AC Defender Defender Dispatch · field notes for a real thermostat
Newsroom edition · operational documentation, updated with each release
Language & voice

Choose English, playful Hong Kong Cantonese, or bilingual labels. Funny levels style the surrounding voice; safety facts never change.

These preferences stay in this browser. Article names, dates, commands, and safety boundaries remain factual.
Back to home

AC Defender Dispatch · Field report

Dim-sum startup surprise

The thermostat that holds the line — Home Assistant companion.

Reported for operators Evidence-led Updated with the shipped tree
Editorial wire graphic showing real inputs becoming a bounded decision and a safe Home Assistant action
Startup delight · bounded and non-blocking

Dim-sum startup surprise

The signed-in command page has a small, non-blocking delight: each app launch gets one fresh 10% draw. When the draw succeeds, the card shows one dish name, a bundled-safe public release photo URL, and bilingual alt text. It never controls the thermostat, delays boot, steals focus, or interrupts a real operation.

What is shipped

The app keeps a deliberately small metadata cache for five records from the public dim-sum catalog, pinned to catalog revision f77ea1169db0bfc17365414c44ff495a823c6823. Each row was cross-checked against a published catalog-v1 PNG release asset. The image bytes are not copied into this repository: the card points at the immutable public release asset, for example Classic Har Gow.

The metadata source and revision are constants in Services/DimSumSurpriseService.cs. If the public catalog changes, refresh the cache from the source and re-check every release asset before changing those constants. Do not add generated, downloaded, or locally copied photographs.

Runtime behavior

  1. The layout waits until the boot sequence reaches its final step. If the browser already completed the session boot animation, it treats boot as complete and performs the same check.
  2. A layout instance marks its draw as attempted before evaluating the route, so a launch can never draw twice. The fresh draw uses 1000 buckets; buckets 0..99 are the exact 10% success range. A successful bucket selects one cached dish uniformly.
  3. The card appears only on the signed-in command route (/), with no active cooling-failure alert. Login/first-run, error/update surfaces, other routes, and alert states are left alone.
  4. The card is an anchored role="status" surface with a polite live region. It does not move focus. It has a keyboard-sized dismiss button, an accessible image alt text, and an explicit link to the public photo. It auto-dismisses after 12 seconds.
  5. If the public image fails to load, the card is removed and an informational snackbar explains that no local fallback was used. The app never invents or substitutes a dim-sum image.
  6. The card’s surrounding sentence follows the persisted English/Cantonese funny-level sliders; the dish name and image alt text remain factual.

Failure and security boundaries

  • No Home Assistant command or state is touched by the surprise.
  • No image request is made during login, first run, boot, or another route. The external image is a public immutable release asset; no account token or user data is sent.
  • Offline or blocked image delivery is an ordinary best-effort miss: the card disappears and the user receives a non-blocking notice. There is no generated or vendored fallback.
  • The bounded cache is not a second catalog authority. Its source URL, revision, release tag, bilingual names, and alt text must remain auditable against the public repository.

Verification

The focused regression checks in HomeAssistantAcDefender.Tests/DimSumSurpriseTests.cs verify:

  • source URL and exact catalog revision are recorded;
  • every cached row has bilingual names/alt text and a published immutable catalog-v1 PNG URL;
  • the draw boundary is exactly 10%, deterministic at its edges, and selects the requested row;
  • invalid random buckets are rejected rather than silently clamped.

For browser proof, start the app with the AC Defender run skill, sign in, and clear sessionStorage["ops-boot-done"] in a test browser before reloading. The card should appear only when a test draw succeeds; confirm keyboard focus remains where it was, the close button works, the card auto-dismisses, and a blocked image removes the card without a fallback.

Suggested articles

  • App tabs — navigate between the command surface and other signed-in pages.
  • Notification history — review notices after a card or image failure.
  • Settings — change language mode and the two funny-level controls.
  • Architecture — understand the layout lifecycle and live state pump.

