diff --git a/homeassistant/components/config/automation.py b/homeassistant/components/config/automation.py
index 1e260854687..223159eb415 100644
--- a/homeassistant/components/config/automation.py
+++ b/homeassistant/components/config/automation.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Provide configuration end points for Automations."""
 import asyncio
 from collections import OrderedDict
+import uuid
 
 from homeassistant.const import CONF_ID
 from homeassistant.components.config import EditIdBasedConfigView
@@ -29,7 +30,12 @@ class EditAutomationConfigView(EditIdBasedConfigView):
         """Set value."""
         index = None
         for index, cur_value in enumerate(data):
-            if cur_value[CONF_ID] == config_key:
+            # When people copy paste their automations to the config file,
+            # they sometimes forget to add IDs. Fix it here.
+            if CONF_ID not in cur_value:
+                cur_value[CONF_ID] = uuid.uuid4().hex
+
+            elif cur_value[CONF_ID] == config_key:
                 break
         else:
             cur_value = OrderedDict()
diff --git a/tests/components/config/test_automation.py b/tests/components/config/test_automation.py
index 327283e74aa..2c888dd2dd2 100644
--- a/tests/components/config/test_automation.py
+++ b/tests/components/config/test_automation.py
@@ -42,13 +42,13 @@ async def test_update_device_config(hass, aiohttp_client):
     client = await aiohttp_client(hass.http.app)
 
     orig_data = [
-            {
-                'id': 'sun',
-            },
-            {
-                'id': 'moon',
-            }
-        ]
+        {
+            'id': 'sun',
+        },
+        {
+            'id': 'moon',
+        }
+    ]
 
     def mock_read(path):
         """Mock reading data."""
@@ -81,3 +81,56 @@ async def test_update_device_config(hass, aiohttp_client):
         'action': [],
     }
     assert written[0] == orig_data
+
+
+async def test_bad_formatted_automations(hass, aiohttp_client):
+    """Test that we handle automations without ID."""
+    with patch.object(config, 'SECTIONS', ['automation']):
+        await async_setup_component(hass, 'config', {})
+
+    client = await aiohttp_client(hass.http.app)
+
+    orig_data = [
+        {
+            # No ID
+            'action': {
+                'event': 'hello'
+            }
+        },
+        {
+            'id': 'moon',
+        }
+    ]
+
+    def mock_read(path):
+        """Mock reading data."""
+        return orig_data
+
+    written = []
+
+    def mock_write(path, data):
+        """Mock writing data."""
+        written.append(data)
+
+    with patch('homeassistant.components.config._read', mock_read), \
+            patch('homeassistant.components.config._write', mock_write):
+        resp = await client.post(
+            '/api/config/automation/config/moon', data=json.dumps({
+                'trigger': [],
+                'action': [],
+                'condition': [],
+            }))
+
+    assert resp.status == 200
+    result = await resp.json()
+    assert result == {'result': 'ok'}
+
+    # Verify ID added to orig_data
+    assert 'id' in orig_data[0]
+
+    assert orig_data[1] == {
+        'id': 'moon',
+        'trigger': [],
+        'condition': [],
+        'action': [],
+    }