Openhue

OpenHue CLI

Control Philips Hue lights and scenes via the official OpenHue CLI. Manage individual lights, rooms, zones, and scenes with simple commands.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

• "Turn on/off the lights"
• "Dim the living room lights"
• "Set a scene" or "movie mode"
• Controlling specific Hue rooms or zones
• Adjusting brightness, color, or color temperature
• Creating lighting automations

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

• Non-Hue smart devices (other brands) → not supported
• HomeKit scenes or Shortcuts → use Apple Home app
• TV or entertainment system control
• Thermostat or HVAC
• Smart plugs (unless Hue smart plugs)

Installation

# Install via Homebrew
brew install openhue/cli/openhue-cli

# Verify installation
openhue --version

Setup

Bridge Discovery

# Discover Hue Bridge on network
openhue get bridge

# Or specify bridge IP
openhue get bridge --ip 192.168.1.100

Authentication

First-time setup requires pressing the link button on your Hue Bridge:

openhue config setup

Follow the prompts to:

1. Press the link button on your Hue Bridge
2. Create a new API user
3. Save configuration

Common Commands

List Resources

openhue get light       # List all lights
openhue get room        # List all rooms  
openhue get zone        # List all zones
openhue get scene       # List all scenes
openhue get group       # List all groups

Control Individual Lights

# Turn on/off
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --off

# Brightness (0-100)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --brightness 50

# Dim/brighten
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --brightness +10
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --brightness -10

# Color temperature (warm to cool: 153-500 mirek)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --temperature 300

# Warmer (lower mirek = warmer)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --temperature +50

# Cooler (higher mirek = cooler)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --temperature -50

# Color (by name or hex)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --color red
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --color blue
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --rgb "#FF5500"

Control Rooms

# Turn off entire room
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off

# Turn on with brightness
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --brightness 80

# Set color for all lights in room
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --color "#4A90D9" --brightness 40

# Scene activation
openhue set room "Living Room" --scene "Relax"

Control Zones

# Zones group multiple rooms
openhue set zone "Downstairs" --on
openhue set zone "Downstairs" --brightness 60
openhue set zone "Downstairs" --off

Scenes

# List all scenes
openhue get scene

# Activate scene
openhue set scene "Relax" --room "Bedroom"
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"
openhue set scene "Energize" --room "Kitchen"

# Set scene with brightness override
openhue set scene "Relax" --room "Bedroom" --brightness 30

Groups

# List groups
openhue get group

# Control group
openhue set group "Group Name" --on
openhue set group "Group Name" --off

Quick Presets

# Bedtime (dim warm lights)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 20 --temperature 450

# Wake up (bright cool lights)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 100 --temperature 153

# Movie mode (dark blue)
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --color "#1A1A4E" --brightness 15

# Reading (bright neutral)
openhue set room "Study" --on --brightness 80 --temperature 300

# Party (colorful)
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --color "#FF0080" --brightness 70

# Work mode (focus)
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"

# Relax mode
openhue set scene "Relax" --room "Living Room"

Color Reference

Color Names

• red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink
• cyan, magenta, lime, teal, navy
• white, warm-white, cool-white

Color Temperature (Mirek Scale)

• 153 (6500K) - Coolest (daylight)
• 200 (5000K) - Cool white
• 300 (3300K) - Neutral white
• 400 (2500K) - Warm white
• 454 (2200K) - Warmest (candlelight)

Hex Colors

#FF0000 - Red
#00FF00 - Green
#0000FF - Blue
#FFFF00 - Yellow
#00FFFF - Cyan
#FF00FF - Magenta
#FFA500 - Orange
#800080 - Purple
#FFC0CB - Pink
#4A90D9 - Soft Blue
#FFB6C1 - Soft Pink
#90EE90 - Soft Green

Advanced Usage

Effects

# Color loop (cycle through colors)
openhue set light "Party Light" --on --alert "select"

# Alert (flash once)
openhue set light "Living Room" --alert "select"

# Alert (flash multiple times)
openhue set light "Living Room" --alert "lselect"

Multiple Lights

# Control by exact name
openhue set light "Hue White 1" --on
openhue set light "Hue Color 2" --on --color red

# Use wildcards (if supported)
openhue set light "Bedroom*" --off

JSON Output (for scripting)

# Get lights as JSON
openhue get light --json

# Parse with jq
openhue get light --json | jq '.[] | select(.on == true)'

# Get room details
openhue get room "Living Room" --json

Brightness Ramping

# Gradual changes (if supported by your version)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --brightness 50 --duration 5

Integration Examples

Morning Routine

# Gradually turn on bedroom lights
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 30 --temperature 350
echo "Good morning! Lights are on."

Leaving Home

# Turn off all lights
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off
openhue set room "Living Room" --off
openhue set room "Kitchen" --off
openhue set room "Office" --off
echo "All lights off. Have a great day!"

Movie Time

# Set movie atmosphere
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --color "#1A1A4E" --brightness 20
openhue set light "TV Backlight" --on --color "#4A0080" --brightness 30

Bedtime

# Dim lights for sleep
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 15 --temperature 450
# Then turn off after delay
sleep 300  # 5 minutes
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off

Welcome Home

# Turn on entry and living room
openhue set room "Entryway" --on --brightness 80
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --brightness 60

Troubleshooting

Bridge Not Found

# Check network connectivity
ping 192.168.1.100

# Rediscover bridge
openhue get bridge

# Check bridge IP in config
openhue config show

Authentication Failed

# Re-authenticate
openhue config setup

# Make sure to press the link button on the bridge

Light Not Responding

# Check if light is reachable
openhue get light --json | jq '.[] | select(.name == "Problem Light")'

# Power cycle the light
# Turn off at wall switch, wait 5 seconds, turn back on

Scene Not Working

# Verify scene exists
openhue get scene | grep "Scene Name"

# Check room exists
openhue get room | grep "Room Name"

# Try activating scene differently
openhue set room "Room Name" --scene "Scene Name"

Best Practices

1. Use Rooms: Group lights by room for easier control
2. Name Lights Clearly: Use descriptive names like "Desk Lamp" not "Light 3"
3. Favorite Scenes: Identify scenes you use often for quick access
4. Automations: Consider Hue app for time-based automations
5. Zones: Use zones to control multiple rooms together

Security Notes

• Hue Bridge uses local network only (no cloud required)
• API keys are stored locally in configuration
• Keep Bridge firmware updated
• Use guest network for IoT devices if concerned about security

Examples

Daily Schedules

# Morning (7 AM)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 50 --temperature 300

# Work hours (9 AM)
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"

# Evening (6 PM)
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --brightness 70 --temperature 350

# Night (10 PM)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 20 --temperature 450

Party Mode

# Colorful party lights
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --color "#FF0080" --brightness 80
openhue set room "Kitchen" --on --color "#00FF80" --brightness 70

Focus Mode

# Deep work lighting
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"
openhue set room "Living Room" --off

References

• OpenHue CLI Documentation
• Philips Hue Developer API
• Hue Mirek Color Temperature