Emby Media Player Triggers Not Working In Home Assistant

Are you trying to automate your smart home based on what's happening with your Emby media server, only to find that your device triggers aren't firing? You're not alone! Many Home Assistant users have encountered this frustrating issue, particularly when trying to use the playback_stopped trigger. This article will dive deep into why this might be happening and explore potential solutions to get your Emby media player automations working smoothly again.

Understanding Emby Device Triggers in Home Assistant

Device triggers in Home Assistant are a powerful way to create automations. They allow your smart home system to react to specific events happening with connected devices. For media players, common triggers include when playback starts, stops, pauses, or changes state. The Emby integration for Home Assistant aims to provide these capabilities, allowing you to build sophisticated automations. For instance, you might want your lights to dim when a movie starts playing, or for a notification to be sent when playback stops. The playback_stopped trigger is particularly useful for ensuring that certain actions only occur when viewing is finished. This functionality is crucial for creating a seamless and responsive smart home experience. When these triggers fail to fire, it can leave your automations incomplete and your smart home feeling less intelligent than it should. The setup itself can be straightforward: you select your Emby media player entity, choose the playback_stopped type, and define the actions to take. However, the underlying connection and communication between Home Assistant and Emby must be robust for these triggers to work reliably. This includes ensuring that the integration is correctly configured, that Emby server is accessible, and that the Emby client device is reporting its status accurately. The debug logs provided in the original report show consistent communication and session updates, indicating that the basic connection is established. However, the specific event of playback stopping might not be correctly interpreted or transmitted by the Emby API or the integration itself. Investigating the exact point of failure is key to resolving this issue. This might involve looking at how Emby reports session changes and how the integration translates those reports into Home Assistant events.

The Specific Problem: playback_stopped Trigger Not Firing

The core of the issue, as reported, is that the playback_stopped device trigger for the Emby media player integration isn't functioning as expected. Users have configured automations with the trigger defined, but when they stop playback on their Emby client (whether it's Live TV or a movie), the automation remains dormant. This means that the expected event – the cessation of media playback – is not being recognized by Home Assistant through the Emby integration. The provided YAML snippet demonstrates a typical configuration for such a trigger:

triggers:
  - device_id: 330f5cdcfe899fd2099f4fbea6ce6cf7
    domain: embymedia
    entity_id: media_player.emby_shield_3
    type: playback_stopped
    trigger: device

This configuration is syntactically correct and follows the standard structure for device triggers in Home Assistant. The device_id, domain, entity_id, and type all appear to be properly specified. The domain embymedia points to the Emby integration, and type: playback_stopped is the specific event being monitored. The fact that it's not firing suggests a deeper problem within the integration or how it communicates with the Emby server or client. It's not simply a matter of incorrect YAML. The issue could stem from how the Emby API reports session status changes, or how the custom_components.embymedia integration processes these changes. The debug logs are particularly insightful here. We see frequent WebSocket messages related to Sessions and updates to embymedia_25b585b900134ff2bd3094cea2826af4 data. There's also a session_connected event detected. However, there are no explicit logs indicating that a playback_stopped event was received or processed when playback was manually halted. This absence of an event log for stopping playback is a strong indicator that the event is either not being sent by Emby or not being captured by the integration. It's possible that the Emby client or server is reporting playback status in a way that the integration doesn't yet fully support or interpret as a 'stopped' state. For example, a brief pause might be reported similarly to a stop, or the transition from playing to idle might not trigger the specific event the integration is listening for. Resolving this requires a closer look at the Emby API documentation for session events and potentially modifying the integration to correctly identify and log this specific state change.

Diagnosing the Root Cause: Debugging and Logs

To effectively troubleshoot why your Emby device triggers aren't working, diving into the debug logs is absolutely essential. The provided logs offer valuable clues, showing regular communication between Home Assistant and your Emby server. We can see frequent WebSocket messages being received, which are critical for real-time updates from Emby. These logs show that the integration is indeed fetching session information and that a session_connected event was detected when a new session started. This confirms that the basic WebSocket connection is operational and that the integration is capable of receiving some data. However, the logs don't explicitly show an event being triggered when playback stops. This is the crucial missing piece. The logs indicate activity like Watch time added for user Eric, which suggests that playback is ongoing or has recently concluded, but there's no clear indication of a distinct 'playback stopped' event being recognized by the integration. When playback stops, the Emby server or client should ideally send an update that the integration can interpret as a stop event. The absence of this in the logs could mean several things:

1. Emby Server/Client Reporting: The Emby client (in this case, Emby for Android TV) or the Emby server itself might not be sending a specific, distinct event for when playback is stopped. It might send a general status update that the current integration doesn't parse as a stop. For example, it might simply transition to an 'idle' state without explicitly signaling a 'stop' action.
2. Integration Logic: The custom_components.embymedia integration might be looking for a specific payload or event type from Emby that isn't being provided, or it might have a bug in its logic for detecting the 'stopped' state.
3. Timing Issues: In some cases, events can be very transient. If the 'stopped' signal is too brief or occurs during a period of high activity, it might be missed.

