Alex2ESP

Alex2ESP is a lightweight Arduino/PlatformIO library for integrating ESP8266 microcontrollers with Amazon Alexa smart home APIs through the Alex2MQTT skill. The library simplifies the process of creating Alexa-compatible devices using MQTT.

Supported target: ESP8266 (developed and tested on a Wemos D1 mini). ESP32: untested - the code carries include guards for it, but it has never been compiled or run there.

For more details on how to configure Alex2ESP, visit Alex2MQTT Documentation.

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Features

• Supports "All" Alexa smart home capabilities.
• Provides action mapping for advanced directive customization including Open,Close,Raise,and Lower commands.
• Allows custom JSON injection in both discovery and state reporting to allow for unsupported devices.
• Event-driven architecture for handling Alexa directives.

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Alternatives

one of the most popular library for controlling esp like devices using alexa is FauxmoESP however FauxmoESP works by emulating a light bulb so it is limited in what commands it accepts.

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Quick Start

Installation

The library lives on Forgejo at https://git.stormysdream.club/platformio/Alex2ESP (public). It is not in the PlatformIO registry or the Arduino Library Manager: install it from git.

PlatformIO

[env:d1_mini]
platform = espressif8266
board = d1_mini
framework = arduino
monitor_speed = 74880
lib_deps =
    https://git.stormysdream.club/platformio/Alex2ESP.git
    marvinroger/AsyncMqttClient@^0.9.0
    bblanchon/ArduinoJson@^7

To pin a release instead of main, append the tag: https://git.stormysdream.club/platformio/Alex2ESP.git#v1.1.0. AsyncMqttClient pulls in ESPAsyncTCP by itself; if PlatformIO notes that more than one ESPAsyncTCP package matches, add esp32async/ESPAsyncTCP@^2.0.0 to lib_deps to pick one explicitly. The examples print at 74880 baud, the ESP8266 boot-ROM rate, so the boot messages stay readable in the same monitor.

Arduino IDE

Download the repository as a ZIP (https://git.stormysdream.club/platformio/Alex2ESP/archive/main.zip) and add it with Sketch -> Include Library -> Add .ZIP Library. Install AsyncMqttClient, ArduinoJson (7.x) and ESP Async TCP (by ESP32Async) from the Library Manager. Install the ESP8266 board package and select your board (for example LOLIN(WEMOS) D1 R2 & mini).

Then include the library in your project:

#include <Alex2ESP.h>

Complete sketches are in examples/: basicLight.cpp, lightWithBrightness.cpp, lightWithColorTemp.cpp, tempSensor.cpp and blindControl.cpp. Every example joins Wi-Fi with WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASSWORD); fill in the SSID, the password and your Alex2MQTT credentials before flashing.

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Creating a Basic Device

Example: Light Control

Here’s how to create a simple device that controls a light:

First create an instance of the alexa client and initilize it with your MQTT Credentials

Alex2ESP alexClient;

Credentials can be found at https://alex2mqtt.stormysdream.club/ after logging in with amazon. begin() takes the MQTT username, the MQTT password and the root topic, in that order (the same order as alex2node's new Alex2MQTT(username, password, rootTopic)).

  alexClient.begin(ALEXA_USERNAME, ALEXA_PASSWORD, ALEXA_ROOT_TOPIC);

Once initilized you can begin to add virtual devices, in this example we add a power controller to toggle a light

  AlexaDevice* device1 = alexClient.getDevice("Test Lamp", "ESP-01");
  device1->setDisplayCategory(DisplayCategory::LIGHT);
  device1->addCapability(AlexaInterfaceType::POWER_CONTROLLER);

  device1->registerEvent("ReportState", [](const JsonDocument& directive, const AlexaInterfaceType& type) {
    // Build and send status report
    device1->buildStatusMessage(directive["header"]["correlationToken"])
      .AddHealthProp(EndpointHealth::OK)
      .AddPowerControllerProp(outputState)
      .send();
  });

