OpenHue CLI: Control Philips Hue Lights, Rooms, and Scenes from the Terminal

OpenHue CLI lets you control Philips Hue lights, rooms, scenes, and zones directly from the command line. It is useful for anyone who wants to script lighting changes, integrate them into automation workflows, or control their Hue system without opening an app. The tool communicates with a Hue Bridge on the same local network.

What it does

OpenHue CLI exposes the full Hue Bridge API through terminal commands. You can list all lights, rooms, and scenes, then turn them on or off, adjust brightness, set color temperature, or apply named colors and hex values. It supports individual bulbs, entire rooms, and scene recall. Because it runs from the command line, it fits naturally into shell scripts, cron jobs, and automation pipelines.

Before you start

You need a Philips Hue Bridge and at least one Hue bulb on the same local network as the machine running Hermes Agent. The first time you run OpenHue CLI, you must physically press the button on the Hue Bridge to authorize the connection. The bridge must remain on the same network.

Install the CLI:

# Linux (pre-built binary — releases ship tarballs, not bare binaries)
curl -sL "https://github.com/openhue/openhue-cli/releases/latest/download/openhue_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz" \
  | tar -xz -C /tmp openhue \
  && install -m 0755 /tmp/openhue ~/.local/bin/openhue
# (use openhue_Linux_arm64.tar.gz on ARM64)

# macOS
brew install openhue/cli/openhue-cli

Common commands

List resources

Before controlling anything, check the exact names of your lights, rooms, and scenes. Names are case-sensitive.

openhue get light       # List all lights
openhue get room        # List all rooms
openhue get scene       # List all scenes

Control lights

Turn a light on or off, set brightness, color temperature, or color.

# Turn on/off
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --off

# Brightness (0-100)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --brightness 50

# Color temperature (warm to cool: 153-500 mirek)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --temperature 300

# Color (by name or hex)
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --color red
openhue set light "Bedroom Lamp" --on --rgb "#FF5500"

Control rooms

Apply a state to every light in a room at once.

# Turn off entire room
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off

# Set room brightness
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 30

Scenes

Recall a scene in a specific room.

openhue set scene "Relax" --room "Bedroom"
openhue set scene "Concentrate" --room "Office"

Quick presets

These are ready-to-run examples you can adapt for common routines.

# Bedtime (dim warm)
openhue set room "Bedroom" --on --brightness 20 --temperature 450

# Work mode (bright cool)
openhue set room "Office" --on --brightness 100 --temperature 250

# Movie mode (dim)
openhue set room "Living Room" --on --brightness 10

# Everything off
openhue set room "Bedroom" --off
openhue set room "Office" --off
openhue set room "Living Room" --off

When not to use it

OpenHue CLI is a direct terminal tool. If you need a graphical interface, mobile control, or voice commands, the official Philips Hue app or a smart speaker integration will serve you better. This tool is for scripting and automation.

Limits and gotchas

• The Hue Bridge must be on the same local network as the machine running Hermes Agent. Remote control requires a VPN or a separate bridge proxy.
• First run requires physically pressing the button on the Hue Bridge to authorize. This is a one-time step, but you must have physical access to the bridge.
• Colors only work on color-capable bulbs. White-only bulbs ignore color and RGB parameters.
• Light and room names are case-sensitive. Use openhue get light to check exact names before issuing commands.
• The CLI does not support scheduling on its own, but it works great with cron jobs for scheduled lighting (e.g., dim at bedtime, bright at wake).

Related

This skill is part of the Hermes Agent bundled skills. For other smart home integrations, see the Hermes Agent documentation on smart home skills.