Firefox Bug: Home Assistant Automation Editor Closes Instantly
It seems like a pesky bug has cropped up for some Home Assistant users, specifically when trying to create or edit automations using Firefox version 145.0.2 on an ARM-based system like the Raspberry Pi 4+ running Ubuntu MATE. The issue is quite frustrating: whenever you try to add a trigger or an action to an automation, the configuration window pops up for just a split second before vanishing, flinging you right back to the main automation list. This essentially makes it impossible to build new automations using this particular browser and hardware combination. The good news? It doesn't seem to be affecting other browsers like Brave or even Firefox on Windows, which is a small silver lining!
The Annoying Automation Modal Glitch
This UI bug with the automation modal in Home Assistant has recently made its unwelcome appearance, and it's causing quite a stir for those who rely on Firefox for their smart home management on ARM devices. The core of the problem lies in the fact that the intended functionality of adding triggers or actions to automations is completely broken. You click to add something, the little window appears, and poof, it’s gone. Imagine trying to build a Lego set, and every time you pick up a brick, the whole thing disappears! That's pretty much the experience when this bug hits. It’s not just a minor inconvenience; it’s a complete roadblock for anyone trying to create or modify their automations, which is a pretty central part of using Home Assistant effectively. The fact that it only appears on specific browser/OS/hardware combinations is also a bit of a head-scratcher, suggesting a complex interaction at play. We’ve seen reports of this issue primarily affecting users on Ubuntu MATE running on a Raspberry Pi 4+, which utilizes an ARM architecture. When you attempt to navigate to Settings -> Automations & Scenes and then click on "Create Automation" -> "Create new automation", the familiar editor should appear. However, instead of letting you configure your automation, clicking on "Add Trigger" or "Add Action" results in the modal window flashing into existence and then immediately disappearing. This leaves you staring at the list of existing automations, with no way to proceed. It’s a stark reminder of how even a small glitch in the user interface can have a significant impact on the overall usability of a powerful system like Home Assistant. The developers are aware of this and are working on a fix, but in the meantime, it’s important to understand the symptoms and the environment where it’s occurring.
Diving Deep: The CSS Error Behind the Curtain
Digging into the problem, the Firefox 145.0.2 on ARM issue seems to be rooted in a peculiar CSS error related to the transform property. When you look at the Firefox Developer Console, you'll notice some intriguing messages that shed light on what's going wrong. The key culprits appear to be these lines:
Keyframe property value “translateX(0px) translateY(NaNpx) scale(NaN)” is invalid according to the syntax for “transform”.Keyframe property value “” is invalid according to the syntax for “width”.
These errors strongly suggest that the animation or transition applied to the automation modal is encountering invalid values, specifically NaNpx (Not a Number) for translateY and an empty string for width. The transform property in CSS is used for various visual manipulations, including moving, scaling, and rotating elements. When it receives an invalid value like NaNpx, the browser simply cannot render the transformation correctly, and in this case, it seems to be causing the entire modal to behave erratically – essentially closing itself because it can’t be displayed as intended. The width: "" error is also indicative of a parsing problem within the CSS, where the browser expects a numerical value for width but receives something it can't process. This could be related to how the modal's dimensions are being dynamically calculated or applied. The fact that this occurs specifically in Firefox on ARM architecture hints at a potential difference in how JavaScript engines or CSS rendering engines handle these values on that particular platform compared to others. It’s fascinating how these seemingly small numerical errors in CSS can lead to such a disruptive user experience. It’s a testament to the complex interplay between the browser, the operating system, and the web application’s code. For those technical folks out there, understanding these console messages is crucial for diagnosing and eventually resolving such issues. It highlights the importance of robust error handling and cross-browser/cross-platform testing in web development, especially for sophisticated applications like Home Assistant.
When Did This Start? And What's Different?
