home-assistant/core · error · HomeAssistantError

No entity_id provided and no preferred entity set

Error message

No entity_id provided and no preferred entity set

What it means

HomeAssistantError from ai_task.async_generate_data when no entity_id argument was supplied AND hass.data[DATA_PREFERENCES].gen_data_entity_id is None. The data-generation path needs a concrete AI Task entity to delegate to; without an explicit id or a configured preferred entity there is nothing to run the task.

Source

Thrown at homeassistant/components/ai_task/task.py:128

    return resolved_attachments


async def async_generate_data(
    hass: HomeAssistant,
    *,
    task_name: str,
    entity_id: str | None = None,
    instructions: str,
    structure: vol.Schema | None = None,
    attachments: list[dict] | None = None,
    llm_api: llm.API | None = None,
) -> GenDataTaskResult:
    """Run a data generation task in the AI Task integration."""
    if entity_id is None:
        entity_id = hass.data[DATA_PREFERENCES].gen_data_entity_id

    if entity_id is None:
        raise HomeAssistantError("No entity_id provided and no preferred entity set")

    entity = hass.data[DATA_COMPONENT].get_entity(entity_id)
    if entity is None:
        raise HomeAssistantError(f"AI Task entity {entity_id} not found")

    if AITaskEntityFeature.GENERATE_DATA not in entity.supported_features:
        raise HomeAssistantError(
            f"AI Task entity {entity_id} does not support generating data"
        )

    if (
        attachments
        and AITaskEntityFeature.SUPPORT_ATTACHMENTS not in entity.supported_features
    ):
        raise HomeAssistantError(
            f"AI Task entity {entity_id} does not support attachments"
        )

View on GitHub (pinned to 58a3fdb3ea)

Solutions

1. Pass entity_id explicitly in the service call (e.g. entity_id: conversation.agent_name).
2. Or open the AI Task defaults once — call generate_data from the UI (Developer Tools > Actions) and set the preferred entity — so the preference is stored for future id-less calls.
3. Verify the integration is set up (ai_task in hass.data with DATA_COMPONENT/ DATA_PREFERENCES present).
4. In blueprints/automations, always template entity_id from a input_text/input_select helper instead of relying on the stored preference.

Example fix

# before
action:
  - action: ai_task.generate_data
    data:
      task_name: summarize
      instructions: "..."

# after
action:
  - action: ai_task.generate_data
    data:
      entity_id: conversation.openai_conversation
      task_name: summarize
      instructions: "..."

def gen_data_target_ready(hass) -> bool:
    """Explicit id or stored preference must exist before generate_data."""
    prefs = hass.data.get(DATA_PREFERENCES)
    return prefs is not None and prefs.gen_data_entity_id is not None

from homeassistant.exceptions import HomeAssistantError

try:
    result = await async_generate_data(hass, task_name="t", instructions="...")
except HomeAssistantError as err:
    if "No entity_id provided" in str(err):
        raise ValueError("Pass entity_id or set a preferred entity first") from err
    raise

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the ai_task.generate_data service (or the helper) without entity_id on an instance where the user never picked a preferred 'generate data' entity in the AI Task integration options/dialog.

Common situations: First use of ai_task.generate_data after enabling the integration; the UI preference (gen_data_entity_id) is only set when the user selects a default entity, so scripted/automation-first usage hits this immediately.

Related errors

• AI Task entity {entity_id} not found
• AI Task entity {entity_id} does not support generating data
• Heat/Cool is not supported in this mode
• AI Task media source requires at least one media directory c
• Only local attachments are currently supported

AI-assisted analysis of home-assistant/core@58a3fdb3ea (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b92a1f145e6c6081. Report an issue: GitHub.