Can KM Get the Status of a HomeKit Accessory?

Questions & Suggestions
#1

I've been using the HomeControl app to have KM control Homekit accessories and scenes. That works fine.

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What I'd also like to do is get the status of an accessory (e.g., is the front porch light on?) so I can use KM programming instead of using the limited abilities of the iOS Shortcuts app. I'm tired of banging my head against the wall trying to do more than basic control flow in Shortcuts and want to use what is available in KM instead.

#2

Unfortunately there is no way to do this via Keyboard Maestro as Apple has not provided any tools to do so.

Maybe when Shortcuts comes to the Mac it will be possible to do in Shortcuts.

#3

I've been doing this for weeks in the Monterey macOS beta. It works.

In Big Sur it was possible using tricks.

  • The first trick was to use the Home App, capture the screen, and use OCR and mouse clicks. Very inconvenient. I wrote code that monitored my home's temperature and sent me a text if it dropped too low.
  • The second trick was to use "Type to Siri" to get KM to send commands to Siri like "Turn on all the lights." That was surprisingly effective but I don't know if I can find my KM code for that. It let you control devices but had no way of fetching data from them.
#4

Thanks! That is good news that Shortcuts is coming to MacOS. Seems like I might be able to get the status of an accessory then. Can't wait!

#5

It's pretty easy, but it would be easier if KM could bake in HomeKit support in a new action. Hint, hint.