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PAI supports two separate alias dictionaries that let you map shorthand or external command names to the real PAI commands sent to the panel.

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COMMAND_ALIAS

COMMAND_ALIAS is used by text-based interfaces: Signal, Pushbullet, and GSM/SMS. When a contact sends a message to PAI, the text is looked up in this dictionary and the mapped full command is executed. Default:
pai.conf
COMMAND_ALIAS = {
    'arm': 'partition all arm',
    'disarm': 'partition all disarm',
}
With this default, sending the text arm triggers partition all arm, which arms all partitions.

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Command format

Full commands follow the pattern: 
partition <target> <action>
  • <target> — all to affect every partition, or a specific partition name or number (e.g. Home, 1).
  • <action> — one of the partition commands listed below.

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Partition commands

CommandDescription
armStandard arm
disarmDisarm
arm_stayStay / home arm
arm_sleepSleep / night arm

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Custom alias example

pai.conf
COMMAND_ALIAS = {
    # Short words for all-partition control
    'arm': 'partition all arm',
    'disarm': 'partition all disarm',
    'stay': 'partition all arm_stay',
    'night': 'partition all arm_sleep',
    # Per-partition aliases
    'arm home': 'partition Home arm',
    'arm garage': 'partition Garage arm',
}
You can define as many aliases as you need. The key is what the user types; the value is the full PAI command that runs.

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MQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS

MQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS is used by the MQTT interface. When PAI receives a command on a control topic, the payload is looked up in this dictionary and translated to a PAI partition command before execution. This is primarily designed for Homebridge and Home Assistant compatibility, which publish state names like armed_away instead of PAI’s native arm command. Default:
pai.conf
MQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS = {
    # For Homebridge / Home Assistant compatibility
    'armed_home': 'arm_stay',
    'armed_night': 'arm_sleep',
    'armed_away': 'arm',
    'disarmed': 'disarm',
}

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How it works

1

Client publishes a command

A Home Assistant automation publishes armed_away to paradox/control/partition/Home/armed_away.
2

PAI receives the topic

PAI reads the command segment from the topic: armed_away.
3

Alias lookup

PAI checks MQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS and finds 'armed_away': 'arm'.
4

Command executed

PAI sends the arm command to the Home partition.
If no alias match is found, the command string is used as-is — so native commands (arm, disarm, arm_stay, arm_sleep) always work without aliases.

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Custom MQTT alias example

pai.conf
MQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS = {
    # Home Assistant / Homebridge defaults
    'armed_home': 'arm_stay',
    'armed_night': 'arm_sleep',
    'armed_away': 'arm',
    'disarmed': 'disarm',
    # Additional custom mappings
    'AWAY': 'arm',
    'HOME': 'arm_stay',
    'OFF': 'disarm',
}

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Available partition commands

The following are the native PAI partition commands accepted by both alias dictionaries:
CommandDescription
armStandard full arm
disarmDisarm the partition
arm_stayStay / home arm (perimeter only)
arm_sleepSleep / night arm

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Comparison

COMMAND_ALIASMQTT_COMMAND_ALIAS
Used bySignal, Pushbullet, GSMMQTT interface
MapsShort text → full partition <target> <action> commandCommand string → PAI partition action
Target in aliasEncoded in the value (e.g. partition all arm)Comes from the MQTT topic segment
Default aliasesarm, disarmarmed_home, armed_night, armed_away, disarmed

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