How to Connect Google Home to Home Assistant

Integrating Google Home with Home Assistant gives you voice control over every device in your HA ecosystem. Say "Hey Google, turn on the living room lights" and your Home Assistant handles the rest — whether that's a Zigbee bulb, a smart switch, or a custom ESPHome sensor.

There are two ways to set this up: the easy route via Nabu Casa, or the more involved manual route via Google Cloud. Both work well; the choice comes down to whether you want to pay a small monthly fee for simplicity or invest time in a free DIY setup.

Two Ways to Connect

Method	Cost	Difficulty	Maintenance
Nabu Casa	$6.50/month	Very Easy	None
Manual (Google Cloud)	Free	Complex	Occasional

Method 1: Nabu Casa (Easiest)

Nabu Casa is the official cloud subscription from the Home Assistant team. It handles remote access AND Google Home integration in one step — no Google Cloud console required.

Step 1: Subscribe to Nabu Casa

Go to Settings → Home Assistant Cloud in your HA interface. Click "Start your free trial" or "Sign up". Nabu Casa offers a 30-day free trial.

Step 2: Enable Google Assistant

Once logged in to HA Cloud, navigate to the Google Assistant section and enable it. You'll see a toggle to turn on the integration.

Step 3: Link in Google Home App

Open the Google Home app on your phone. Tap the "+" icon → "Set up device" → "Works with Google". Search for "Home Assistant" and follow the prompts. You'll be redirected to sign in with your Nabu Casa account.

Step 4: Sync Devices

Once linked, say "Hey Google, sync my devices" or trigger a sync from the Google Home app. Your HA devices will appear in Google Home, organized by the areas you've configured.

Method 2: Manual Google Cloud Setup

The manual setup requires creating a Google Cloud project and a Google Actions project. It's free but takes about 30-60 minutes to configure correctly.

Step 1: Set Up Google Cloud Project

Go to console.cloud.google.com and create a new project. Enable the "HomeGraph API" for the project. Create an OAuth 2.0 client ID with your Home Assistant's external URL as the redirect URI.

Step 2: Create Google Actions Project

Visit console.actions.google.com. Create a new project linked to your Cloud project. Set up Smart Home fulfillment, pointing to your HA instance's /api/google_assistant endpoint.

Step 3: Configure Home Assistant

Add the following to your configuration.yaml:

google_assistant:
  project_id: YOUR_PROJECT_ID
  service_account: !include SERVICE_ACCOUNT.json
  report_state: true
  exposed_domains:
    - light
    - switch
    - climate

Step 4: Deploy and Test

Restart Home Assistant and link the action in the Google Home app by searching for your action name. This method requires your HA to be accessible from the internet (Nabu Casa, Cloudflare Tunnel, or a VPN).

Choosing What to Expose

Not every HA entity makes sense to expose to Google Home. You probably don't want Google to see your diagnostic sensors or internal automations. In Home Assistant, you can control exactly what's exposed:

• Go to the entity's settings and toggle "Expose to Google Assistant"
• Or use the exposed_domains config option to whitelist entire domains
• Use entity aliases to give devices friendlier names for voice control

Voice Commands That Work

Once connected, Google Home can control any exposed HA entity:

• "Hey Google, turn on the kitchen lights" — lights with matching area names
• "Hey Google, set the thermostat to 72 degrees" — climate entities
• "Hey Google, lock the front door" — lock entities
• "Hey Google, turn on Movie Night" — HA scenes exposed to Google
• "Hey Google, is the garage door open?" — covers and binary sensors

Google Routines with HA

Google Home Routines can trigger HA actions. For example, create a "Good Morning" routine that, when triggered by voice or schedule, turns on your HA lights, sets the thermostat, and runs a custom HA script. The two-way sync means routines feel seamless.

Troubleshooting

Devices Not Appearing After Sync

Make sure the entities are marked as exposed in HA. Then say "Hey Google, sync my devices" again. If still missing, unlink and relink the Home Assistant service in the Google Home app.

"Something went wrong" Error

This usually means HA is unreachable from Google's servers. Check that your external URL is correctly configured in HA and that Nabu Casa or your tunnel is active.

Devices Showing Wrong State

Enable report_state: true in your configuration (manual method) or ensure Nabu Casa is connected. This allows HA to push state changes to Google instead of waiting for a poll.

SmartWired participates in the Amazon Associates Programme. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.