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If a Home Assistant automation stopped working after a rename, check whether the entity ID changed. Changing only an entity’s displayed name does not affect automations or scripts; changing its entity ID can leave them pointing to the old ID. Home Assistant does not update those references automatically.
What changed: the label or the entity ID?
Home Assistant uses several different identifiers and names, and they are not interchangeable. An entity’s displayed name is a human-readable label. Its entity ID—such as light.kitchen—is a reference used in automations and dashboards. A unique ID is a separate internal registry identifier.
Changing only the displayed entity name leaves automations and scripts unaffected because they refer to the entity ID. But if you change the entity ID, existing references may remain pointed at the old one. Home Assistant describes the resulting symptom as “Referenced entities … are missing or not currently available.” Its troubleshooting guidance notes that an automation can still use the former entity ID after a change. Home Assistant: Customizing entities · Home Assistant: Troubleshooting automations
Choose a naming change that matches your goal
| What you change | Effect on automations and scripts | Other references to check |
|---|---|---|
| Displayed entity name | No effect; they refer to the entity ID. | No entity-ID migration is needed. |
| Entity ID | Existing references may keep using the old ID and need updating. | Check automations, scripts, and dashboards. |
| Automation name | Renaming the automation changes its name, not its entity ID. | No entity-ID change follows from renaming the automation. |
If your aim is simply to make an entity easier to recognize in the interface, change its displayed name and leave its entity ID alone. Treat an entity-ID change as a reference migration: update each place that uses it.
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Repair an automation that still uses the old entity ID
- Go to Settings > Automations & scenes and open the affected automation.
- Inspect its triggers, conditions, and actions. Wherever the old entity appears, select the correct entity again.
- Save the automation.
- Repeat the search in other automations and scripts, and update any dashboards that refer to the old entity ID.
Home Assistant’s troubleshooting instructions specifically call for reselecting the entity in affected triggers, conditions, and actions, then saving. Updating just the first visible occurrence may not repair other references elsewhere in the automation. Home Assistant: Troubleshooting automations
Know what a unique ID does—and does not do
A unique ID is an internal, static identifier; it is not the entity ID that automations and dashboards use as a reference. The unique-ID FAQ says that an entity with a unique ID can have its entity ID changed if the new value follows the <domain>.<id> format and does not conflict with another entity. It describes entities without a unique ID as having a fixed entity ID, though some properties may still be adjusted through YAML customization. Those editing limits should not be generalized to every integration or editing path. Home Assistant: Why does this entity not have a unique ID?
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The developer documentation explains that the entity registry tracks entities that provide a unique ID, helping an entity keep its entity ID and preventing another entity from using it. Users cannot change the unique ID because registry settings depend on it. Home Assistant Developer Docs: Entity registry
Do not confuse renaming with replacing a device
A device-based trigger, condition, or action can become unavailable after the device itself is replaced. Home Assistant documents this as a separate troubleshooting case; it is not evidence that every device rename changes entity IDs. If you replaced hardware rather than changing an entity label or ID, check the affected automation’s device-based references too. Home Assistant: Troubleshooting automations
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