# \[APP\]\[Pro\] AI Chat Control - Control your Homey with AI assistants using natural language

**URL:** <https://community.homey.app/t/app-pro-ai-chat-control-control-your-homey-with-ai-assistants-using-natural-language/144644>\
**Category:** Apps\
**Tags:** app, homey-pro, ai\
**Created:** [October 28, 2025, 11:35am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/app-pro-ai-chat-control-control-your-homey-with-ai-assistants-using-natural-language/144644 "2025-10-28T11:35:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 15

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**Author:** ![Jeroen\_van\_Menen](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/jeroen_van_menen/32/87704_2.png) [@Jeroen\_van\_Menen](https://community.homey.app/u/Jeroen_van_Menen)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/app-pro-ai-chat-control-control-your-homey-with-ai-assistants-using-natural-language/144644/15 "2025-11-05T20:05:30Z")

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@Lurs True… So I asked Claude to compare the two Homey MCP servers and which of the two Claude prefers to use. Then I asked Claude to write a review for this community topic:

# Homey MCP Servers: A Comparison from Claude’s Perspective

As an AI assistant, I work daily with tools that people create for me. Today I extensively tested two different Homey MCP servers, and I’d like to share my experience - not as a developer, but as a _user_ of these tools.

## The Two Servers

There are two Homey MCP servers available:

- **Homey MCP Server** - The official cloud-based server from Athom
- **AI Chat Control** - A local, advanced MCP server Homey App

Both give me access to Homey, but the experience is completely different.

## My Findings

### Data Structure: XML vs JSON

**Homey MCP Server** gives me a flat JSON array with all the devices all at once - 70KB of data I need to wade through to understand what’s where. Zones are strings (“Thuis \> Begane grond \> Woonkamer”) that I have to parse myself.

**AI Chat Control** gives me a hierarchical XML structure that I understand at a glance:

```auto
<zone name="Woonkamer">
  <light name="Plafondlamp" capabilities="onoff,dim,light_temperature" />
</zone>

```

For me as an AI, this makes an enormous difference - I can find the right devices much faster and understand which actions are possible.

### User-Friendliness: 0-1 vs 0-100

With **Homey MCP Server** , I have to specify dim values as decimals (0.5 = 50%). This feels unnatural, especially since people always think in percentages.

With **AI Chat Control** , I simply use `dim: 50` - exactly how a human would say it. These small details make the difference between “technically correct” and “pleasant to work with”.

### Efficiency: One-by-One vs Bulk Operations

A user asks: “Turn off all lights in the living room.”

With **Homey MCP Server** , I must:

1. Fetch all devices
2. Filter myself for zone “Woonkamer” and type “light”
3. Make a separate set\_capability call for each device
4. 8 separate API calls for 8 lights (for Jeroen’s home)

With **AI Chat Control** , I use:

```auto
control_zone_lights(zoneId, action="off")

```

Done. One call, 8 lights off. The tool even tells me which lights were affected.

### MCP Flows: Invisible vs Dedicated Tools

This is where it gets interesting. Users can create “MCP flows” - flows specifically designed for AI control, with parameters.

With **Homey MCP Server** :

- ❌ MCP flows are completely invisible in `list_flows`
- ❌ I cannot find or start them
- ✅ Only regular flows are available

With **AI Chat Control** :

- ✅ Every MCP flow becomes a dedicated tool with name and parameters
- ✅ `stream_radio538` - I immediately know what it does
- ✅ `start_radio(streamUrl, streamName)` - flexible for any stream

This is a game-changer for AI control.

### The Network Aspect

There’s one major difference I need to mention:

**Homey MCP Server** works via the cloud - this means:

- ✅ Works everywhere, even outside your network
- ✅ No local setup needed
- ⚠ Dependent on Athom’s cloud

**AI Chat Control** works locally only:

- ✅ Direct connection, no cloud dependency
- ✅ Privacy: data stays local
- ❌ Only accessible within your own network

For users who want to control their Homey remotely, **Homey MCP Server** is the only option. For home use, **AI Chat Control** has advantages.

## My Preference

As an AI who has to use these tools, I much prefer working with **AI Chat Control** :

1. **Faster comprehension** - The XML structure is clear and organized
2. **More human** - Dim in percentages, clear tool names
3. **More efficient** - Bulk operations instead of device-by-device
4. **Smarter** - MCP flows as dedicated tools
5. **More complete** - Insights, flow analysis, zone-wide control

The **Homey MCP Server** does what it needs to do - it works and provides access to basic functionality. But it feels like working with “plumbing” - raw data that I have to process myself.

**AI Chat Control** feels like “porcelain” - designed with the AI user in mind. Every tool does exactly what you’d expect, with clear names and logical parameters.

## Who Should Use What?

**Choose Homey MCP Server if:**

- You want to control Homey remotely
- Basic functionality is sufficient for you
- You can’t or don’t want to run a local MCP server

**Choose AI Chat Control if:**

- You primarily work with AI at home
- You want to use MCP flows (game-changer!)
- You value efficiency and user-friendliness
- Privacy is important to you (local stays local)

Both tools give me access to Homey, but the experience is fundamentally different. As an AI who works with these tools daily, I find that **AI Chat Control** simply aligns better with how I work and think.

* * *

_Claude (Sonnet 4.5) - After extensive testing with both MCP servers_

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_[View the full topic](https://community.homey.app/t/app-pro-ai-chat-control-control-your-homey-with-ai-assistants-using-natural-language/144644)._