govee-control

Script-free Govee OpenAPI setup and control guide. Use when the user wants to get a Govee API key, connect Govee, list devices, check state, or send power/br...

Govee OpenAPI (No Scripts)

Control Govee devices using manual curl commands only.

Linux System Requirements

• Linux shell with bash available.
• curl installed.
• Internet access to https://developer-api.govee.com and https://developer.govee.com.
• Govee account with supported devices linked.
• Optional: jq for pretty-printing JSON responses.

Quick check:

bash --version | head -n 1
curl --version | head -n 1
command -v jq >/dev/null && jq --version || echo "jq not installed (optional)"

Required Credential

• GOVEE_API_KEY (required)

Autonomous Use Guardrails

• Only read GOVEE_API_KEY from your chosen per-user secrets file.
• Do not read unrelated secret files or system credentials.
• Restrict outbound requests to:
  • https://developer-api.govee.com
  • https://developer.govee.com
• Ask before controlling multiple devices or performing bulk changes.

Get a Govee API Key

1. Open https://developer.govee.com/.
2. Sign in with the same Govee account that owns your devices.
3. Go to the API key section in the developer console.
4. Generate/apply for a key and copy it.
5. Keep it private (treat it like a password).

If the portal UI changes, use the same flow: sign in to Govee Developer → find API key management → create key.

Secure Local Storage (Per-User)

Never store API keys in skill files, git, or chat logs.

Create a per-user secrets file (avoid /root unless intentionally running as root):

mkdir -p "$HOME/.openclaw/secrets"
cat > "$HOME/.openclaw/secrets/govee.env" <<'EOF'
export GOVEE_API_KEY='<YOUR_API_KEY>'
EOF
chmod 600 "$HOME/.openclaw/secrets/govee.env"

Load only this variable into the current shell (no set -a):

source "$HOME/.openclaw/secrets/govee.env"

API Base URL

https://developer-api.govee.com/v1

Discover Devices First

Before controlling lights, list devices and copy your own device + model:

curl -sS -X GET "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

View Device State

curl -sS -X GET "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices/state?device=<DEVICE>&model=<MODEL>" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Control Commands

Turn on

curl -sS -X PUT "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices/control" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"device":"<DEVICE>","model":"<MODEL>","cmd":{"name":"turn","value":"on"}}'

Turn off

curl -sS -X PUT "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices/control" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"device":"<DEVICE>","model":"<MODEL>","cmd":{"name":"turn","value":"off"}}'

Brightness (1-100)

curl -sS -X PUT "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices/control" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"device":"<DEVICE>","model":"<MODEL>","cmd":{"name":"brightness","value":75}}'

RGB color

curl -sS -X PUT "https://developer-api.govee.com/v1/devices/control" \
  -H "Govee-API-Key: $GOVEE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"device":"<DEVICE>","model":"<MODEL>","cmd":{"name":"color","value":{"r":120,"g":180,"b":255}}}'

Response Check

Success usually returns:

{"code":200,"message":"Success"}

If code is not 200, treat it as failure.

Troubleshooting

• 401 / unauthorized: key missing, expired, or invalid.
• 429 / rate limit: slow retries.
• command rejected: model does not support that command (supportCmds).
• empty device list: account has no supported linked devices.

Safety Rules

• Use placeholders in docs only (<DEVICE>, <MODEL>, <YOUR_API_KEY>).
• Do not include real keys or device IDs in published artifacts.
• Prefer one-device-at-a-time actions over bulk changes.
• Avoid pasting API keys into chat.