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[Reactor] Variables not updating correctly in latest-25201-2aa18550
therealdbT
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Multi-System Reactor
Handling Dead Entities and Renamed Entities
PablaP
Hello all.. been a minute! I recently rebuilt my Z wave network and migrated to a new z wave stick. In order to prevent any downtime I kept my original z wave network up and ran a docker version of Z Wave JS UI with my new controller. This way I could add device by device without having any devices down. I finally moved all the devices over to my new stick today. The final step was to migrate everything from my Docker instance of Z Wave JS UI to the HA add-on of Z Wave JS UI. However during this migration some of the names didn't populate correctly which I later managed to import back into Z Wave JS UI. The issue was in Reactor it is stuck on the default names and the entities are not updating. I removed the controller from Reactor, restarted, hard refreshed, and added the controller back however the new entity names have not updated. Also it seems like the old entities from my previous instance of Z Wave JS UI are lingering and not being marked as dead (I believe a certain amount of time needs to lapse before they're marked as dead in Reactor). My goal is to basically purge all the entities for the 'ZWaveJS' controller in Reactor so it can pull all the updated entity names and only the entities that exist in Z Wave JS UI. I cannot find a quick way to do this, I know entities can be deleted one by one, but with over 100 entities this would take long I am guessing that if I added the controller with a new name in in the Reactor config it would pull the updated entities and names but I think that would break my rules since the entity IDs would change (I made sure to name all the entities the exact same as they were previously to prevent this issue).
Multi-System Reactor
Strange behavior for MQTT templates using payload and attributes
therealdbT
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Multi-System Reactor
[MSR] reactor-mqtt-contrib package for additional MQTT templates
therealdbT
I'm slowly migrating all my stuff to MQTT under MSR, so I have a central place to integrate everything (and, in a not-so-distant future, to remove virtual devices from my Vera and leave it running zwave only). Anyway, here's my reactor-mqtt-contrib package: https://github.com/dbochicchio/reactor-mqtt-contrib Simply download yaml files (everything or just the ones you need) and you're good to go. I have mapped my most useful devices, but I'll add others soon. Feel free to ask for specific templates, since I've worked a lot in the last weeks to understand and operate them. The templates are supporting both init and query, so you have always up-to-date devices at startup, and the ability to poll them. Online status is supported as well, so you can get disconnected devices with a simple expression. Many-many thanks to @toggledbits for its dedication, support, and patience with me and my requests
Multi-System Reactor
HA 2025.9.4 Supported Yet?
CatmanV2C
Tangentially did I miss 2025.9.4 getting blessed in MSR? I've been holding off Cheers C
Multi-System Reactor
The reaction stopped working (Google Nest max playing a video)
F
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Multi-System Reactor
Rule Set UI bug - RESOLVED
3
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Multi-System Reactor
[Reactor] Copy&Paste of Rules
therealdbT
I don't know if I'm the only one, but managing more than one Reactor installs, the need to have some sort of copy&paste for rules has grown on me. While I understand the technical challenges, I'm wondering if a "god mode" where I could copy the raw JSON rule and paste it into another rule could be an advanced, flag only feature that could benefit power users. I know I can copy the JSON file and proceed, but I must stop Reactor and when doing maintenance, it's more clicks to do. Just an idea
Multi-System Reactor
[Reactor] Help with screne controller cycling logic
therealdbT
I’ve added a couple of Shelly Wave i4 as scene controllers and I’m planning to add more, since I can just use standard buttons instead of battery-powered scene controllers, which also looks better aesthetically. That said, I’m struggling to figure out how to write a simple rule that cycles between states every time I press a button. Example: Light 1 ON → OFF, then Light 2 ON → OFF. The part I can’t get right is handling the case where Light 1 or Light 2 might already be ON independently of the rule. Maybe it’s just too much sun and relaxation clouding my brain, but any hint would be appreciated.
Multi-System Reactor
Stop the MSR by an external switch on Hubitat.
wmarcolinW