  // Register event listener for "Event" directive to handle state changes
  device1->registerEvent("Event", [](const JsonDocument& directive, const AlexaInterfaceType& type) {
    if (type == AlexaInterfaceType::POWER_CONTROLLER) {
      if (directive["header"]["name"] == "TurnOn") {
        outputState = PowerController::ON;
        Serial.println("Turning ON");
      } else if (directive["header"]["name"] == "TurnOff") {
        outputState = PowerController::OFF;
        Serial.println("Turning OFF");
      }

      // Send the updated state after change
      device1->buildStatusMessage(directive["header"]["correlationToken"], true)
        .AddHealthProp(EndpointHealth::OK)
        .AddPowerControllerProp(outputState)
        .send();
    }
  });

The pointers returned by getDevice() and addCapability() stay valid for the lifetime of the client, so keeping them in globals and adding more devices or capabilities later is fine.

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Example: Toggle Controller for Blinds

Alex2ESP also supports action mapping so we can map keywords such as "open" and "close" to a toggle controller For a comprehensive list of Alexa actions and mappings, visit the Alexa Developer Documentation

AlexaDevice* device = alexClient.getDevice("Bedroom Blinds", "ESP-01");
device->setDisplayCategory(DisplayCategory::INTERIOR_BLIND);

AlexaInterface* toggleController = device->addCapability(AlexaInterfaceType::TOGGLE_CONTROLLER);
toggleController->setInstance("ESP-01.Toggle");
toggleController->addFriendlyName("Bedroom Blinds", "en-US");

ActionMapping closeMapping({AlexaActions::Close}, "TurnOn");
ActionMapping openMapping({AlexaActions::Open}, "TurnOff");
toggleController->addActionMapping(closeMapping);
toggleController->addActionMapping(openMapping);

An ActionMapping takes an optional third argument, the directive payload as JSON text (for example "{\"rangeValue\": 0}" for a RangeController). It is emitted as an object in the discovery response and omitted when empty.

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How it talks to Alex2MQTT

Everything goes over MQTT (port 1883 of alex2mqtt.stormysdream.club); the library makes no HTTP requests.

• Session. begin() starts SNTP (pool.ntp.org, time.nist.gov) and returns; loop() opens the MQTT session once the clock is set, or after 5 s without an answer, and subscribes to <root>/discover and <root>/+/alexaDirective. getState() is CONNECTED when the broker has acknowledged both subscriptions. A sketch that sets the clock itself (its own configTime() with a time zone, an RTC) calls alexClient.setTimeSource(false) before begin().
• Discovery. On <root>/discover the library answers with one discovery object per device on <root>/discover_r. The backend accepts one endpoint object per message and collects everything that arrives within 1 s for Alexa's discovery answer (up to 5 s for its proactive AddOrUpdate push), so all devices are published back to back from the next loop(). Each object sits on the heap (about 1 KB) until the MQTT client has sent it; when the client cannot take another one (free heap under 4 KB), the library prints [Alex2ESP] discovery deferred at <endpointId> and sends the rest from loop() as the queue drains, for up to 5 s after the request. [Alex2ESP] error: discovery gave up: N device(s) not announced means those devices missed this answer - on the backend's proactive discovery that can remove them from Alexa until the next one.
• Directives. The directive arrives as JSON on <root>/<endpointId>/alexaDirective. A directive larger than one TCP segment arrives in fragments, which are put together in one heap block that exists only until loop() has parsed it. loop() then fires ReportState or Event (and DirectiveReceived, if registered) with the directive: directive["header"], directive["endpoint"], directive["payload"]. One directive is handled at a time; a directive that arrives twice (a broker that mirrors its topics delivers every message twice) is handled once.
• Reports. send() publishes the report on <root>/<endpointId>/alexaResponce at once. The backend waits 7 s for it, so answer from the event handler. Every property carries the board's UTC time as timeOfSample.
• Limits. A directive may be 2047 bytes (ALEX2ESP_MAX_DIRECTIVE), a report or the discovery object of one device 3071 (ALEX2ESP_MAX_MESSAGE). The second limit is the first plus 1024 unless it is set: an answer repeats the correlationToken of its directive, which is most of a large directive, and adds 140 to 170 bytes per property, so the largest directive can be answered with six properties. -DALEX2ESP_MAX_DIRECTIVE=<bytes> and -DALEX2ESP_MAX_MESSAGE=<bytes> in build_flags change the limits. send() returns false when the report was not sent: no session with the broker, the MQTT client or the heap cannot take it, or it is too large. Nothing is ever sent truncated, and nothing is dropped without a line on Serial.
• Serial output. Every line of the library starts with [Alex2ESP], a problem with [Alex2ESP] error:. alexClient.setLogLevel(AlexaLogLevel::ERROR) leaves only the problems, AlexaLogLevel::NONE nothing; the default, AlexaLogLevel::INFO, adds the session, discovery and one line per directive ([Alex2ESP] ESP-01 <- Alexa.PowerController.TurnOn). AlexaLogLevel::DEBUG (sizes and free heap per message) has to be compiled in with -DALEX2ESP_LOG_MAX=3; -DALEX2ESP_LOG_MAX=0 compiles every line out. Credentials and correlation tokens are never printed. A sketch that defines a macro named DEBUG, ERROR or INFO cannot write the level of that name; it passes the number instead, for example alexClient.setLogLevel(static_cast<AlexaLogLevel>(3)) for DEBUG.

