Nest SDM

Control Nest thermostat, doorbell, and cameras via the Google Smart Device Management (SDM) API.

Nest SDM Skill

Control and monitor Google Nest devices via the Smart Device Management REST API.

Setup

Prerequisites

1. Device Access Console — Register at https://console.nest.google.com/device-access ($5 one-time fee)
2. GCP Project — Create at https://console.cloud.google.com with SDM API enabled
3. OAuth Client — Web application type with https://www.google.com as redirect URI
4. SDM scope — Add https://www.googleapis.com/auth/sdm.service to OAuth consent screen

First-time Authorization

1. Build the authorization URL:

https://nestservices.google.com/partnerconnections/<PROJECT_ID>/auth?redirect_uri=https://www.google.com&access_type=offline&prompt=consent&client_id=<CLIENT_ID>&response_type=code&scope=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/sdm.service

2. Open in browser, sign in as the device owner Google account
3. Enable ALL device permissions, click Next, then Continue through consent
4. Copy the code= parameter from the redirect URL
5. Exchange for tokens:

curl -s -X POST https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token \
  -d "client_id=<CLIENT_ID>" \
  -d "client_secret=<CLIENT_SECRET>" \
  -d "code=<AUTH_CODE>" \
  -d "grant_type=authorization_code" \
  -d "redirect_uri=https://www.google.com"

6. Save tokens to the config file (see Configuration below)

Configuration

Create ~/.openclaw/workspace/.nest-sdm-tokens.json:

{
  "client_id": "<your-client-id>",
  "client_secret": "<your-client-secret>",
  "project_id": "<device-access-project-id>",
  "refresh_token": "<your-refresh-token>",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "scope": "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/sdm.service"
}

Secure it: chmod 600 ~/.openclaw/workspace/.nest-sdm-tokens.json

CLI Usage

# Alias for convenience
alias nest="<skill-dir>/nest-sdm.sh"

Device Discovery

nest devices                    # List all devices (JSON)
nest structures                 # List structures/rooms

Thermostat

nest thermostat                 # Current status (temp, humidity, mode, setpoints)
nest set-cool <°F>              # Set to COOL mode at temperature
nest set-heat <°F>              # Set to HEAT mode at temperature
nest set-range <low°F> <high°F> # Set HEATCOOL range
nest set-mode <MODE>            # HEAT | COOL | HEATCOOL | OFF
nest set-eco <MODE>             # MANUAL_ECO | OFF
nest fan-on [duration_seconds]  # Turn fan on (default: 900s / 15min)
nest fan-off                    # Turn fan off

Doorbell & Cameras

nest doorbell                   # Doorbell info & capabilities
nest display                    # Kitchen display info
nest camera-stream <DEVICE_ID>  # Generate WebRTC live stream (returns SDP answer)
nest camera-image <EVENT_ID>    # Get event snapshot URL

Raw API

nest api GET devices                              # Raw device list
nest api GET devices/<DEVICE_ID>                  # Single device
nest api POST devices/<DEVICE_ID>:executeCommand '{"command":"...","params":{...}}'

Supported Devices

Type	Traits	Control
THERMOSTAT	Temperature, Humidity, Mode, Eco, Fan, HVAC, Setpoint, Connectivity	Full read/write
DOORBELL	LiveStream, CameraImage, Person, Motion, Chime, EventImage, ClipPreview	Read + stream
DISPLAY	LiveStream, CameraImage, Person, Sound, Motion, EventImage	Read + stream

SDM API Commands Reference

Thermostat Commands

Command	Params
ThermostatMode.SetMode	{"mode": "HEAT|COOL|HEATCOOL|OFF"}
ThermostatTemperatureSetpoint.SetHeat	{"heatCelsius": <float>}
ThermostatTemperatureSetpoint.SetCool	{"coolCelsius": <float>}
ThermostatTemperatureSetpoint.SetRange	{"heatCelsius": <float>, "coolCelsius": <float>}
ThermostatEco.SetMode	{"mode": "MANUAL_ECO|OFF"}
Fan.SetTimer	{"timerMode": "ON", "duration": "<seconds>s"}

Camera Commands

Command	Params
CameraLiveStream.GenerateWebRtcStream	{"offerSdp": "<SDP offer>"}
CameraLiveStream.StopWebRtcStream	{"mediaSessionId": "<id>"}
CameraLiveStream.ExtendWebRtcStream	{"mediaSessionId": "<id>"}
CameraEventImage.GenerateImage	{"eventId": "<event-id>"}

Pub/Sub Real-Time Events

Get instant alerts for doorbell presses, motion, person detection, and device state changes.

CLI: nest-events

nest-events setup-check         # Verify Pub/Sub config is ready
nest-events create-topic        # Create GCP Pub/Sub topic
nest-events grant-permissions   # Grant SDM publisher role
nest-events create-subscription # Create pull subscription
nest-events poll                # Pull events once
nest-events listen              # Poll continuously (daemon)

Setup Steps

1. OAuth with Pub/Sub scope — Run OAuth flow as [e-mail] with pubsub + cloud-platform scopes. Save tokens to .nest-pubsub-tokens.json.
2. Create topic — nest-events create-topic (creates projects/YOUR_GCP_PROJECT/topics/nest-sdm-events)
3. Grant permissions — nest-events grant-permissions (adds [e-mail])
4. Create subscription — nest-events create-subscription
5. Enable in Device Access Console — https://console.nest.google.com/device-access → Enable Pub/Sub → Enter topic ID
6. Trigger initial events — nest devices (one-time API call)
7. Start listener — nest-events listen

Event Types Supported

Event	Alert
DoorbellChime.Chime	🔔 DOORBELL — Someone rang!
CameraPerson.Person	👤 Person detected at device
CameraMotion.Motion	🏃 Motion at device
CameraSound.Sound	🔊 Sound at device
ThermostatHvac status change	❄️/🔥 HVAC now COOLING/HEATING
ThermostatTemperatureSetpoint	🌡️ Setpoint changed
Temperature trait	🌡️ Ambient temperature change

Configuration

Environment Variables:

Variable	Description	Default
NEST_PUBSUB_TOKENS	Path to Pub/Sub OAuth tokens	~/.openclaw/workspace/.nest-pubsub-tokens.json
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN	Bot token for alerts	from ~/.zshenv
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID	User/chat ID for alerts	from ~/.zshenv
POLL_INTERVAL	Seconds between polls	10
GCP_PROJECT	GCP project ID	YOUR_GCP_PROJECT
PUBSUB_TOPIC	Topic name	nest-sdm-events
PUBSUB_SUBSCRIPTION	Subscription name	nest-sdm-events-sub

Event Logs

Raw events are logged to data/nest-events/events-YYYY-MM-DD.jsonl.

Alert Dedup

Same event type won't re-alert within 60 seconds to prevent alert fatigue.

Important Notes

• Token expiry: If the GCP app is in "testing" mode, refresh tokens expire in 7 days. Publish the app to avoid re-auth.
• Temperature: API uses Celsius internally. The CLI handles F↔C conversion.
• Setpoint constraints: HEATCOOL range must have at least 1.5°C (2.7°F) gap between heat and cool setpoints.
• Camera streams: WebRTC only (no RTSP). Requires SDP offer/answer exchange.
• Rate limits: 10 queries/min per device, 10 commands/min per device.
• Events: Use nest-events listen for real-time alerts. Requires Pub/Sub setup (see above).