Use case: When performing home maintenance, such as air conditioning, I want all rules involving air conditioning to be disabled. To do this, to day, I have a virtual switch that I placed within all rules involving air conditioning, meaning that if I turn it off, none of them work. Then another situation: the water pump system and garden irrigation, another switch. In short, I had to create several virtual switches in Hubitat to disable rules in MSR. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to cover all scenarios, so I wondered if it would be possible for MSR to support a virtual MSR switch, which, when configured in the reactor settings, would function as a general on/off switch for MSR. If it is configured and turned off, the entire rules and actions in MSR stops working, except for the status change reading process, specifically for this switch, which, when turned on, would restart the MSR. Would it be possible to do something like this? Any recommendations from the experts?
Multi-System Reactor
Expose MSR entities
CatmanV2C
Probably a really dumb question. Currently I am using the owntracks_sensor for tracking phones being in region in MSR and it works great. Digging around with Home Assistant and toying with some dashboards, is there any way of exposing that sensor to HA trivially? I could set MSR to trip a virtual switch in OpenLuup which can then be exposed to HA (with all my other Vera devices) but that feels a bit in-elegant if I can do it directly. Any thoughts? Apologies if the ask is not clear/ TIA C
Multi-System Reactor
Comment in Globa Expressions
Tom_DT
I have several Global Expressions that are set by a rule so the definition area is blank. I'd like to add a comment in this area that explains what is setting the value. Commenting in this area breaks the remote setting. Any way to document what is setting the GE?
Multi-System Reactor
Unofficial thread for compatibility
tunnusT
As there are statements about compatibility for home assistant versions in MSR new version announcements (e.g. "HassController: Bless Hass to 2025.7.3"), I thought it would be good idea to track other controllers as well. As an example, I can confirm that build "latest-25208-c53e8513" works with Hubitat Elevation C-8 platform version 2.4.2.134 using Maker API. Updates: (the latest versions first in the list) OK: build "latest-25264-2fbe9217" with Hubitat C-8 platform v. 2.4.3.123
Multi-System Reactor
Gradually turn on lights.
Tom_DT
I have several lights that I would like to turn on very gradually over 15 or 20 seconds. from 0 to .25 in .01 increments. I have tried a few things that came nowhere near working, so here I am.
Multi-System Reactor
Reactor (Multi-System/Multi-Hub) Announcements
toggledbitsT
Build 21228 has been released. Docker images available from DockerHub as usual, and bare-metal packages here. Home Assistant up to version 2021.8.6 supported; the online version of the manual will now state the current supported versions; Fix an error in OWMWeatherController that could cause it to stop updating; Unify the approach to entity filtering on all hub interface classes (controllers); this works for device entities only; it may be extended to other entities later; Improve error detail in messages for EzloController during auth phase; Add isRuleSet() and isRuleEnabled() functions to expressions extensions; Implement set action for lock and passage capabilities (makes them more easily scriptable in some cases); Fix a place in the UI where 24-hour time was not being displayed.
Multi-System Reactor
Can't customize home page
G
I foolishly let my system wipe all cookies this morning and with it my settings for my MSR home page. Once logged back in I can no longer remove errant panes nor is the + available to add new ones. Brave Browser v1.80.122 (Jul 16, 2025) What have I done?! Will check other browsers on my M1. UPDATE: Safari exhibits same behaviour. I've tried both sans last-four public key entry and with - no change.
Multi-System Reactor
Error After Upgrade
T
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Multi-System Reactor
Reset attribute value of entity in event handler
R
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Multi-System Reactor
Need help figuring out how to delay a reset on reaction
T
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Multi-System Reactor
Way to search for rules (rule state) in other rules
T
@toggledbits, not sure if this is a feature request or I'm using the search tool wrong. You have a "Search for rule" in the Rules Set tab in MSR. It works nicely to find a rule and bring up said rule, but can it/could it be used for as a "where used?" global search? For instance, I have a fairly large set of rules, divided up into 10 different rulesets. There's easily a hundred individual rules, and many of the rules have Rule State triggers, which of course refer to other rules. Amongst my troubleshooting today, I came across what may have been a duplicate or troubleshooting attempt, but I can't tell if it's actually used as a Rule State in another rule without opening each rule that I suspect it may be a part of. Thanks.
Multi-System Reactor