Boards that run 1.1.0 or older keep working: the backend still publishes the token on <root>/<endpointId>/alexaDirective_e and serves the HTTP routes they use.

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Interface Types

Alexa Interface Type	Status
AlexaInterfaceType::ENDPOINT_HEALTH	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::POWER_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::BRIGHTNESS_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::TOGGLE_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::TEMPERATURE_SENSOR	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::COLOR_TEMPERATURE_CONTROLLER	Fully Supported
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTOMATION_MANAGEMENT	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CHANNEL_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COLOR_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CONTACT_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::APPLICATION_STATE_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUDIO_PLAY_QUEUE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTHORIZATION_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::AUTOMOTIVE_VEHICLE_DATA	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CAMERA_LIVE_VIEW_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CAMERA_STREAM_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COMMISSIONABLE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::CONSENT_MANAGEMENT_CONSENT_REQUIRED_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::COOKING	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DATA_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DEVICE_USAGE_ESTIMATION	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DEVICE_USAGE_METER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::DOORBELL_EVENT_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::EQUALIZER_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INPUT_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_LEVEL_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_LEVEL_USAGE_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::INVENTORY_USAGE_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::KEYPAD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::LAUNCHER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::LOCK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MEDIA_PLAYBACK	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MEDIA_SEARCH	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MODE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::MOTION_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PERCENTAGE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PLAYBACK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PLAYBACK_STATE_REPORTER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::PROACTIVE_NOTIFICATION_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RANGE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RECORD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::REMOTE_VIDEO_PLAYER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::RTC_SESSION_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SCENE_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SECURITY_PANEL_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SEEK_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SIMPLE_EVENT_SOURCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SMART_VISION_OBJECT_DETECTION_SENSOR	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SMART_VISION_SNAPSHOT_PROVIDER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::SPEAKER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::STEP_SPEAKER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_CONFIGURATION	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_HVAC_COMPONENTS	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::THERMOSTAT_CONTROLLER_SCHEDULE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::TIME_HOLD_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::UI_CONTROLLER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::USER_PREFERENCE	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::VIDEO_RECORDER	Supported*
AlexaInterfaceType::WAKE_ON_LAN_CONTROLLER	Supported*

(*Partial support or limited implementation advanced configuration is required)

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Advanced usage

For devices with limited or partial support, Alex2ESP provides functions that allow you to attach custom JSON objects to the status report. For example, to report the status of a PowerController type, you can use the AddPowerControllerProp function. However, if a specific "add props" function does not exist for your use case, you can utilize the AddContextProp function to pass a custom JSON object.

