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Home Assistant MCP Server

Home Assistant MCP Server

Official
by homeassistant-ai
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
Python
Remote

Restart Home Assistant

ha_restart
Destructive

Restart a Home Assistant instance to apply configuration changes, with automatic config validation and optional safe mode. Expect 1–5 minutes of downtime while all automations are unavailable.

Instructions

Execute a Home Assistant restart.

WARNING: restarts the entire Home Assistant instance; all automations are unavailable during the restart, which typically takes 1-5 minutes. Config is validated automatically before the restart proceeds (to pre-check, call ha_get_system_health(include="config_check")). For configuration changes, consider ha_reload_core() instead, which reloads specific components without a full restart. When this server runs inside Home Assistant (embedded), it replies before the restart starts and is unreachable until Home Assistant is back; with safe_mode it stays down until Home Assistant is next restarted normally, because it is itself a custom integration.

EXAMPLE: ha_restart(confirm=True)

If a Claude Desktop user gets a 4-minute timeout with no result on this call, read the target back before repeating it, and tell them to wait a few seconds before clicking the manual-approve button, as clicking it too quickly is known to cause hangs in Claude Desktop. This workaround is specific to Claude Desktop.

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "ha_restart"
  }
}

Input Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
confirmNoMust be True to confirm the restart.
safe_modeNoRestart in safe mode: no custom integrations or custom frontend resources load until the next normal restart.

Output Schema

NameRequiredDescriptionDefault

No arguments

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. Changed1 schema field changedv9.0.0
    • addedInput schema / properties / safe_mode
      Added value: +{
+  "default": false,
+  "description": "Restart in safe mode: no custom integrations or custom frontend resources load until the next normal restart.",
+  "type": "boolean"
+}
  2. Changed1 schema field changedv8.6.0
    • addedInput schema / properties / confirm / description
      Added value: +"Must be True to confirm the restart."
  3. First observedv7.14.2

TDQS

A4.8/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare destructiveHint=true and non-idempotency, but the description adds substantial context beyond them: 1-5 minute downtime, automatic config validation, embedded-mode reply-before-restart behavior, and safe_mode persistence until a normal restart. The Claude Desktop timeout workaround is unusual but genuinely operational.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The WARNING and alternative routing are front-loaded, which is ideal. The Claude Desktop timeout paragraph is long and mostly tangential to the call itself, but it is concrete operational guidance rather than filler.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

With an output schema present, return values needn't be explained. For a destructive, non-idempotent restart action, the description covers downtime, validation, alternatives, embedded-mode edge cases, and failure handling — everything an agent needs to call it safely.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline would be 3, but the description adds meaning: the EXAMPLE ha_restart(confirm=True) shows the required confirm pattern, and it clarifies safe_mode's persistence effect beyond the schema's terse wording. Slight redundancy with schema for confirm.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Execute a Home Assistant restart') and immediately differentiates against siblings: ha_reload_core for config changes and ha_get_system_health for pre-checks. An agent can distinguish this from any other tool in the list without opening a schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Explicitly names alternatives and the conditions that select them ('For configuration changes, consider ha_reload_core()', 'to pre-check, call ha_get_system_health(include="config_check")'). It also warns about embedded safe_mode consequences, leaving little to inference.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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