Add target exceptions to the Home Assistant automation actions

[DerekSeaman]

Describe the feature

I love the new 2026.7 automation engine that lets you target entire areas, labels, etc. with a single action. However, sometimes I want to target an entire area EXCEPT for a specific entity/device/label. I would like to see some type of “exclude” to the Targets where I pick a specific entity/device/area/label to exclude from the action.

Use cases

In my bedroom I have quite a number of cover entities. For my bedtime routine I can easily target the bedroom area with a cover close action. However, for my morning routine I have one cover that are sheer curtains which should always remain closed while all other covers are open. So I'm unable to target the bedroom area with a cover open action, as the sheer curtains will open. I'd prefer to still target the area, but exclude the sheer curtains

Another example would be turning off all the lights on a specific floor except for one room (e.g. bedroom). I'd like to target the whole floor with a light off action, but exclude the bedroom area.

Current workarounds

My current work around is label all curtains except the sheer curtains with a specific label then target the cover open to the label. This creates extra work and can get messy.

Anything else?

No response

[DerekSeaman]

[isidromv]

I'm migrating my automations from entity driven to floor and area driven, which is much more powerful and easier to maintain.

But I faced this very same issue: I get notified when my battery powered sensors are running out of battery, but then I get it every day when my solar panel system battery empties.

As a workaround I can assign that battery to its own zone, which is not clean, or have a label for the sensors, which brings me back to maintaining an entity driven list.