evcc-io/templates

Templates folder documentation

Folders

• definition: hold all device templates definitions in yaml files
  • charger: all charger templates
  • meter: all meter templates
  • vehicle: all vehicle templates
• docs: content is generated via go generate ./... using the above templates for the evcc documentation page to be used

Template Documentation

The following describes each possible element in a yaml file

template

template expects a unique template name for the current device class (charger, meter, vehicle are device classes)

products

products expects a list of products that work with this template.

Each product contains:

• brand: company that makes the product or offers the service. No regions, variants, or API names — those, if required for clarity, belong in description.
• description: product, service, model, or API name. Expects generic, de, en.

Either brand or description needs to be set. Examples by device class:

• Vehicles — brand is the make, description the connected service:
  • brand: Hyundai, description.generic: Bluelink
  • brand: Hyundai, description.generic: Bluelink (US)
• Chargers — brand is the manufacturer, description the product model:
  • brand: ABL, description.generic: eMH1
  • brand: ABL, description.generic: eMH2
  • brand: Alfen, description.generic: Eve
• Meters — brand is the manufacturer, description the product model:
  • brand: ABB, description.generic: A43
  • brand: my-PV, description.generic: AC ELWA 2
• Tariffs — brand is the service provider, description the API variant:
  • brand: Electricity Maps, description.generic: Commercial API
  • brand: Electricity Maps, description.generic: Free API
• Generic integrations (OSS tools, community projects): omit brand, put the project name in description.generic, set group: generic. Keep upstream casing (e.g. TeslaFi, ioBroker.bmw, mg2mqtt).

Note: The official website of the manufacturer or service provider is the reference for the exact spelling.

group

group is used to group switchable sockets and generic device support (e.g. SunSpec) templates.

capabilities

capabilities provides an option to define special capabilities of the device as a list of strings.

Possible values:

• iso151182: The device supports communicating via ISO 15118-2.
• mA: The device supports granular (milliamp) current control.
• rfid: The device supports RFID.
• 1p3p: The device supports 1P/3P phase switching.
• battery-control: The device supports battery control.
• meter: The device has a built-in energy meter.
• dim: The device supports EnWG §14a dimming.
• curtail: The device supports EEG §9 curtailment.

capabilities can be set at two levels:

• Template level (next to template): applies to every product.
• Product level (under a products entry): applies to that product only.

Both levels are merged, not overwritten: template-level capabilities are appended to each product's own list. A product cannot remove an inherited capability, and duplicates are rejected, so do not repeat a template-level capability on a product.

Example (all products get 1p3p; only the second product additionally gets meter):

template: demo-charger
capabilities: ["1p3p"]
products:
  - brand: Demo
    description:
      generic: Basic
  - brand: Demo
    description:
      generic: Plus
    capabilities: ["meter"] # effective: ["meter", "1p3p"]

requirements

requirements provides an option to define various requirements / dependencies that need to be setup

evcc

evcc is a list of evcc specific system requirements

Possible Values:

• sponsorship: If the device requires a sponsorship token
• eebus: If the device is accessed via the EEBus protocol and thus requires the corresponding setup
• mqtt: If the device a MQTT setup

description

description expects language-specific texts via de, en to provide specific things the user has to do, e.g. minimum firmware versions or specific hardware setup requirements.

Markdown formatting:

• The content can be multiline
• The content supports Markdown formatting
• External URLs should always use Markdown link format with the hostname as display text: [docs.example.com](https://docs.example.com/path/to/page). This provides clear context while keeping the text readable.
• Omit www. from the display text: [example.com](https://www.example.com/path)
• GitHub URLs use github.com/user/repo as display text: [github.com/user/repo](https://github.com/user/repo)
• Use code formatting `text` for technical identifiers, tokens, configuration values, and entity patterns
• Placeholder and example URLs (IP addresses, hostnames, device endpoints) should also use code formatting: `http://<charger-host>:8000/semp`, `ws://<evcc-host>:8887/`
• Use angle-bracket placeholders for device addresses: <evcc-host>, <charger-host>, <meter-host>, <inverter-host>
• Use only plain ASCII quotes (”, ’) — never typographic/curly quotes (”, ”, „, ’, ’)
• Use bold formatting **text** sparingly and only for important warnings or critical information

