Delay
Category: Action
Pauses the automation for a fixed duration before continuing to the next node. The automation is suspended but not stopped — it resumes automatically when the timer completes.
When to use
- Wait between turning on devices (e.g. stagger lights)
- Add a pause before sending a notification
- Give a device time to stabilise before reading its state
- Create timed sequences (e.g. "turn on, wait 5 min, turn off")
Configuration
- Hours — Number of hours to wait
- Minutes — Number of minutes to wait
- Seconds — Number of seconds to wait
All three can be combined (e.g. 1 hour, 30 minutes = 90 minutes total).
Output data
{{ nodes['<id>'].data.durationMs }}— The actual duration waited in milliseconds
Examples
Staggered morning routine:
- Schedule → 07:00
- Set Device → bedroom light to 20%
- Delay → 10 minutes
- Set Device → bedroom light to 60%
- Delay → 10 minutes
- Set Device → kitchen light on
Auto-off after motion:
- Device Changed → motion sensor active
- Set Device → hallway light on
- Delay → 5 minutes
- Set Device → hallway light off
Tips
- If the automation is cancelled during a delay (e.g. restart mode triggers), the delay is aborted
- For very long delays (hours), consider using a Schedule trigger instead
- Delay is different from Wait — Delay always waits the full duration, while Wait can be interrupted by a device change