Failure modes

If Dim-sum startup surprise cannot obtain one of its required real inputs, it reports a blocked, held, or unavailable result and leaves the background worker’s Home Assistant refresh running. It never fills a missing room reading, audit event, weather sample, usage value, or device state with a simulator value. If a real Home Assistant command is rejected, the user sees the service’s actual error and the article’s surface remains available for recovery.

Security considerations

This feature consumes only the configured Home Assistant entity data, local settings, and the audit context named above. Tokens and credentials stay in the server environment; the static documentation site does not collect analytics, transmit search text, or embed third-party assets. Logs and exports should be reviewed before sharing because real entity names and timestamps can identify a household.

Suggested next reads

Algorithms deskSearch every guard and open its full field note. Logic notebookTrace the complete safety-first decision cycle. Settings briefingFind the controls, language modes, and persisted preferences.

Keyboard desk

Find a feature

Search every docs destination. Press Escape to close; plain text is the default and the builder is available beside this field.

0 destinations shown

APIOpen the documented feature brief. AccessibilityKeyboard, screen-reader, reduced-motion, contrast, and narrow-layout behavior across the hosted app and documentation. Alectra Peak Power SaverMakes the defender more chill and resource-saving when Alectra Hui reports on-peak, high price, or high power use. AlgorithmsSearch every AC Defender algorithm and open the full wiki article for each one. App tabsOpen the documented feature brief. Appearance editorOpen the documented feature brief. ArchitectureOpen the documented feature brief. Changelog viewerOpen the documented feature brief. Comfort BudgetCaps how many safe corrections happen inside a rolling window so the AC is not constantly nudged. Comfort CompromiseBlends a repeated wall choice into a temporary target, then fades it back to the website target. Comfort EnvelopeLets a tiny safe wall preference rest for a while instead of being corrected the instant it appears. Comfort MemoryLearns a small time-of-day target bias from repeated safe wall choices and re-applies it later that hour. Comfort PaceThe high-frequency planner: under heavy wall fighting it waits for a calm weather, sensor, or clock-aligned slot. Comfort Sync (quiet recovery)Spaces out and softens corrections so a fixed thermostat does not look like an instant robot. Command CamouflageGives a recent helper command time to look normal before another safe correction appears. Command paletteOpen the documented feature brief. Conflict QuietStands the defender down during an obvious tug-of-war over the thermostat. Context menus and mobile tab editingOpen the documented feature brief. Cool Mode RestorePuts the thermostat back into cool mode whenever someone switches it to heat/off/auto. Cool-Outdoor Shutdown (Open-Window Armistice)When it is genuinely cool outside and the forecast says it stays cool, the defender turns the AC fully off — and turns it back on by itself when the weather or the room demands it. Cooler Intent Fast LaneWhen people keep dialing the wall cooler, it skips quiet waits so the room cools sooner. Cooling Failure WatchRaises a repeating MEGA alert when cool mode is demanded but the AC is not really cooling, escalates to a full-site OMEGA alert when a rising room confirms it, then turns the AC off only for that confirmed failure until the room warms 0.5 C. Cooling RunwayGives the AC time to work after cooling starts before nudging the setpoint again. Defender LogicThe searchable decision cycle and exact rule text for every AC Defender algorithm. DeploymentOpen the documented feature brief. Desired-State EnforcerMakes the owner's chosen AC state win automatically: if someone else turns the unit off or moves the setpoint, it restores the exact desired state and keeps it there. Dim-sum startup surpriseOpen the documented feature brief. Dynamic CooldownA frequency-based quiet period after a manual thermostat change. Emergency ProtocolsOne-tap stand-down modes for too-cold, someone-upset, and suspicion situations. Energy & CostsOpen the documented feature brief. Every Guard, Explained SimplyA searchable plain-language guide to every AC Defender algorithm. Fan Energy SaverOptionally moves the fan to an energy-saving mode when the room is near target. Field Kitchen (food rations)Banks unspent AC dollars during siestas and cool-outdoor shutdowns, and spends them on forecast-hot days so the monthly budget eases exactly when cooling matters most. Front-door Guard PostPauses