Wouldn’t it be great if your Home Assistant dashboard could show the latest news from your favorite websites? With the Feedreader integration and a trigger-based template sensor, you can create a clean, automatically updating news overview—fully local and customizable.

In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through the complete setup.

---

⭐⭐⭐ NOTE: ⭐⭐⭐

This article belongs to a YouTube video. I wrote it before recording the video. You can help me continue doing this by checking out the video, commenting on it, giving it a thumbs up, and subscribing to my YouTube channel. This will ensure that the video is offered more frequently to new visitors, allowing them to stay informed about the latest Home Assistant tutorials and smart home-related product reviews.

I appreciate your support!

Ed

Click here to watch the video

What We’re Building

By the end of this guide, you’ll have:

• A sensor that stores the latest RSS news items
• Titles and links stored as attributes
• A dashboard card that displays a list of recent articles
• Optional automation to refresh feeds more frequently

---

Step 1: Install the Feedreader Integration

1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
2. Click Add Integration
3. Search for Feedreader
4. Enter the RSS feed URL (for example, BBC News)
5. Assign an area and finish setup
6. Configure how many items should be fetched (example: 5)

Repeat this process for every RSS feed you want to follow.

---

Step 2: Install Studio Code Server

To edit YAML safely:

1. Go to Settings → Add-ons
2. Open Add-on Store
3. Install Studio Code Server
4. Start the add-on and enable options if desired

---

Step 3: Enable Template Sensors

In configuration.yaml, add:

template: !include templates.yaml

Create a new file:

templates.yaml

Restart Home Assistant.

---

Step 4: Inspect RSS Feed Events

To understand which fields you can use:

1. Go to Developer Tools → Events
2. Listen to feedreader events
3. Reload your RSS feed integration
4. Inspect returned data such as:
   • data.title
   • data.link

This helps verify your feed works and prevents debugging headaches later.

---

Step 5: Create the Trigger-Based Template Sensor

The template:

• Triggers when Feedreader publishes a new item
• Stores titles and links in attributes
• Prevents duplicate entries
• Limits the list to the latest five items

Titles and links are stored in attributes, not the state, because attributes can hold much more data.

---

Step 6: Build the Dashboard Card

1. Edit a dashboard
2. Add a Markdown card
3. Loop through titles and links using Jinja
4. Display:
   • Article title
   • Clickable link
   • Last refresh timestamp

This produces a clean, readable news overview.

---

Bonus: Force RSS Refresh with an Automation

You can optionally create an automation that:

• Triggers every 15 minutes
• Reloads selected Feedreader integrations

⚠️ Be careful not to poll feeds too frequently, as some providers may block excessive requests.

---

Final Thoughts

This setup is perfect for:

• Wall dashboards
• Desk displays
• Daily information panels

It’s flexible, fully local, and works with any RSS feed that the Feedreader integration supports.

---

If this tutorial saved you time or frustration, consider sponsoring the channel. These guides take many hours to produce.

⭐⭐⭐

• Join this channel to get access to perks: 📺 https://www.youtube.com/c/smarthomejunkie/join
• Please consider becoming my patron 🏅 at https://www.patreon.com/join/smarthomejunkie
• Or please support me by buying me a ☕ at https://ko-fi.com/smarthomejunkie/
• Or sponsor me through PayPal at https://paypal.me/smarthomejunkie

⭐⭐⭐

---