The Curious AI Guy

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Home Assistant

Local-first smart home control.

LicenseApache-2.0
GitHub stars91.4k
Last code update12 October 2026
SetupAdvanced about 45 minOur estimate

New to this? What open source means and how to read this page.

What it is

Open-source home automation that connects thousands of devices and runs on your own hardware, with no cloud needed.

Good for

People who want one place to control their devices, with privacy.

The catch

It takes time to set up, and some devices need extra work. Plan for a small always-on computer such as a mini PC.

Install it with an AI assistant

Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant that can work on your computer (Claude Code or Claude Desktop, for example). It is written from the project's official repository and tells the assistant to show you every command first. Setup time is our estimate: about 45 min.

I want to install and try Home Assistant on my own computer.

Official repository: https://github.com/home-assistant/core
Official site: https://www.home-assistant.io
License: Apache-2.0

Before you do anything:
1. Read the README and install notes in the official repository above, and nothing else. Do not follow third-party tutorials or mirrors.
2. Tell me in plain words what will be installed, what it needs (operating system, memory, graphics card, disk space, accounts) and what it will cost me, if anything.
3. Check my computer against those needs and tell me honestly if it will not work well.

Run it with Docker. First check whether Docker is installed and running, and if it is not, guide me through installing Docker Desktop. Use the official Docker or compose instructions from the README, keep the data in a volume so it survives updates, and tell me the address to open in my browser. Tell me how much memory and disk it will use, and how to remove it cleanly.

Rules:
- Show me each command before you run it, and say what it does.
- Ask before anything that deletes files, changes system settings, opens a network port or needs an administrator password.
- Never put my passwords or keys on a command line, or in a file I did not choose.
- When it is installed, help me check it with one small test, and tell me how to start and stop it.
- If something goes wrong, explain it in plain words and do not guess your way around it.

Good to know before you start: It takes time to set up, and some devices need extra work. Plan for a small always-on computer such as a mini PC.

We have not run this prompt ourselves yet. Read what the assistant plans to do before you say yes.

Facts checked on 12 October 2026. We have not yet run a hands-on test of this tool. When we do, it gets a "Tested" mark here. Approximate US list prices for an individual plan, from third-party price trackers checked on 12 Oct 2026. Monthly billing where it exists. Regions, taxes and promotions change them. Confirm at the vendor before you decide.

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