home-assistant/core · error · AlexaInvalidValueError

INVALID_VALUE

INVALID_VALUE

Error message

failed to map input {media_input} to a media source on {entity.entity_id}

What it means

When Alexa selects an input (e.g. 'HDMI 1'), the handler tries to map the spoken name to one of the media_player entity's source_list entries, comparing case-formatted names and also tolerating a trailing '1' (e.g. 'HDMI1' vs 'HDMI'). If no source matches, it raises AlexaInvalidValueError, which Alexa reports back as INVALID_VALUE.

Source

Thrown at homeassistant/components/alexa/handlers.py:625

    source_list = entity.attributes.get(media_player.ATTR_INPUT_SOURCE_LIST) or []
    for source in source_list:
        formatted_source = (
            source.lower().replace("-", "").replace("_", "").replace(" ", "")
        )
        media_input = media_input.lower().replace(" ", "")
        if (
            formatted_source in Inputs.VALID_SOURCE_NAME_MAP
            and formatted_source == media_input
        ) or (
            media_input.endswith("1") and formatted_source == media_input.rstrip("1")
        ):
            media_input = source
            break
    else:
        msg = (
            f"failed to map input {media_input} to a media source on {entity.entity_id}"
        )
        raise AlexaInvalidValueError(msg)

    data: dict[str, Any] = {
        ATTR_ENTITY_ID: entity.entity_id,
        media_player.ATTR_INPUT_SOURCE: media_input,
    }

    await hass.services.async_call(
        entity.domain,
        media_player.SERVICE_SELECT_SOURCE,
        data,
        blocking=False,
        context=context,
    )

    return directive.response()


@HANDLERS.register(("Alexa.Speaker", "AdjustVolume"))

View on GitHub (pinned to 58a3fdb3ea)

Solutions

1. Rename the media_player's sources so they match Alexa's spoken input names (e.g. 'HDMI 1', 'AV 1'), via the integration's source-list configuration or entity customization.
2. Expose inputs through an Alexa ModeController with modes whose friendly names equal the source_list entries.
3. Test with developer tools: check the entity's source_list attribute, then call media_player.select_source with the exact string Alexa sends.

Example fix

# before: source_list = ['hdmi_1', 'game']
# Alexa says 'HDMI 1' -> AlexaInvalidValueError

# after: customize the entity so source_list entries match spoken names
media_player:
  - platform: ... 
# or rename on the device/integration to ['HDMI 1', 'Game']

def normalize(name: str) -> str:
    return name.strip().lower()

spoken = 'HDMI 1'
sources = state.attributes.get('source_list', [])
ok = any(
    normalize(s) == normalize(spoken)
    or (spoken.endswith('1') and normalize(s) == normalize(spoken)[:-1])
    for s in sources
)
if not ok:
    # pick nearest or reject before Alexa call
    ...

def input_matches_source(spoken: str, source_list: list[str]) -> bool:
    n = spoken.strip().lower()
    return any(
        s.strip().lower() == n or (n.endswith('1') and s.strip().lower() == n.rstrip('1'))
        for s in source_list
    )

try:
    await process_directive(directive)
except AlexaInvalidValueError:
    _LOGGER.warning('Input %s not in source_list %s', media_input, entity.attributes.get('source_list'))

When it happens

Trigger: An Alexa.ChangeChannel/Input selection whose payload input name does not match any entry in the media_player entity's source_list attribute after case normalization or trailing-'1' stripping. Typical when the TV/AVR reports sources with vendor-specific names ('hdmi', 'Game', 'Input1') while Alexa sends 'HDMI 1'.

Common situations: Broadlink/Android TV/AVR integrations exposing source lists with nonstandard names; renaming inputs on the device; users adding a ModeController for inputs where the friendly labels differ from the raw source_list strings.

Related errors

• ACTION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTENT
• INVALID_DIRECTIVE
• TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE
• INVALID_TARGET_STATE
• UNSUPPORTED_THERMOSTAT_MODE

AI-assisted analysis of home-assistant/core@58a3fdb3ea (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1b2fabdad5722d25. Report an issue: GitHub.