For instance, to manually report the state of a PowerController, you can use the following code:

    JsonDocument doc;

    doc["namespace"] = "Alexa.PowerController";
    doc["name"] = "powerState";
    doc["value"] = "ON";
    doc["uncertaintyInMilliseconds"] = 0;
    AddContextProp(doc.as<JsonObject>())

AddContextProp sets timeOfSample to the current time when the object has none. (Until 1.1.0 a sketch wrote "{REPLACE_WITH_DATETIME}" there for the server to replace; the library now replaces that itself.)

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Changelog

1.2.0

Behaviour changes:

• Directives arrive over MQTT. The library subscribes to <root>/+/alexaDirective, where Alex2MQTT has always published the whole directive, instead of fetching it over HTTP with the token from <root>/<endpointId>/alexaDirective_e. The HTTP detour dates from 2024, when a directive larger than one TCP segment reached the MQTT callback in pieces; the pieces are now put together by their offset and the total length, in one heap block that lives until loop() has parsed the directive. loop() no longer stalls for two HTTP round trips per directive.
• Reports leave over MQTT. send() publishes on <root>/<endpointId>/alexaResponce at once, where 1.1.0 queued the report for an HTTP POST from a later loop(). It returns false when there is no session with the broker, when the MQTT client or the heap cannot take the report, or when the report is over 3071 bytes (ALEX2ESP_MAX_MESSAGE, by default 1024 more than the largest directive, so that every directive that is accepted can be answered); each case prints its reason. The 5-slot send queue is gone.
• timeOfSample is the board's own time in UTC, for example 2026-09-28T13:05:09Z. 1.1.0 sent the placeholder {REPLACE_WITH_DATETIME}, which only the backend's HTTP route replaced. begin() starts SNTP (pool.ntp.org, time.nist.gov) and no longer connects itself: loop() opens the MQTT session once the clock is set, or after 5 s without an answer, so the session comes up a few seconds later than before. alexClient.setTimeSource(false) before begin() leaves the clock to the sketch. AddContextProp() fills timeOfSample in when the property has none or carries the old placeholder.
• A directive is parsed and handed to the sketch from loop(), one at a time. One that arrives while the previous one still waits for loop() is dropped, as is one over 2047 bytes (ALEX2ESP_MAX_DIRECTIVE); both print an error.
• A directive that arrives twice is handled once: the Alex2MQTT broker currently delivers every message twice through a mirror. The messageIds of the last four directives are remembered; the repeat prints repeated directive ... ignored.
• The subscription delivers the directives of every endpoint of the account. Those for endpoints of another board are recognised by their topic and neither buffered nor parsed.
• Discovery is answered from loop(), not inside the MQTT callback. A discovery object over 3071 bytes (ALEX2ESP_MAX_MESSAGE) is refused with an error; the other devices are still announced.
• getState() stays INITIALIZED until the first connect, and becomes CONNECTED when the broker has acknowledged both subscriptions (1.1.0: the first of them). A refused subscription prints an error.
• Serial output goes through one log with levels. alexClient.setLogLevel() takes AlexaLogLevel::NONE, ERROR, INFO (the default) or DEBUG; -DALEX2ESP_LOG_MAX=<0..3> in build_flags sets the highest level that is compiled in (default 2, INFO). This replaces the Alex2ESP_DEBUG define inside AlexaUtils.cpp. 1.1.0 printed the memory figures for every MQTT message and the whole directive, correlation token included, for every directive; both are gone. A sketch or a build flag that defines DEBUG, ERROR or INFO as a macro (#define DEBUG 1, -DDEBUG) still compiles: the library sets those macros aside where it declares its levels and passes a level by its number everywhere else.
• getDevice() before begin() prints an error: the device would have no root topic. A second begin() is ignored with an error.
• New: Alex2ESP::setLogLevel(), Alex2ESP::setTimeSource(), AlexaDevice::hasEndpointId(), AlexaLog, AlexaSendResult.
• Removed: the queues and buffers of AlexaUtils (enqueue, dequeue, dequeueVals, enqueueReceive, dequeueReceive, isQueueEmpty, isQueueFull, isReceiveQueueEmpty, isReceiveQueueFull, receivePayload, nextMessageId) and its log/logln, which printed nothing unless the library was edited; AlexaUtils::printMemoryInfo() stays. MAX_STATUS_REPORT_SIZE (the limit is ALEX2ESP_MAX_MESSAGE). The library no longer includes ESP8266HTTPClient.

