HomeKit accessory

localDeclared from the vendor's protocol, never probed hereby ALYT

An accessory that speaks HomeKit, paired locally with its setup code.

What it adds to a house

adds thermostats, lights, switches, sensors and locks.

How a person connects it

Method: pair. The eight-digit setup code printed on the accessory or shown in its app.

Field	Kind	Required
Setup code (setupCode)	text, secret	yes

What it can look for

Yes: “Look for accessories”.

What stops working when it is disconnected

The things it brought stop answering until it is connected again.

The descriptor

The same object the console and the phone render from, served for a program at /connectors/homekit.json.

{
  "source": "built-in",
  "visibility": "public",
  "listed": true,
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "docsUrl": "https://developers.alyt.com/connectors/homekit",
  "kind": "HOMEKIT",
  "name": "HomeKit accessory",
  "icon": "house",
  "promise": "An accessory that speaks HomeKit, paired locally with its setup code.",
  "connectivity": "local",
  "brings": [
    "thermostat",
    "light",
    "switch",
    "sensor",
    "lock"
  ],
  "connect": {
    "method": "pair",
    "help": "The eight-digit setup code printed on the accessory or shown in its app.",
    "fields": [
      {
        "key": "setupCode",
        "label": "Setup code",
        "kind": "text",
        "secret": true,
        "required": true,
        "placeholder": "XXX-XX-XXX"
      }
    ]
  },
  "discovery": {
    "verb": "Look for accessories"
  },
  "disconnect": {
    "consequence": "{count} {things} stop answering until it is connected again."
  },
  "author": {
    "kind": "alyt",
    "name": "ALYT",
    "url": "https://alyt.com"
  },
  "verification": {
    "level": "declared"
  }
}

The guide

The HomeKit accessory connector lets a household pair a HomeKit device locally using its setup code. Once connected, ALYT can expose the accessory as a thermostat, light, switch, sensor, or lock, depending on what the accessory supports. Because it connects locally, the house keeps working when the cloud is down. A DEV key works in a sandbox, and a LIVE key works only with its own connector.

What it connects with

Use pair to connect the accessory. The only required field is setupCode, which is the eight-digit setup code printed on the accessory or shown in its app. The field is secret, so handle it as sensitive input. The setup code can be entered in the format shown by the connector UI, such as XXX-XX-XXX.

If pairing fails, check that the setup code is correct and that the accessory is available on the local network. Because this connector is local, remote access or cloud access is not part of the pairing flow.

What it exposes

This connector can bring into ALYT these device kinds: thermostat, light, switch, sensor, and lock.

What you see in ALYT depends on the accessory itself. A HomeKit accessory may expose some of these kinds and not others, and the household only sees the features that the accessory supports. If a device is removed with disconnect, the listed things stop answering until the accessory is connected again.

What to expect as a developer

Use the connector when a user wants ALYT to work with an existing HomeKit accessory that already has a setup code. The household supplies that code during pairing. You do not need to build a separate remote onboarding flow for this connector.

The connector is marked declared for verification. Treat the exposed behavior as what the accessory reports, not as a promise that every HomeKit accessory has the same capabilities.

What it cannot do

This connector does not describe any cloud-based connection method. It also does not promise every possible HomeKit feature, only the device kinds listed above. If the accessory does not support one of those kinds, ALYT cannot expose it through this connector.

When it fails

Check these first:

• The setup code is correct.
• The accessory is on the local network.
• The accessory is still available and has not been disconnected.
• The accessory actually supports one of the exposed kinds: thermostat, light, switch, sensor, or lock.

If the connector is disconnected, the connected things stop answering until it is connected again. That is the expected household-visible result.

House and key behavior

This connector works locally, so the house continues to operate when the cloud is unavailable. A household sees only the device kinds and controls that this accessory exposes through ALYT. A DEV key is for sandbox use, and a LIVE key only works for its own connector.