Nest Doorbell Automation Only Works on First Press — Not After (Even Before Migration)

[JamesTDC]

Hi all,

I’ve been having a persistent issue with my Nest Doorbell (Wired, 1st Gen) and automations in the Google Home app — both before and after migrating the doorbell from the Nest app.

The doorbell shows up correctly in Google Home, and doorbell press events appear in the activity feed, so the system is detecting the presses reliably.

I’ve set up an automation in Google Home so that when the doorbell is pressed, it triggers another smart device (like a light or plug) to turn on. That device is configured to turn off automatically after use — so it's ready for the next trigger.

The issue:

The automation works once — the first time I press the doorbell after creating the automation ✅

But it fails to run again on future doorbell presses ❌

The doorbell press still appears in the Home activity log, but the automation doesn’t fire again

I’ve tried:

Recreating the automation multiple times

Waiting several minutes between doorbell presses

Verifying that the smart device is fully off and idle before pressing again

This problem was already happening before migrating the doorbell into Google Home, and it has continued since. I currently do not have access to the Script Editor, so I’m limited to the standard automation tools in the Home app.

Has anyone else seen this kind of one-shot automation behavior with doorbell triggers? Any known fixes or reliable workarounds?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[DeboraJ]

Hi @JamesTDC,

Thanks for posting! I understand you've been experiencing some issues with your Nest Doorbell Wired (1st gen) not triggering automations in the Google Home app, both before and after migrating the doorbell from the Nest app. I appreciate you letting me know the troubleshooting steps you've tried on your end, and thanks for your efforts! For now, please let me handle this for you.

Before we continue, I need a few more details about this case:

• Did you set this automation up as a personal or household one?
• What is the starter you have set up?
• What is the condition you have set up?
• What is the command you have set up?
• Are you part of the public preview in the Google Home app?

Once you provide this info, I'll gladly assist you.

Best regards,

Debora

[JamesTDC]

Dear DeboraJ

Thank you for assisting. Answers:

1/ Household automation

2/ Starter: Doorbell rings

3/ Condition: Anytime every day

4/ Action: Light turn on

5/ I applied and have been accepted into the Public Preview 

Best regards

James

[DeboraJ]

Hi @JamesTDC, 

Thanks for the information provided!  We've found that it's not possible to use the doorbell as a starter for automation in the Google Home app, Script Editor, or Nest app. To initiate an automation, the "starter" device needs to have an on/off state. The Nest Doorbell, by its design, is always on to detect events, whether someone presses the button or not. Its primary function is continuous detection, so it doesn't have an "off" state that could act as a trigger for automation.

However, I understand that implementing this type of functionality would be very useful for many people. I encourage you to share this idea in our feedback form. This helps us with future features and the overall improvement of our products.

I hope this information works! 

Best regards,

Debora 

[JamesTDC]

Thanks for replying.  However I disagree:

When creating Automation rules, it is possible to configure the doorbell press to act as a Starter for activating other smart devices - it is specifically referred to a "Doorbell rings" in the menu (see attached screenshot).   But it doesn't work. Surely then it is a bug, not a feature request?