Example:

en: |
  Requires `hcaptcha` token from [developer.example.com](https://developer.example.com/tokens).
  Configure the SEMP base URL (`http://<charger-host>:8000/semp`).
  Set the backend URL to `ws://<evcc-host>:8887/`.

  **Attention**: Token is only valid for 2 minutes.

caveats

caveats documents known limitations or unreliable behaviour of a device that otherwise works. This is distinct from requirements.description, which covers setup steps the user must perform.

It is a list, so a device can have multiple caveats. Each entry has a language-specific description (de, en) and a link.

Guidelines:

• Add one entry per distinct problem (e.g. "unreliable meter" and "occasional reboots" are two entries); don't list the same problem twice.
• Keep descriptions as concise as possible while still understandable.
• Use factual wording describing the observed behaviour.
• Always add a link to the single issue or discussion that best documents the problem, so the situation can be re-verified later. It is technically optional, but omitting it should be a rare exception.
• The description follows the same Markdown formatting rules as requirements.description above.

Example:

caveats:
  - description:
      de: Phasenumschaltung deaktiviert sich gelegentlich von selbst.
      en: Phase switching occasionally disables itself.
    link: https://github.com/evcc-io/evcc/issues/21708

auth

auth defines OAuth authentication configuration for devices that require user authorization. When specified, the UI OAuth flow and token management are handled automatically. The auth endpoint is called when all required parameters are filled and is re-called on every parameter change.

type

type specifies the OAuth provider type. This must reference a dedicated OAuth implementation.

Available types: homeassistant, ford-connect, viessmann, cardata, volvo-connected

params

params is a list of parameter names (from the params section) that are required for the OAuth configuration. These parameters will be passed to the authentication provider when initiating the OAuth flow. Once all listed parameters have values, the authorization is prepared and the UI displays a redirect link to the external service and device code (if applicable). The preparation is re-triggered whenever any parameter value changes.

Example:

auth:
  type: viessmann
  params: [clientid, redirecturi, gateway_serial]

params

params describes the set of parameters the user needs to provide a value for.

preset

preset reference value of a predefined params set defined in parambaselist.yaml, so these params don't need to be redefined in each template. The example and default values for each predefined value can be overwritten.

name

name expects a name for the parameter, which will be used in the render section to reference the param and provide the user entered value.

Note: There a few default name values with specific internal meaning and consequences!

Predefined name values:

• usage: specifies a list of meter classes, the device can be used for. Possible values are grid, pv, battery, and charger
• modbus: specifies that this device is accessed via modbus. It requires the choice property to have a list of possible interface values the device provides. These values can be rs485 and tcpip. The command will use either to ask the appropriate questions and settings. The render section needs to include the string {{include "modbus" .}} in all places where the configuration needs modbus settings.

Modbus Options

• id: Device specific default for modbus ID
• port: Device specific default for modbus TCPIP port
• baudrate: Device specific default for modbus RS485 baudrate
• comset: Device specific default for modbus RS485 comset

description

description allows to define user friendly and language specific names via de, en, generic

dependencies

dependencies allows to define a list of checks, when this param should be presented to the user, if it should be only in special cases

name

name referenced the param name value

check

check defines which kind of check should be performed

Possible values:

• empty: if the value of the referenced param name should be empty
• notempty: if the value of the referenced param name should be NOT empty
• equal: if the value of the referenced param name should match the value of the value property

value

value property is used in the equal check

required

required: true defines if the user has to provide a value. Default is false

mask

mask: true defines if the user input should be masked in the UI (password field). Used for sensitive credentials like passwords, tokens, and API keys that should be hidden from view. Default is false.

