homebridge-updater

A Homebridge plugin that reports update availability as sensors and can optionally run automatic updates.

Features

• Works with both HomeKit Accessory Protocol (HAP) and Matter at runtime
• Exposes an update availability sensor
• Exposes an optional failure sensor for automatic update/restart failures
• Checks for updates to Node.js (LTS), Homebridge, Homebridge UI, plugins, and Docker images
• Supports optional auto-updates for Node.js, Homebridge, Homebridge UI, and plugins
• Intentionally does not auto-update Docker containers (check-only)

Installation

1. Install Homebridge using the official instructions.
2. Install this plugin using: sudo npm install -g @homebridge-plugins/homebridge-updater.
3. Update your configuration file. See sample config.json snippet below.

Configuration

Configuration sample:

"platforms": [
    {
        "platform": "HomebridgeUpdater",
        "name": "Plugin Update",
        "sensorType": "contact",
        "failureSensorType": "motion",
        "checkNodeUpdates": true,
        "checkNpmUpdates": true,
        "checkHomebridgeUpdates": true,
        "checkHomebridgeUIUpdates": true,
        "checkPluginUpdates": true,
        "checkDockerUpdates": false,
        "initialCheckDelay": 10,
        "autoUpdateNode": false,
        "autoUpdateNpm": false,
        "autoUpdateHomebridge": false,
        "autoUpdateHomebridgeUI": false,
        "autoUpdatePlugins": false,
        "allowDirectNpmUpdates": false,
        "autoRestartAfterUpdates": false,
        "respectDisabledPlugins": true,
        "enableMatter": true
    }
]

Fields

All sensor type options are:

• motion
• contact
• occupancy
• humidity
• light
• air
• leak
• smoke
• dioxide
• monoxide

failureSensorType also supports none to disable the failure sensor.

Field	Description	Default
platform	Must always be HomebridgeUpdater	Required
name	Accessory name shown in Home app	Plugin Update
sensorType	Sensor type for the main update sensor	motion
failureSensorType	Sensor type for auto-update failure status, or none to disable	motion
checkNodeUpdates	Check for newer Node.js LTS versions	false
checkNpmUpdates	Check for newer npm versions when npm is installed	false
checkHomebridgeUpdates	Check for Homebridge server updates	true
checkHomebridgeUIUpdates	Check for Homebridge Config UI updates	true
checkPluginUpdates	Check for installed plugin updates	true
checkDockerUpdates	Check for newer Docker image versions when running in Docker	false
initialCheckDelay	Delay in seconds before the first check after startup	10
autoUpdateNode	Automatically run Node.js updates using hb-service update-node when supported	false
autoUpdateNpm	Automatically update npm when a newer version is available	false
autoUpdateHomebridge	Automatically update Homebridge	false
autoUpdateHomebridgeUI	Automatically update Homebridge Config UI	false
autoUpdatePlugins	Automatically update plugins	false
allowDirectNpmUpdates	Allow direct npm update commands when UI API is unavailable	false
autoRestartAfterUpdates	Restart Homebridge after successful auto-updates	false
respectDisabledPlugins	Respect hidden update notifications configured in Homebridge UI	true
enableMatter	Enable Matter support when available in Homebridge	true

How It Works

• The plugin checks selected update sources on a schedule.
• If any enabled source has updates, the main sensor is set to active.
• If automatic updates are enabled and an update/restart fails, the failure sensor is set to active.
• If no auto-update options are enabled, the failure sensor is automatically not exposed.

Automatic Updates

When automatic updates are enabled, the plugin will:

1. Attempt to create a backup before updates when Homebridge UI is available.
2. Perform configured updates (Node.js, Homebridge, Homebridge UI, plugins).
3. Optionally restart Homebridge if autoRestartAfterUpdates is enabled.
4. Surface failures through the failure sensor.

Automatic updates are disabled by default. Enable them only if your environment has appropriate permissions and you are comfortable with unattended updates.

If Homebridge UI is not configured, automatic updates require allowDirectNpmUpdates: true.

If npm is not installed in your environment, npm checks and npm auto-update are skipped safely.

Docker Notes

Docker update checks are notification-only. The plugin does not attempt in-container self-updates by design, to avoid interrupting or corrupting the running container.