This specific UI bug with the automation modal in Home Assistant appears to have surfaced relatively recently. Users have reported that it wasn’t an issue in previous versions, but it started manifesting with Firefox 145.0.2. What's particularly interesting is the contrast in behavior across different environments. While Firefox on ARM (Ubuntu RPi 4+) is experiencing this instant closure, Chromium-based browsers like Brave on the same ARM hardware work perfectly fine. Furthermore, Firefox on Windows 11 is also unaffected, indicating that the problem isn't with Firefox itself in general, but rather a specific interaction with the ARM architecture or the Ubuntu MATE operating system running on it. This selective nature of the bug is often the most puzzling aspect for developers. It suggests that the underlying code responsible for the modal's display and animation is being interpreted or executed differently on the ARM platform when using Firefox. It could be related to how floating-point numbers are handled, how certain CSS animations are compiled, or even how the operating system's graphics stack interacts with the browser. The fact that it works on Windows Firefox and Chromium on ARM points towards a very specific intersection of factors. It’s a reminder that software isn't developed or run in a vacuum; it’s deeply intertwined with the hardware it runs on and the operating system that mediates that interaction. This differential behavior is exactly why comprehensive testing across various platforms, architectures, and browser versions is so critical. Without this targeted reporting and testing, identifying the root cause of such a specific bug would be significantly more challenging. The community's detailed bug report, including the console errors and environment specifics, is invaluable in pinpointing this complex issue and ultimately finding a resolution.
Your Environment Details
To help pinpoint this Firefox bug on ARM, the user provided a comprehensive set of environment details, which are crucial for developers trying to replicate and fix the issue. Here’s a breakdown:
- Home Assistant Core: 2025.12.1
- Home Assistant Supervisor: 2025.12.2
- Home Assistant Operating System: 16.3
- Home Assistant Frontend: 20251203.1
- Web Browser: Firefox Release 145.0.2 (Released 2025-11-25)
- Operating System/Hardware: Ubuntu MATE on Raspberry Pi 4+ (ARM Architecture)
These details are incredibly important. They specify the exact versions of Home Assistant and its components, the precise browser version exhibiting the problem, and the underlying hardware and operating system. This level of specificity allows developers to attempt to recreate the exact conditions under which the bug occurs. For instance, knowing it's Home Assistant Core 2025.12.1 and Firefox 145.0.2 on a Raspberry Pi 4+ running Ubuntu MATE provides a clear target. If the developers can set up a similar environment, they can then use the provided console error messages – like the translateY(NaNpx) and invalid width errors – to debug the CSS and JavaScript code responsible for the automation modal. The absence of the issue in other browsers or operating systems further helps narrow down the potential causes. It might point to a specific JavaScript engine behavior on ARM, a difference in CSS rendering implementation between Firefox on ARM and other platforms, or even a quirk in the Ubuntu MATE environment that interacts poorly with Firefox's animation engine. This detailed information is the bedrock of effective bug hunting and ensures that the effort is focused on the most likely scenarios. It’s a great example of how the Home Assistant community collaborates to improve the platform.
What’s Next? Finding a Solution
While this UI bug is definitely a hurdle for Firefox users on ARM trying to manage their automations, the good news is that the issue is documented and being looked into. The detailed error messages and environment specifics provided by the user are invaluable for the Home Assistant development team. They can use this information to replicate the bug in their own testing environments and then dive into the code to identify the exact line causing the NaNpx or invalid width CSS errors. It's highly probable that a fix will involve adjusting how the CSS transform property is calculated or applied, ensuring that valid numerical values are always used, especially during animations and transitions. Developers might also investigate if there are any platform-specific workarounds or if a more robust way to handle dynamic styling is needed for the automation editor. For users encountering this problem, the immediate workaround would be to use a different browser (like Brave or another Chromium-based browser) or a different operating system for configuring automations on their ARM devices until a fix is released. The Home Assistant community is known for its responsiveness, and bugs like these, especially those affecting core functionality, are usually prioritized. Keep an eye on future Home Assistant Core releases, release notes, and community forums for updates on this issue. The collaborative effort between users reporting bugs and developers fixing them is what makes platforms like Home Assistant so robust and continuously improving. In the meantime, remember to always keep your Home Assistant installation and your browser updated, as fixes often land in the latest releases. For more information on Home Assistant development and bug tracking, you can always refer to the official Home Assistant Community Forum.