Memory: examples/basicLight.cpp for a D1 mini takes 34,116 bytes of static RAM (1.1.0: 52,768) and 336,757 bytes of flash (1.1.0: 350,885), as PlatformIO reports them (espressif8266 4.2.1, Arduino core 3.1.2). The static RAM was the five 2 KB queue slots, three more 2 KB buffers and the two HTTP clients. SNTP and the time stamp are 1.8 KB of the flash figure.

Tests: pio test -e native in the repository runs 33 host tests of the receive and publish logic (reassembly of fragments, the two size limits, repeated directives, topics, time stamps). No board is needed.

Boards that run 1.1.0 are not affected: the backend keeps the token topic and the HTTP routes.

1.1.0

Behaviour changes:

• begin() now takes (username, password, rootTopic), the order every example and this readme always used (and the order alex2node uses). 1.0.0 declared (rootTopic, username, password), so a sketch written from the examples could not authenticate with the broker.
• Discovery answers go straight to MQTT (<root>/discover_r), one object per device, all devices at once; if the MQTT client cannot take another object (free heap under 4 KB) the rest is sent from loop() as the client's queue drains, for up to 5 s. 1.0.0 pushed them one per loop() through a 5-slot HTTP queue and silently dropped the sixth device onwards, which the backend then removed from Alexa.
• AlexaStatusMessage::send() returns bool: an oversized report (over 2047 bytes) or a full queue is reported on Serial and dropped instead of being sent truncated. AlexaUtils::enqueue() refuses packets that would not fit instead of truncating them.
• Discovery JSON: semantics is emitted only when a capability has action mappings; an ActionMapping directive payload is emitted as a JSON object (parsed from the text you pass) or omitted when empty, instead of the string "{}".
• Response/StateReport events include the required "payload": {}.
• Devices and capabilities are stored in std::deque; pointers from getDevice()/addCapability() no longer dangle once another device or capability is added.
• The MQTT payload is copied using its length (no write past the client's buffer); fragmented directive ids are ignored (a Discover is answered on its first fragment, its payload is unused).
• begin() no longer prints the MQTT credentials to Serial in debug builds.
• DirectiveReceived no longer prints "No event registered" when the sketch has not registered it.
• Removed: Alex2ESP::messageSplitAndSend (declared, never defined) and AlexaStatusMessage::setEndpointId (did nothing).
• Reported softwareVersion/firmwareVersion in the discovery attributes are now 1.1.0.

Examples: WiFi.begin(WIFI_SSID, WIFI_PASSWORD) (1.0.0 could only join open networks), LED_BUILTIN fallback, fixed brightness/colour-temperature Serial output, blinds use DisplayCategory::INTERIOR_BLIND.

Packaging: library.json and library.properties restored with the Forgejo URL and the dependencies, LICENSE (MIT), a real keywords.txt, LF line endings (.gitattributes), ArduinoJson 7 deprecated calls replaced (warning-free build). ESP8266 is the supported target; ESP32 is untested.

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Contributing

Feel free to submit pull requests or issues for feature requests and bug fixes. pio test -e native in the repository root runs the host tests (no board needed); they have to pass.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.