---
title: Input select
description: Instructions on how to integrate the input select integration into Home Assistant.
ha_category:
  - Automation
  - Helper
ha_release: 0.13
ha_quality_scale: internal
ha_codeowners:
  - '@home-assistant/core'
ha_domain: input_select
ha_integration_type: helper
---

The **Input select** {% term integration %} allows the user to define a list of values that can be selected via the frontend and can be used within conditions of an automation. When a user selects a new item, a state transition event is generated. This state event can be used in an `automation` trigger.

The preferred way to configure an input select is via the user interface at **{% my helpers title="Settings > Devices & services > Helpers" %}**. Click the add button and then choose the **{% my config_flow_start domain="input_select" title="Dropdown" %}** option.

To be able to add **Helpers** via the user interface you should have `default_config:` in your {% term "`configuration.yaml`" %}, it should already be there by default unless you removed it.
If you removed `default_config:` from you configuration, you must add `input_select:` to your `configuration.yaml` first, then you can use the UI.

Input selects can also be configured via {% term "`configuration.yaml`" %}:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
input_select:
  who_cooks:
    name: Who cooks today
    options:
      - Paulus
      - Anne Therese
    initial: Anne Therese
    icon: mdi:panda
  living_room_preset:
    options:
      - Visitors
      - Visitors with kids
      - Home Alone
```

{% configuration %}
  input_select:
    description: Alias for the input. Multiple entries are allowed.
    required: true
    type: map
    keys:
      options:
        description: List of options to choose from.
        required: true
        type: list
      name:
        description: Friendly name of the input.
        required: false
        type: string
      initial:
        description: Initial value when Home Assistant starts.
        required: false
        type: map
        default: First element of options
      icon:
        description: Icon to display in front of the input element in the frontend.
        required: false
        type: icon
{% endconfiguration %}

{% note %}
Because YAML defines [booleans](https://yaml.org/type/bool.html) as equivalent, any variations of 'On', 'Yes', 'Y', 'Off', 'No', or 'N'  (regardless of case) used as option names will be replaced by True and False unless they are defined in quotation marks.
{% endnote %}

### Restore state

If you set a valid value for `initial` this integration will start with the state set to that value. Otherwise, it will restore the state it had prior to Home Assistant stopping.

### Actions

This integration provides three actions to modify the state of the `input_select`.

| Action          | Data                        | Description                                           |
| --------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `select_option` | `option`                    | This can be used to select a specific option.         |
| `set_options`   | `options`<br>`entity_id(s)` | Set the options for specific `input_select` entities. |
| `select_first`  |                             | Select the first option.                              |
| `select_last`   |                             | Select the last option.                               |
| `reload`        |                             | Reload `input_select` configuration                   |

#### Action `input_select.select_next`

Select the next option.

| Data attribute | Optional | Description                                                         |
| ---------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `cycle`                | yes      | Whether to cycle to the first value after the last. Default: `true` |

#### Action `input_select.select_previous`

Select the previous option.

| Data attribute | Optional | Description                                                          |
| ---------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `cycle`                | yes      | Whether to cycle to the last value before the first. Default: `true` |

### Scenes

Specifying a target option in a [Scene](/integrations/scene/) is simple:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
scene:
  - name: Example1
    entities:
      input_select.who_cooks: Paulus
```

The list of options can also be set in a [Scene](/integrations/scene). In that case, you also need to specify what the new state will be.

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
scene:
  - name: Example2
    entities:
      input_select.who_cooks:
        options:
          - Alice
          - Bob
          - Paulus
        state: Bob
```


## Automation examples

The following example shows the usage of the `input_select.select_option` action in an automation:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
automation:
  - alias: "example automation"
    triggers:
      - trigger: event
        event_type: MY_CUSTOM_EVENT
    actions:
      - action: input_select.select_option
        target:
          entity_id: input_select.who_cooks
        data:
          option: "Paulus"
```

To dynamically set the `input_select` options you can call `input_select.set_options` in an automation:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
automation:
  - alias: "example automation"
    triggers:
      - trigger: event
        event_type: MY_CUSTOM_EVENT
    actions:
      - action: input_select.set_options
        target:
          entity_id: input_select.who_cooks
        data:
          options: ["Item A", "Item B", "Item C"]
```

Example of `input_select` being used in a bidirectional manner, both being set by and controlled by an MQTT action in an automation.

{% raw %}

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry using 'input_select' in an action in an automation
   
# Define input_select
input_select:
  thermostat_mode:
    name: Thermostat Mode
    options:
      - "auto"
      - "off"
      - "cool"
      - "heat"
    icon: mdi:target

# Automation.     
 # This automation script runs when a value is received via MQTT on retained topic: thermostatMode
 # It sets the value selector on the GUI. This selector also had its own automation when the value is changed.
- alias: "Set Thermostat Mode Selector"
  triggers:
    - trigger: mqtt
      topic: "thermostatMode"
   # entity_id: input_select.thermostat_mode
  actions:
    - action: input_select.select_option
      target:
        entity_id: input_select.thermostat_mode
      data:
        option: "{{ trigger.payload }}"

 # This automation script runs when the thermostat mode selector is changed.
 # It publishes its value to the same MQTT topic it is also subscribed to.
- alias: "Set Thermostat Mode"
  triggers:
    - trigger: state
      entity_id: input_select.thermostat_mode
  actions:
    - action: mqtt.publish
      data:
        topic: "thermostatMode"
        retain: true
        payload: "{{ states('input_select.thermostat_mode') }}"
```

{% endraw %}