---
layout: page
title: "Alexa via Home Assistant Cloud"
description: "Enable the Alexa integration via Home Assistant Cloud integration."
date: 2017-11-17 20:00
sidebar: true
comments: false
sharing: true
footer: true
redirect_from: /components/cloud.alexa/
---

The Alexa integration allows users to control the entities via the Home Assistant Smart Home skill for Alexa. This means that you can say things like "Alexa, turn on the kitchen light" to control your local Home Assistant.

To use this integration, you need to have:

 - The cloud component set up. [Learn more](/components/cloud/)
 - An Alexa enabled device like the Amazon Echo
 - Activated the Home Assistant Smart Home skill via the Alexa app

You can use `configuration.yaml` to configure the entities that are being shown to Alexa and how they are exposed.

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry configuring Alexa
cloud:
  alexa:
    filter:
      include_entities:
        - light.kitchen
        - light.kitchen_left
      include_domains:
        - switch
      exclude_entities:
        - switch.outside
    entity_config:
      light.kitchen:
        name: Custom Name for Alexa
        description: The light in the kitchen
      switch.stairs:
        display_categories: LIGHT
```

{% configuration cloud %}
alexa:
  description: Configuration options for the Amazon Alexa integration.
  required: false
  type: map
  keys:
    filter:
      description: Filters for entities to include/exclude from Alexa.
      required: false
      type: map
      keys:
        include_entities:
          description: Entity IDs to include.
          required: false
          type: list
        include_domains:
          description: Domains to include.
          required: false
          type: list
        exclude_entities:
          description: Entity IDs to exclude.
          required: false
          type: list
        exclude_domains:
          description: Domains to exclude.
          required: false
          type: list
    entity_config:
      description: Entity specific configuration for Alexa
      required: false
      type: map
      keys:
        '`<ENTITY_ID>`':
          description: Entity to configure
          required: false
          type: map
          keys:
            name:
              description: Name of entity to show in Alexa
              required: false
              type: string
            description:
              description: Description of entity to show in Alexa
              required: false
              type: string
            display_categories:
              description: The display category to use in Alexa. [Available categories](https://developer.amazon.com/docs/device-apis/alexa-discovery.html#display-categories)
              required: false
              type: string
{% endconfiguration %}

### {% linkable_title Possible values for customizing %}

_Configuration via `customize:` is no longer available. Use the entity config as described above._

### {% linkable_title Available domains %}
Currently, the following domains are available to be used with Alexa:

- alert
- automation (enables/disables)
- cover
- fan (supports on/off and set speed)
- group
- input_boolean
- light
- lock (lock and unlock, but unlock is untested as Amazon has disabled unlock for now)
- media_player (play, pause, stop, set volume, adjust volume, next track, and previous track)
- scene
- script (enables/disables)
- switch