Note: Cannot be used together with private.

private

private: true marks a parameter as containing personal data (e.g., email addresses, VIN numbers, MAC addresses, locations). This data will be redacted from bug reports and diagnostic information but is visible in the UI. Default is false.

Examples of private data: usernames, email addresses, VIN, URI, MAC addresses, latitude/longitude, serial numbers

Note: Cannot be used together with mask.

default

default defines a default value to be used, which will be pre-filled in the configuration UI.

example

example provides an example value, so the user can get an idea of what is expected and what to look out for

type

type allows to define the value type to let the UI verify the user provided content

Possible values:

• string: for string values (default)
• bool: for true and false values
• choice: for a selection from predefined options (defined in choice property)
• chargemodes: for a selection of charge modes (Off, Now, MinPV, PV), including None which results in the param not being set
• duration: for duration values (e.g., 5m, 1h30m, 10s)
• float: for floating point numbers
• int: for integer values
• list: for a list of strings (newline-separated in textarea), e.g., used for defining a list of identifiers for vehicles

choice

choice defines the list of possible values when type: choice is used. The user can select one value from this list via a dropdown.

Format: Array of strings

Example:

- name: schema
  type: choice
  choice: ["https", "http"]
  default: https

- name: channel
  type: choice
  choice: ["general", "feedIn", "controlledLoad"]
  required: true

advanced

advanced: true marks a parameter as advanced. Advanced parameters are hidden by default in the UI and can be expanded by the user. Mostly used for non-required params that are meant for users with advanced needs and knowledge.

help

help expects language specific help texts via generic (language independent), de, en

service

service specifies an API endpoint that provides dynamic data or suggestions for this parameter during configuration. When set, the UI will call this service to provide auto-completion or pre-populated options to the user.

Format: service-name/endpoint or service-name/endpoint?param1={param1}&param2={param2}

Parameters from other params can be referenced using {param-name} syntax, which will be replaced with the user's input for that parameter. The endpoint will only be called once the user has entered values for all referenced parameters. The endpoint is called every time a referenced parameter value changes.

UI behaviour:

Service endpoints must return an array of strings (e.g., ["value1", "value2"]). These values are shown as suggestions, not strict selections - users can always enter custom text values. The UI handles service responses differently based on the parameter configuration and response content:

• Auto-fill (prepopulation): If the service returns exactly one value, the parameter is required, and the field is currently empty, the value will be automatically filled into the field.

• Dropdown suggestions: In all other cases (multiple values, non-required parameter, or field already has a value), the returned values are shown as a dropdown/datalist for the user to select from or ignore.

• Empty response: If the service returns an empty array or no data, the field remains a regular text input.

Available services:

• Hardware

  hardware/serial: Lists available serial ports on the system

• Modbus

  modbus/read?...: Reads a value from a modbus register (for validation/testing)

  The modbus service supports a special {modbus} parameter that will be automatically expanded to the appropriate connection parameters based on the user's modbus configuration:

  # Template definition
  - name: voltage
    service: modbus/read?address=100&type=holding&{modbus}
  # Expanded for TCP connection:
  # modbus/read?address=100&type=holding&uri=192.168.1.10:502&id=1
  
  # Expanded for RTU connection:
  # modbus/read?address=100&type=holding&device=/dev/ttyUSB0&baudrate=9600&id=1
  

• Home Assistant

  homeassistant/instances: Auto-discovers Home Assistant instances on the network

  homeassistant/entities?uri={uri}&domain=sensor: Lists entities from a Home Assistant instance filtered by domain(s). Multiple domains can be comma-separated (e.g., domain=sensor,binary_sensor or domain=number,input_number)

render

render contains the internal device configuration. All param name values can be used as a template variable, e.g. {{ .host }} for a param named host. The content is a go template, so all of go template feature can be used, e.g. {{- if ... }} statements, etc.