📝 Article
Kid-Proof Shabbos Lighting: How We Made Google Home “Enforce” the Right Settings
Smart homes are great — until someone flips a switch on Shabbos and everything breaks.
The Problem Every Smart Home Family Knows
You carefully set up your Shabbos lights. Everything is perfect. Then… a curious toddler. a bored child. someone “just touching the switch.” Suddenly:
- Bedroom lights are on when they shouldn’t be
- Common areas are off when they should be on
- And you’re stuck staring at a setup that technically works, but doesn’t work in real life
What This Setup Does (Simple Rules) Common Areas
- Friday at sunset: Lights turn ON
- 6 hours later: Lights turn OFF
- Saturday at 11:00 AM: Lights turn ON
- During these windows, the system keeps them correct
Bedrooms
- From Friday sunset until Saturday sunset
- Bedroom lights are always forced OFF
- If a light is turned on, it shuts back off automatically
What You Need
- Google Home app (updated)
- Smart bulbs or switches already working in Google Home
- Access to Google Home Script Editor
No hubs. No third-party apps. No sensors.
STEP-BY-STEP SETUP
Step 1: Make Sure Your Devices Are in Google Home
- Open Google Home
- Go to Devices
- Confirm every light you want to control is visible and working in the app
✔ Recommended Naming
Use simple names like: • Living Room Lights • Kitchen Lights • Chandelier • Master Bedroom Light • Kids Bedroom Light Avoid: • Duplicate names • Very long names • Emojis or special characters
Step 2: Open Script Editor
- Google Home app
- Tap Automations
- Tap + Add
Step 3: Paste the Script
metadata:
name: Shabbos Lighting Enforcement
description: >
Common areas follow Shabbos schedule.
Bedrooms stay OFF from Friday sunset through Saturday sunset.
Enforcement corrects changes automatically.
automations:
# FRIDAY SUNSET — COMMON AREAS ON
- starters:
- type: time.schedule
at: sunset
weekdays: [FRI]
actions:
- type: device.command.OnOff
devices:
- Living Room Lights
- Kitchen Lights
- Chandelier
on: true
# 6 HOURS AFTER SUNSET — COMMON AREAS OFF
- starters:
- type: time.schedule
at: sunset
weekdays: [FRI]
actions:
- type: time.delay
for: 6h
- type: device.command.OnOff
devices:
- Living Room Lights
- Kitchen Lights
- Chandelier
on: false
# SHABBOS MORNING — COMMON AREAS ON
- starters:
- type: time.schedule
at: "11:00"
weekdays: [SAT]
actions:
- type: device.command.OnOff
devices:
- Living Room Lights
- Kitchen Lights
- Chandelier
on: true
# BEDROOMS — ENFORCE OFF EVERY 5 MINUTES
- starters:
- type: time.schedule
every: 5m
condition:
type: time.between
after: sunset
before: sunset
weekdays: [FRI, SAT]
actions:
- type: device.command.OnOff
devices:
- Master Bedroom Light
- Kids Bedroom Light
on: false
Step 4: Save and Test
Before Shabbos: Temporarily change: weekdays: [FRI] → [MON] at: sunset → a time 2–3 minutes ahead Save Watch lights respond Change everything back once confirmed