None The default. No visibility check — the chore always shows —
Equals String matching binary_sensor.door = open
Not Equal Inverse conditions input_boolean.guest_mode ≠ on
≥ (Greater or equal) Minimum numeric threshold sensor.battery ≥ 80
≤ (Less or equal) Maximum numeric threshold sensor.moisture ≤ 30
> (Greater than) Above numeric threshold sensor.temp > 20
< (Less than) Below numeric threshold sensor.temp < 0

How to choose:

  • Text values (on, off, home, running): Use Equals or Not Equal
  • Numbers (percentages, temperature, counts): Use ≥, ≤, >, or <
  • Inverted logic (show when NOT condition): Use Not Equal

Field 3: Value to Compare

What it does: Specifies the target value for the comparison.

For text operators (Equals, Not Equal):

  • Enter any string value
  • Examples: on, off, home, away, running, idle
  • Must match the entity state exactly (case-insensitive)

For numeric operators (≥, ≤, >, <):

  • Enter a number only
  • Decimal values allowed: 22.5, 10.25
  • No units: use 30 not 30% or 30°C

Finding the correct value:

  1. Go to Developer Tools > States
  2. Find your entity
  3. Look at the "state" column
  4. Copy the exact value

Examples:

Entity: binary_sensor.dishwasher
State in Developer Tools: "on"
Value to Compare: on

Entity: sensor.temperature
State in Developer Tools: 22.5
Value to Compare: 22.5

Entity: sensor.battery_percent
State in Developer Tools: 85
Value to Compare: 80 (if you want >= 80%)

Configuration Workflow

Scenario 1: Equipment-Based Chores (Binary Sensor)

Goal: Show "Fold Laundry" only when the dryer is running.

Setup:

  1. Create/Edit Chore

    • Name: "Fold Laundry"
    • Points: 10
    • Time Category: Anytime
    • Expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing

  2. Set Visibility

    • Show When Entity Is: binary_sensor.dryer
    • How to Compare: Equals
    • Value to Compare: on

  3. Result

    • ✅ Shows when dryer IS running (on)
    • ❌ Hides when dryer is off (off)

Why this works: Children can't fold laundry if it's not done drying yet.

Scenario 2: Sensor-Based Chores (Numeric Threshold)

Goal: Show "Water Plants" when soil moisture drops below 40%.

Setup:

  1. Create/Edit Chore

    • Name: "Water Plants"
    • Points: 5
    • Time Category: Morning
    • Expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing

  2. Set Visibility

    • Show When Entity Is: sensor.soil_moisture
    • How to Compare: ≤ (Less than or equal)
    • Value to Compare: 40

  3. Result

    • ✅ Shows when moisture is 40% or lower
    • ❌ Hides when moisture is above 40%

Why this works: No need to water if the plant is already moist enough.

Scenario 3: Conditional Chores (Input Boolean)

Goal: Show "Lunch Prep" only on school days using an input_boolean.

Setup:

  1. Create the Helper (in Settings → Devices & Services → Helpers)

    • Name: "School Day"
    • Entity ID: input_boolean.school_day
    • Create automation or manually toggle it

  2. Create/Edit Chore

    • Name: "Lunch Prep"
    • Points: 3
    • Time Category: Morning
    • Expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing

  3. Set Visibility

    • Show When Entity Is: input_boolean.school_day
    • How to Compare: Equals
    • Value to Compare: on

  4. Result

    • ✅ Shows when input_boolean.school_day is on
    • ❌ Hides when it's off

Why this works: Parents can toggle the helper to control when lunch prep shows.

Scenario 4: Inverse Logic (Not Condition)

Goal: Show "Tidy Room" only when guests are NOT coming.

Setup:

  1. Create/Edit Chore

    • Name: "Tidy Room"
    • Points: 8
    • Time Category: Anytime
    • Expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing

  2. Set Visibility

    • Show When Entity Is: input_boolean.guest_mode
    • How to Compare: Not Equal
    • Value to Compare: on

  3. Result

    • ✅ Shows when guest_mode is OFF (not "on")
    • ❌ Hides when guest_mode is ON ("on")

Why this works: Kids can relax when guests aren't coming; when they are, they should clean instead.

Scenario 5: Temperature-Based Chores

Goal: Show "Yard Work" only when it's warm (≥ 20°C).

Setup:

  1. Create/Edit Chore

    • Name: "Yard Work"
    • Points: 15
    • Time Category: Afternoon
    • Expand Advanced — visibility & calendar publishing

  2. Set Visibility

    • Show When Entity Is: sensor.outdoor_temperature
    • How to Compare: ≥ (Greater or equal)
    • Value to Compare: 20

  3. Result

    • ✅ Shows when temperature is 20°C or warmer
    • ❌ Hides when it's colder than 20°C

Why this works: Outdoor work is only reasonable in decent weather.