How to auto start on Rpi reboot ?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Multi-System Reactor
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  • toggledbitsT Offline
    toggledbitsT Offline
    toggledbits
    wrote on last edited by
    #15

    Yeah, but running the shell script is not correct. You're basically having systemd do what the shell script is also doing (restarting when stopped), and it's going to cause problems. Your exec is also forking, so adding yet another layer of indirection that all but guarantees that systemd is going to be looking at the wrong process ID for what it thinks is a running Reactor. That could lead to problems stopping and restarting, and with the possible effect that an incorrect stop causes data loss.

    Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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    • cw-kidC Offline
      cw-kidC Offline
      cw-kid
      wrote on last edited by
      #16

      Didn't think I'd set it up correctly 😕 More of a hack to get it auto started.

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      • toggledbitsT Offline
        toggledbitsT Offline
        toggledbits
        wrote on last edited by
        #17

        You're not far off, really, but the devilish details require some internal knowledge of how Reactor starts and organizes itself, and it's made a bit more complicated by the necessity to locate things "off shore" for docker containers and make sure that stays working as well. There's a bit of a balancing act there. As I'm sure you know well, features are not strictly governed by their ability to be implemented; they are also very much a function of what it takes to support them. I'd rather there be an "official" way that I know people use, because if ten people do it their own way, I'll have ten different ways I need to figure out any time there's a problem.

        Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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        0
        • PerHP Offline
          PerHP Offline
          PerH
          wrote on last edited by
          #18

          Can I ask what data one could loose in a power outage? I presume that any setup (rules/expressions) change is written to persistent files on "save"?

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          • toggledbitsT Offline
            toggledbitsT Offline
            toggledbits
            wrote on last edited by
            #19

            Right now, all data is written when modified, but that may not always be the case, and there's a high likelihood it will be user-configurable, even.

            One of the things designed in is that MSR is "crappy-storage-ready". @rafale77 can tell you at length about the merits and woes of various storage technologies, and an SD card in a Raspberry Pi is no exception (in fact, probably both a good example and a dire warning). MSR has a storage architecture for its data that allows "pluggable" storage disciplines, so you could, for example, choose a cached-with-delayed-write-back mechanism to reduce wear, and you could choose that for everything, or just states, or states and logs, etc. So in that case, as the system shuts down, it is necessary for the cache to write back any "dirty" (modified but unsaved as yet) data, or the modifications would be lost.

            That said, you should be thinking about getting your Pi off an SD card if that's what you're running, if you intend to run it full-time with MSR and depend on it. There are only two types of SD cards: those that have failed, and those that are about to. I have my Pi running on a cheap 2.5" SSD, and it's also a good bit faster, although there is some alchemy to getting that working, and while it's much better than it was, it involves some pretty magical incantations still today and can be a bit angst-inducing.

            Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

            Black CatB 1 Reply Last reply
            1
            • MatohlM Offline
              MatohlM Offline
              Matohl
              wrote on last edited by
              #20

              With the newer firmwares to the RPi it is fairly straight forward to use a SSD since it has native support now. Not that much alchemy anymore.

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              • toggledbitsT Offline
                toggledbitsT Offline
                toggledbits
                wrote on last edited by
                #21

                Getting the firmware onto the Pi is a series of commands rarely used, so that's part of it. The other part is that your choice of interfaces is critical, as some are supported and some are not.

                Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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                • MatohlM Offline
                  MatohlM Offline
                  Matohl
                  wrote on last edited by Matohl
                  #22

                  I had no problems with the interfaces, I guess I was lucky. I bought an ordinary SATA to USB3 cable and a standard Samsung 250G disc and plugged it in.
                  For the commands and if anyone is interested I used the following guide:

                  Jul 24, 2021  /  Raspberry Pi

                  How to Boot Raspberry Pi 4 / 400 From a USB SSD or Flash Drive

                  How to Boot Raspberry Pi 4 / 400 From a USB SSD or Flash Drive

                  A firmware update lets you use any USB device to boot a Pi 4 / 400.

                  The only problem with the guide was that boot-option in raspi-config had been moved to another menu location since the guide was written

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                  • toggledbitsT Offline
                    toggledbitsT Offline
                    toggledbits
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #23

                    The guide is OK, but it contains two omissions that I think are pretty important for the average user:

                    1. The first is the interface issue. Only certain interfaces work, and some definitely do not. I first purchased the Sabrent 3.0 to SSD model EC-SSHD. Doesn't work. Found in another guide (linked below) what does work. Thankfully, I had on hand a bigger 3.1 dual-drive powered USB 3.1 interface I use for doing backups and other evil deeds around the house, so I got that Frankensteined on until the working Sabrent 3.1 to SSD model EC-SS31 arrived. Notice the subtle but important difference. Sad but true.
                    2. In Tom's Guide, in the SD Card Copier, the "New Partition UUIDs" checkbox must be off. They neglect to say this (it's shown off in the screen shot, but it's worth using words). If it's on, the boot will fail because the boot script and fstab will have the old IDs rather than the new. This is easily fixed if you know where and how to do it, but I think most users would find it frustrating if they don't realize what they've done.

                    Link with supported interfaces below. Don't use these older instructions, just use the list of supported devices it offers:

                    Jun 29, 2019

                    Raspberry Pi 4 USB Boot Config Guide for SSD / Flash Drives

                    Raspberry Pi 4 USB Boot Config Guide for SSD / Flash Drives

                    The Raspberry Pi 4 is finally here and has a lot of exciting changes. One very major downside is that it doesn’t support true USB booting yet out of the box (like the 3 series did).

