---
title: TensorFlow
description: Detect and recognize objects with TensorFlow.
ha_category:
  - Image Processing
ha_iot_class: Local Polling
ha_release: 0.82
ha_domain: tensorflow
---

The `tensorflow` image processing platform allows you to detect and recognize objects in a camera image using [TensorFlow](https://www.tensorflow.org/). The state of the entity is the number of objects detected, and recognized objects are listed in the `summary` attribute along with quantity. The `matches` attribute provides the confidence `score` for recognition and the bounding `box` of the object for each detection category.

## Home Assistant Core

If you are using the Home Assistant Core installation type, some additional requirements and steps apply.
For all other installation types, this section can be skipped.

The following packages must be installed on Debian before following the setup for the integration to work:
`sudo apt-get install libatlas-base-dev libopenjp2-7 libtiff5`

It is possible that Home Assistant is unable to install the Python TensorFlow bindings. If that is the case,
you'll need to install those manually using: `pip install tensorflow==2.2.0`, as the Python wheel is
not available for all platforms.

See [the official install guide](https://www.tensorflow.org/install/) for other options.

Furthermore, the official Python TensorFlow wheels by Google, require your CPU to support the `avx` extension.
If your CPU lacks those capabilities, Home Assistant will crash when using TensorFlow, without any message.

## Preparation

This integration requires files to be downloaded, compiled on your computer, and added to the Home Assistant configuration directory. These steps can be performed by cloning [this repository](https://github.com/hunterjm/hass-tensorflow) into your configuration directory. Alternatively, if you wish to perform the process manually, the process is as follows:

Create the following folder structure in your configuration directory.

```bash
  |- {config_dir}
    |- tensorflow/
      |- models/
```

Follow these steps (Linux) to compile the object detection library.

```bash
# Clone tensorflow/models
git clone https://github.com/tensorflow/models.git
# Compile Protobuf (apt-get install protobuf-compiler)
cd models/research
protoc object_detection/protos/*.proto --python_out=.
# Copy object_detection to {config_dir}
cp -r object_detection {config_dir}/tensorflow
```

Your final folder structure should look as follows

```bash
  |- {config_dir}
    |- tensorflow/
      |- models/
      |- object_detection/
        |- ...
```

## Model Selection

Lastly, it is time to pick a model. It is recommended to start with one of the COCO models available in the [Model Detection Zoo](https://github.com/tensorflow/models/blob/master/research/object_detection/g3doc/tf2_detection_zoo.md).

The trade-off between the different models is accuracy vs speed.  Users with a decent CPU should start with one of the `EfficientDet` models. If you are running on an ARM device like a Raspberry Pi, start with the `SSD MobileNet v2 320x320` model.

Whichever model you choose, download it and extract in to the `tensorflow/models` folder in your configuration directory.

## Configuration

To enable this platform in your installation, add the following to your `configuration.yaml` file:

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
image_processing:
  - platform: tensorflow
    source:
      - entity_id: camera.local_file
    model:
      graph: /config/tensorflow/models/efficientdet_d0_coco17_tpu-32/
```

{% configuration %}
source:
  description: The list of image sources.
  required: true
  type: map
  keys:
    entity_id:
      description: A camera entity id to get picture from.
      required: true
      type: string
    name:
      description: This parameter allows you to override the name of your `image_processing` entity.
      required: false
      type: string
file_out:
    description: A [template](/docs/configuration/templating/#processing-incoming-data) for the integration to save processed images including bounding boxes. `camera_entity` is available as the `entity_id` string of the triggered source camera.
    required: false
    type: list
model:
    description: Information about the TensorFlow model.
    required: true
    type: map
    keys:
      graph:
        description: Full path to the base model directory.
        required: true
        type: string
      labels:
       description: Full path to a `*label_map.pbtext`.
       required: false
       type: string
       default: tensorflow/object_detection/data/mscoco_label_map.pbtxt
      label_offset:
        description: Offset for mapping label ID to a name (only use for custom models)
        required: false
        type: integer
        default: 1
      model_dir:
        description: Full path to TensorFlow models directory.
        required: false
        type: string
        default: "`/tensorflow` inside configuration"
      area:
        description: Custom detection area. Only objects fully in this box will be reported. Top of image is 0, bottom is 1.  Same left to right.
        required: false
        type: map
        keys:
          top:
            description: Top line defined as % from top of image.
            required: false
            type: float
            default: 0
          left:
            description: Left line defined as % from left of image.
            required: false
            type: float
            default: 0
          bottom:
            description: Bottom line defined as % from top of image.
            required: false
            type: float
            default: 1
          right:
            description: Right line defined as % from left of image.
            required: false
            type: float
            default: 1
      categories:
        description: List of categories to include in object detection. Can be seen in the file provided to `labels`.
        type: list
        required: false
{% endconfiguration %}

`categories` can also be defined as dictionary providing an `area` for each category as seen in the advanced configuration below:

{% raw %}

```yaml
# Example advanced configuration.yaml entry
image_processing:
  - platform: tensorflow
    source:
      - entity_id: camera.driveway
      - entity_id: camera.backyard
    file_out:
      - "/tmp/{{ camera_entity.split('.')[1] }}_latest.jpg"
      - "/tmp/{{ camera_entity.split('.')[1] }}_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg"
    model:
      graph: /config/tensorflow/models/efficientdet_d0_coco17_tpu-32/
      categories:
        - category: person
          area:
            # Exclude top 10% of image
            top: 0.1
            # Exclude right 15% of image
            right: 0.85
        - car
        - truck
```

{% endraw %}

## Optimizing resources

[Image processing components](/integrations/image_processing/) process the image from a camera at a fixed period given by the `scan_interval`. This leads to excessive processing if the image on the camera hasn't changed, as the default `scan_interval` is 10 seconds. You can override this by adding to your configuration `scan_interval: 10000` (setting the interval to 10,000 seconds), and then call the `image_processing.scan` service when you actually want to perform processing.

```yaml
# Example advanced configuration.yaml entry
image_processing:
  - platform: tensorflow
    scan_interval: 10000
    source:
      - entity_id: camera.driveway
      - entity_id: camera.backyard
```

```yaml
# Example advanced automations.yaml entry
- alias: "TensorFlow scanning"
  trigger:
     - platform: state
       entity_id:
         - binary_sensor.driveway
  action:
    - service: image_processing.scan
      target:
        entity_id: camera.driveway
```