Verifying Your Configuration

Check Entity Availability

  1. Go to Developer Tools > States
  2. Search for your visibility entity
  3. Confirm it exists and has a current state
  4. If it shows "unavailable" or "unknown", fix the integration first

Test the Condition

Manually toggle or change the entity state in Developer Tools and watch the child card:

  1. Developer Tools > States
  2. Find your visibility entity
  3. Click the entity row to expand it
  4. Click the "SET STATE" button (if available)
  5. Change to a state that should match your condition
  6. Watch the child card (updates within 30 seconds)
  7. Change back to a state that shouldn't match
  8. Verify the chore hides

Review Developer Tools > States

After setting up visibility, your entity should appear with the correct state:

binary_sensor.dishwasher: on
sensor.soil_moisture: 35
input_boolean.guest_mode: off
sensor.temperature: 22.5

Numeric Comparison Tips

Converting Units to Numbers

Battery percentage example:

  • Entity: sensor.battery_percent
  • State: 85
  • To show when ≥ 80%: Enter 80

Temperature example:

  • Entity: sensor.temperature (in Celsius)
  • State: 22.5
  • To show when ≥ 20°C: Enter 20

Humidity example:

  • Entity: sensor.humidity
  • State: 60
  • To show when ≤ 70%: Enter 70

Decimal Values

Decimal values are fully supported:

Entity: sensor.temperature
Operator: >
Value: 20.5
→ Shows when temperature is above 20.5°C

Negative Numbers

Negative comparisons work fine:

Entity: sensor.temperature
Operator: <
Value: 0
→ Shows when temperature is below freezing (< 0°C)

Common Configuration Mistakes

❌ Mistake 1: Wrong Entity ID

Problem: Typo in entity ID

Configured: binary_sensro.dishwasher  (typo)
Should be: binary_sensor.dishwasher

Fix:

  1. Go to Developer Tools > States
  2. Copy the exact entity ID
  3. Paste it correctly

❌ Mistake 2: Using Units in Numeric Field

Problem: Entering units with the number

Configured: 30%  (wrong)
Should be: 30

Fix: Enter only the number, no %, °C, or other units.

❌ Mistake 3: Case-Sensitive Matching

Problem: Assuming case matters

Entity state: "Home"
Configured value: "home"  (different case)

Fix: Matching is case-insensitive, so both work fine.

❌ Mistake 4: Guessing the State Value

Problem: Assuming a state that the entity never reports

Guessed: "running"
Actual state: "active"

Fix: Check Developer Tools → States for the value the entity actually reports. Case does not matter — Running and running both match — but the word itself has to be right.

❌ Mistake 5: Using Comparison Operator for Text

Problem: Using > for text matching

Operator: > (Greater than)
State: "running"

Fix: Use Equals for text values.

Advanced Configurations

Multiple Chores with Same Condition

Create several chores that share the same visibility condition:

Chores related to dishwasher (all visible when binary_sensor.dishwasher = on):
1. Load Dishwasher
2. Unload Dishwasher
3. Wipe Counters

Each chore can have the same visibility settings.

Chained Dependencies

Use multiple input_booleans to create complex logic:

# In Home Assistant automation
- alias: Update chore conditions
  triggers:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_boolean.guests_arriving
  actions:
    - service: input_boolean.turn_on
      target:
        entity_id: input_boolean.room_cleaning_chores

Then set chore visibility to the dependent helper.

Scheduled Conditions

Create time-based conditions using template sensors:

template:
  - sensor:
      - name: "Is School Day"
        unique_id: is_school_day
        state: >
          {% if now().weekday() < 5 %}
            on
          {% else %}
            off
          {% endif %}

Use sensor.is_school_day for visibility.

Troubleshooting Guide

Chore never appears

Checklist:

  1. ✓ Entity ID is correct (check Developer Tools > States)
  2. ✓ Entity state is available (not "unavailable")
  3. ✓ Comparison operator matches your intent
  4. ✓ Value matches the entity state exactly
  5. ✓ Waited 30 seconds for update cycle
  6. ✓ Reloaded the child card (refresh browser)

How to debug:

Go to Developer Tools > States
Find your visibility entity
Check the current state value
Manually verify it should match your condition
If not, the condition is set incorrectly

Chore always shows

Checklist:

  1. ✓ Visibility Entity field is NOT empty
  2. ✓ Visibility State value is correct
  3. ✓ Entity actually exists in Home Assistant
  4. ✓ Entity is not in "unavailable" state

Note: If the entity does not exist at all (deleted, renamed, or a typo in the entity id) the chore defaults to visible, so a broken reference can never silently hide a family's chores.

An entity that exists but reports unavailable or unknown is different: that is just a state string, and it is compared like any other. It will not match on, so the chore hides. If an integration dropping offline should not hide a chore, point the condition at something more stable — or use Not Equal so an unexpected state leaves the chore showing.

Numeric comparison not working

Checklist:

  1. ✓ Entity state is numeric (no text/units)
  2. ✓ Using correct comparison operator (≥, ≤, >, <)
  3. ✓ Value is a valid number (not 30% or 30°C)
  4. ✓ Check exact value in Developer Tools > States

Two Behaviours Worth Knowing

The value field can carry its own operator

If the Value to Compare field starts with >=, <=, >, < or !=, that prefix is used as the operator and overrides the dropdown. Setting the operator to Equals and typing >=50 into the value gives you ≥ 50, not a string match on the literal text >=50.

Value typed Behaves as
>=10 Operator ≥, threshold 10
<20 Operator <, threshold 20
!=off Operator Not Equal, value off

This is handy for quick edits, and a trap if you did not expect it.

Attributes are matched too, not just the state

If the entity's state does not match, TaskMate then checks every attribute value on that entity for a match. So a condition of home will also match an entity whose state is something else but which carries an attribute equal to home.

That makes some conditions work that otherwise look like they shouldn't — and it can also cause a surprise match. If you need a strict test, pick an entity whose state alone carries the meaning.

Getting Help

See Also

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