To further diagnose, one would ideally want to see logs that specifically capture the moment playback is stopped. This might involve adding more verbose logging within the integration itself to track all incoming WebSocket messages and their payloads. Comparing the structure of messages received when playback is active versus when it stops could reveal differences that the current integration is overlooking. Understanding the exact data Emby sends for different playback states is paramount. If Emby doesn't send a clear playback_stopped event, a workaround might be to trigger automations based on a state change to idle or a significant drop in watch_time after a period of activity. The current debug logs are positive in that they show connectivity and some data flow, but they highlight a specific gap in event detection for playback cessation.

Potential Solutions and Workarounds

Given that the playback_stopped device trigger seems to be the sticking point, let's explore some potential solutions and workarounds. These range from configuration adjustments to deeper investigation of the integration and Emby's behavior.

1. Check Emby Integration Configuration

While the provided logs suggest a working connection, it's always worth double-checking the basic configuration of the Emby integration in Home Assistant. Ensure that all authentication details are correct and that the server address is properly set. Sometimes, subtle configuration errors can lead to unexpected behavior, even if basic connectivity appears to be present. Make sure you're using the latest version of the custom_components.embymedia integration (version 0.4.0 in this case) and that your Home Assistant installation is also up-to-date (Home Assistant 2025.12.x).

2. Alternative Trigger Types

If playback_stopped is consistently failing, consider if other available triggers or states can achieve a similar outcome. The Emby media player entity in Home Assistant (media_player.emby_shield_3) likely has a state attribute. This state typically changes to playing, paused, idle, or off. You could try creating an automation that triggers when the state changes from playing to idle. This might be a more reliable indicator that playback has ended. Your automation's trigger might look something like this:

triggers:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: media_player.emby_shield_3
    to: 'idle'
    from: 'playing'

This state trigger is a fundamental Home Assistant trigger and is generally very robust. It directly monitors the reported state of the media player entity.

3. Investigate Emby API and Client Behavior

If the integration continues to be problematic, the next step involves understanding exactly how your Emby client (Emby for Android TV) and server report playback status. You might need to:

• Consult Emby API Documentation: Look for documentation on Emby's WebSocket API or session management. This will tell you what events and data payloads are sent when playback starts, stops, or changes state.
• Use Network Analysis Tools: Tools like Wireshark or browser developer tools (if using a web-based client) could help you capture the network traffic between your Emby client, server, and Home Assistant. This can reveal the precise messages being sent.

Once you understand how Emby actually reports a stopped playback state, you can better inform whether the integration needs a fix or if a different approach is required.

4. Reporting the Issue and Seeking Help

If you've exhausted other options and suspect a bug in the custom_components.embymedia integration itself, the best course of action is to report the issue to the developers. The original report was made on GitHub, which is the correct place for this. When reporting, provide:

• Clear description of the bug.
• Steps to reproduce.
• Relevant logs (like the ones you provided).
• Your Home Assistant version, integration version, and Emby server/client versions.
• Any relevant debugging information you've gathered.

This information is vital for developers to diagnose and fix the problem. Sometimes, a simple update to the integration or Emby server can resolve these types of communication glitches.

5. Consider the session_connected and session_disconnected Triggers

While not directly addressing playback_stopped, keep an eye on other potential triggers. The logs mention session_connected. It's possible that more granular session events are available that could be leveraged. If the Emby client disconnects entirely after playback, a session_disconnected trigger might also be relevant, though this is less ideal than a specific stop event.

Conclusion

Encountering issues with device triggers, especially specific ones like playback_stopped for the Emby media player, can be a significant hurdle in building a truly automated home. The provided logs indicate a healthy connection but a lack of specific event detection for playback cessation. By understanding how Emby communicates its playback states and by potentially utilizing alternative Home Assistant triggers like state changes to idle, you can often find a workable solution. If the problem persists, reporting it with detailed information to the integration's developers is the most effective way to contribute to a fix. Remember, automating your media experience is about convenience, and troubleshooting these integrations is a key step in achieving that goal.

For further information on Home Assistant automations and integrations, you can refer to the official Home Assistant Documentation. You may also find helpful discussions and support on the Home Assistant Community Forums.