"Simple" automation need. Native, CoRE, or something else?

You could do this natively with modes, but it would be a pain in the neck to do so. You basically have to create duplicates of every Mode you have now, one for when The presence indicator on and one for when the presence indicator is off. Then have a Smart lighting automation that turns the switch on at 6:30 AM but only if the correct Mode is set. It would work, but it would be annoying to set up. This is what people used to do before the rules engine alternatives existed. Some people had as many as 60 different modes to cover all the combinations they were trying to track. :scream:

A much easier way if you have an iOS phone is to use the third-party app, SmartRules, which has a “do while” option. It costs about $10 and is quite popular. Very easy to use. But it is limited in depth to the single “do while” condition. And there’s no android version.

http://smartrulesapp.com

The other alternative is core, which is very powerful, can handle many-level conditionals, and is free, but is quite complex.