Starling Home Hub (Nest/Google Home)

> Community skill — not affiliated with or endorsed by Starling LLC, Google, Nest, or Apple. Nest is a trademark of Google LLC. Starling Home Hub is a product of Starling LLC. This skill requires a Starling Home Hub with firmware 8.0+ and the Developer Connect API enabled.

Overview

Control Nest smart home devices through the Starling Home Hub Developer Connect (SDC) local REST API using the starling.sh script.

Required Environment Variables

Setup

Set these environment variables (never hardcode keys in scripts):

export STARLING_HUB_IP="192.168.1.xxx"
export STARLING_API_KEY="your-api-key"     # From Starling Home Hub app

The script is at: scripts/starling.sh

Options: --http (downgrade to HTTP — not recommended), --raw (skip jq formatting)

HTTPS is the default. The script uses port 3443 unless --http is specified.

Security

API Key Management

• Always use the STARLING_API_KEY env var — never pass keys via --key (visible in ps output)
• Never store keys in scripts, SKILL.md, or version-controlled files
• Use a .env file with restricted permissions: chmod 600 .env
• Consider a secrets manager for production/automated setups

Least Privilege

• Create API keys with minimum required permissions in the Starling Home Hub app
• Use read-only keys unless you need to set properties or access camera streams
• Create separate keys for different automation tasks if possible

TLS Certificate Verification

• HTTPS is the default, but the script uses curl -k (skip cert verification) because Starling Home Hub uses a self-signed certificate
• This is acceptable on a trusted local network but increases MITM risk on untrusted networks
• To pin the hub's certificate instead: starling.sh --cacert /path/to/hub-cert.pem status
• When --cacert is provided, -k is not used and full certificate verification applies

API Key in URL

• The Starling Developer Connect API requires the key as a URL query parameter (?key=...) — this is the API's design, not a skill choice
• URL query parameters can appear in access logs and browser history — this is mitigated by the API being local-only (no intermediary proxies/CDNs)
• Always use HTTPS to encrypt the key in transit on your local network

Network Security

• The Starling API is local network only by design — no cloud exposure
• Never port-forward 3080 or 3443 to the internet
• Always use HTTPS (default) to prevent local network sniffing of API keys and device data

Snapshot Handling

• Camera snapshots contain sensitive imagery — don't store in world-readable locations
• The script sets snapshot files to chmod 600 (owner-only) automatically
• Clean up temporary snapshot files when no longer needed

Best Practices

Always Check Status First

Before making device calls, verify the hub is ready:

scripts/starling.sh status

Confirm apiReady: true and connectedToNest: true before proceeding.

Respect Rate Limits

These limits are enforced by the Nest cloud:

• POST (set properties): max once per second per device
• Snapshot: max once per 10 seconds per camera
• GET (read properties/device list): no cloud rate limit (local cache)

Idempotent Operations

Safe to retry without side effects:

• All GET operations (status, devices, device, get, snapshot)
• SET operations with the same values (setting temp to 22 when already 22)
• stream-extend (just resets the keepalive timer)

Not idempotent: stream-start (creates a new stream each time)

Error Handling

The script provides actionable error messages:

• 401: Check API key and permissions — key is never exposed in error output
• 404: Verify device ID and property name
• 400: Check parameter values and types

Common Workflows

List All Devices

scripts/starling.sh devices

Read Device Properties

scripts/starling.sh device <id>          # All properties
scripts/starling.sh get <id> <property>  # Single property

Set Device Properties

scripts/starling.sh set <id> key=value [key=value...]

Camera Snapshots

scripts/starling.sh snapshot <id> --output photo.jpg --width 1280

Camera Streaming (WebRTC)

scripts/starling.sh stream-start <id> <base64-sdp-offer>
scripts/starling.sh stream-extend <id> <stream-id>   # Every 60s
scripts/starling.sh stream-stop <id> <stream-id>

Common Tasks

Set thermostat to 22°C:

scripts/starling.sh set <thermostat-id> targetTemperature=22

Set HVAC mode:

scripts/starling.sh set <thermostat-id> hvacMode=heat

Check for motion on camera:

scripts/starling.sh get <camera-id> motionDetected

Lock/unlock a door:

scripts/starling.sh set <lock-id> targetState=locked

Get camera snapshot:

scripts/starling.sh snapshot <camera-id> --output front-door.jpg

Check smoke/CO status:

scripts/starling.sh get <protect-id> smokeDetected
scripts/starling.sh get <protect-id> coDetected

Set home/away:

scripts/starling.sh set <home-away-id> homeState=away

API Reference

See references/api-reference.md for full device property details, writable properties, error codes, and endpoint documentation.