the defender and can turn the thermostat off when a real front-door person detector trips. HVAC AlibiWaits for a real HVAC action transition so a safe correction lands near a normal thermostat event. Heat, Pain & Survival FactsSourced hearing, heat-illness, and immediate personal-safety facts beside the playful Yell-O-Meter. HomeOpen the documented feature brief. Human NudgeMakes the final safe setpoint command look like a normal thermostat step instead of a precise bot number. Line counts and release archivesOpen the documented feature brief. Manual Comfort GraceLeaves a manual wall change alone while the room still feels comfortable. Natural CadencePicks a variable future slot for safe nudges so they never land at identical, robotic times. Natural WalkbackWalks a safe-band correction toward target in small, slightly random steps instead of one obvious jump. Notification historyOpen the documented feature brief. Regex search builderOpen the documented feature brief. Release operationsOpen the documented feature brief. Remote Settling GuardGives repeated phone/Home Assistant or automation thermostat changes a quiet settling window before a safe answer-back. Repeat QuietWaits before sending the very same thermostat number again. Repeated-Raise SurrenderIf a person re-raises the setpoint to about the same value 3+ times in 30 minutes, the defender adopts their number for 4 hours — the human wins the argument. Rival Schedule WatchKnows the AC vendor app's own temperature schedule (SLEEP / DEEP SLEEP / GOOD MORNING) and defends my temp when a scheduled block pushes the wall warmer while everyone sleeps. Room Trend GuardKeeps observing when the room is already stable or cooling after a wall change. Routine TimingLines safe corrections up with a normal-looking comfort-check rhythm instead of firing instantly. Schedule & Weather RulesTime-of-day target rules, each gated by a weather activation condition. Sensor RhythmTimes nudges to just after the normal Home Assistant reading beat so they look less mechanical. Setpoint EchoWaits for Home Assistant to report back the last setpoint before sending another safe command. Setpoint StillnessWaits until the wall setpoint stops moving before a safe correction answers back. SettingsOpen the documented feature brief. Settings history filters and exportsOpen the documented feature brief. Siesta Watch (mess hall)Lets the whole guard force nap on command; while they sleep the AC eases off and the money it would have spent is banked as food rations. Stealth GovernorRuns a whole-system low-profile hold when wall touches, noticed corrections, remote changes, and helper commands make the defender look too busy. Super DefenderDetects repeated phone/Home Assistant thermostat changes and tightens correction timing without cutting thermostat Wi-Fi. Tamper TruceIf the thermostat vanishes right after a correction exchange, assume a frustrated person detached it — stand down 2 hours instead of escalating. Telemetry AlibiWaits for a normal Home Assistant/weather/usage update before a safe correction, so the nudge is not an isolated event. Thermal MomentumWaits when the room is already cooling fast enough to reach target soon on its own. Thermostat OFF super-confirmationOpen the documented feature brief. Touch IntentReads whether recent wall changes trend warmer, cooler, or mixed, and extends grace for a clear warmer pattern. Touch SignatureMatches safe nudges to the size of steps people actually use on the wall thermostat. Tug-of-War TruceCalls a temporary truce when the real thermostat bounces up and down, so answer-back commands do not look like a duel. Upstairs Comfort GuardPrioritizes cooling when upstairs rooms get hot while someone is home. Visibility GuardSlows the next safe nudge when a wall touch lands right after a defender command (someone likely noticed). Wake-Up Truce (door sensor)A bedroom door opening at dawn means that person is awake — adopt the warm truce temperature before they ever touch the thermostat. Wall SettlingWaits for someone who is still tapping the wall thermostat to stop before correcting. Weather Drift TimingTimes safe corrections to real outdoor-weather movement instead of firing immediately. Website DebounceBlocks repeated website button taps for two minutes so the UI does not spam Home Assistant. Website TourOpen the documented feature brief. Windows Electron controllerOpen the documented feature brief. Windows HTTPS update-feed contractOpen the documented feature brief. Yelling PredictionsEvery Yell-O-Meter bill band, possible household consequence, uncertainty boundary, and factual input. Yelling Survival GuideA practical before, during, and after playbook for the Yell-O-Meter, with honest limits and immediate-safety routes.