                    Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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                    0
                    • toggledbitsT toggledbits

                      Right now, all data is written when modified, but that may not always be the case, and there's a high likelihood it will be user-configurable, even.

                      One of the things designed in is that MSR is "crappy-storage-ready". @rafale77 can tell you at length about the merits and woes of various storage technologies, and an SD card in a Raspberry Pi is no exception (in fact, probably both a good example and a dire warning). MSR has a storage architecture for its data that allows "pluggable" storage disciplines, so you could, for example, choose a cached-with-delayed-write-back mechanism to reduce wear, and you could choose that for everything, or just states, or states and logs, etc. So in that case, as the system shuts down, it is necessary for the cache to write back any "dirty" (modified but unsaved as yet) data, or the modifications would be lost.

                      That said, you should be thinking about getting your Pi off an SD card if that's what you're running, if you intend to run it full-time with MSR and depend on it. There are only two types of SD cards: those that have failed, and those that are about to. I have my Pi running on a cheap 2.5" SSD, and it's also a good bit faster, although there is some alchemy to getting that working, and while it's much better than it was, it involves some pretty magical incantations still today and can be a bit angst-inducing.

                      Black CatB Offline
                      Black CatB Offline
                      Black Cat
                      wrote on last edited by Black Cat
                      #24

                      @toggledbits said in How to auto start on Rpi reboot ?:

                      although there is some alchemy to getting that working, and while it's much better than it was, it involves some pretty magical incantations still today and can be a bit angst-inducing.

                      ha......truer words have never been spoken.
                      I just spent the last weekend trying to get a Pi4 booting from a SSD, followed every "how to" I could find and just can't get the bootloader to set to 0xf41, it remains stuck on 0xf14.
                      I might have to wait for a Pi5 to achieve my dream or borrow your magical incantations.....

                      edit: now after reading the How to patrick refers to, it confuses me even more. It appears every time there is a FW update the goal posts change and Boot Order becomes something else. 0x1 , 0x4, OMG Maybe a Windows install is easier?

                      aka Zedrally

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                      • toggledbitsT Offline
                        toggledbitsT Offline
                        toggledbits
                        wrote on last edited by toggledbits
                        #25

                        OK. Build 21074 has some necessary changes to support running as a system daemon under systemd on RPi4. As seen earlier in this thread, a service file is needed that needs to be placed in (typically) /etc/systemd/system. The easiest way to get the correct service file for your current install is to run the tools/rpi-install.sh install script. On an installed system, it will not do much of anything, but it will create a file called reactor.service in the tools subdirectory. From there:

                        1. Make sure any other Reactor processes are stopped (e.g. pkill -QUIT node)
                        2. Use sudo cp tools/reactor.service /etc/systemd/system/ to copy the file to /etc;
                        3. Run sudo systemctl daemon-reload
                        4. If you want Reactor to start automatically at boot: sudo systemctl enable reactor
                        5. Start Reactor now: sudo systemctl start reactor

                        You should now be able to see your log file recording the startup. You may also observe the log messages rolling in /var/log/syslog. The running Reactor instance will also leave a reactor.pid file in the reactor install directory (it will remove it when it shuts down, so its absence is a good indication that it is not running under systemd).

                        Author of Multi-system Reactor and Reactor, DelayLight, Switchboard, and about a dozen other plugins that run on Vera and openLuup.

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                        • cw-kidC Offline
                          cw-kidC Offline
                          cw-kid
                          wrote on last edited by cw-kid
                          #26

                          @toggledbits said in How to auto start on Rpi reboot ?:

                          rpi-install.sh

                          9f322ffb-ca93-464b-9c47-fbec7c7e12b4-image.png

                          This is the reactor.service file it created:

                          # This file allows you to run your Reactor installation under systemd,
                          # so it can be started at boot. Copy this file (as root or under sudo)
                          # to /etc/systemd/system, and then run "systemctl daemon-reload". You
                          # can then able Reactor to start at boot "systemctl enable reactor".
                          # The usual systemctl subcommands can also be used to start, stop, and
                          # restart reactor at will (e.g. "systemctl restart reactor").
                          
                          [Unit]
                          Description=Multi System Reactor
                          After=network.target
                          
                          [Service]
                          Type=simple
                          User=pi
                          WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/Documents/reactor
                          ExecStart=/usr/bin/node app -p
                          Restart=on-failure
                          RestartSec=5s
                          
                          [Install]
                          WantedBy=multi-user.target
                          
                          

                          I followed the rest of the instructions and I could see a reactor.pid file had been created and reactor was running again.

                          I then rebooted my Pi and after it rebooted MSR is running again.

                          So everything appears to have worked OK.

                          Thanks

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