# Openhue

> Controls Philips Hue lights, rooms, and scenes through the OpenHue CLI, including pairing, discovery, and presets.

- Skill: `infinition/openhue` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add infinition/openhue`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/infinition/openhue/raw
- Safety review: CAUTION (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity, Coding & Dev Tools, DevOps & Infra, Deployment & Release, Personal Automation
- Tags: Cli, Home Automation, Hue Bridge, Openhue, Philips Hue, Smart Lights
- Author: infinition (https://skillmd.com/u/infinition)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/infinition/openhue

---


# OpenHue CLI

Control Philips Hue lights and scenes via a Hue Bridge from the terminal.

## Install

Releases ship ARCHIVES, not bare binaries. The asset names are
`openhue_<OS>_<arch>.<ext>`, e.g. `openhue_Windows_x86_64.zip`,
`openhue_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz`, `openhue_Darwin_all.tar.gz`. A URL built as
`openhue-linux-amd64` does not exist and returns 404.

```powershell
# Windows: download, extract, put on PATH
$dst = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\openhue"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $dst | Out-Null
$url = "https://github.com/openhue/openhue-cli/releases/latest/download/openhue_Windows_x86_64.zip"
Invoke-WebRequest $url -OutFile "$env:TEMP\openhue.zip"
Expand-Archive "$env:TEMP\openhue.zip" -DestinationPath $dst -Force
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$env:Path;$dst", "User")
```

```bash
# Linux
curl -sL https://github.com/openhue/openhue-cli/releases/latest/download/openhue_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xz -C ~/.local/bin openhue

# macOS
brew install openhue/cli/openhue-cli
```

Verify before anything else: `openhue version` (note: `--version` flag doesn't exist on recent versions, use the `version` subcommand instead). If the command is not found, it is
NOT installed, whatever `~/.openhue/config.yaml` contains: the config file survives
the binary and is not proof of an install.

First run: press the button on your Hue Bridge to pair. The bridge must be on the same
local network.

### Configuration

OpenHue stores its configuration in `~/.openhue/config.yaml`:

```yaml
bridge: <BRIDGE_IP>
key: <API_KEY_GENERATED_AT_PAIRING>
```

- The **API key** is generated automatically when you press the bridge button during
  pairing. There is nothing to create by hand.
- It stays valid until the bridge changes or is factory reset.
- To re-pair from scratch, delete `~/.openhue/config.yaml` and run the setup again.
- **Never print that file's contents.** The key grants control of every light to
  anyone who can reach the bridge on the LAN. To check the pairing, run
  `openhue get light` and look at whether it answers, not at the key.

## Discovery

```bash
openhue get light    # list all lights with exact names
openhue get room     # list rooms
openhue get scene    # list scenes
```

Light and room names are case-sensitive - always verify with `openhue get`.

## Control Lights

```bash
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --off
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --brightness 50        # 0–100
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --temperature 300      # 153 (warm) – 500 (cool) mirek
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --color red
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --rgb "#FF5500"        # color-capable bulbs only
```

## Control Rooms

```bash
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 30
```

## Scenes

```bash
openhue set scene "Relax" --room "Bedroom"
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"
```

## Useful Presets

```bash
# Bedtime: dim warm
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 20 --temperature 450

# Work: bright cool
openhue set room "Office" --on --brightness 100 --temperature 250

# Movie: dim living room
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --brightness 10

# All off (adapt room names to your setup)
for room in "Bedroom" "Office" "Living Room"; do openhue set room "$room" --off; done
```

## Notes

- Bridge and the machine running LaRuche must share the same local network.
- Colors (`--color`, `--rgb`) only work on color-capable bulbs, not white-only models.
- Pair well with `cron_create` for scheduled lighting (dim at bedtime, bright at sunrise).