bellows

What it is and what it does

bellows is a Python library that implements the EZSP (EmberZNet Serial Protocol) to communicate with Silicon Labs Zigbee coordinator hardware—specifically EM35x (Ember) and EFR32 (Mighty Gecko) based devices. It acts as the radio driver layer for the zigpy project, translating high-level Zigbee operations into low-level EZSP commands sent over a serial interface to the coordinator chip. The library handles network formation, device discovery, and Zigbee Cluster Library (ZCL) operations, and includes a command-line interface for basic network management tasks.

The primary use case is enabling Home Assistant's ZHA (Zigbee Home Automation) integration to natively support Silicon Labs-based USB adapters and modules, allowing direct control of compatible Zigbee devices. It can also be used as a standalone library for custom Zigbee applications. The library requires Python 3.11 or later and depends on click, click-log, voluptuous, and zigpy.

Use it for:

• Add native Zigbee support to Home Assistant using a Silicon Labs USB adapter or module with ZHA integration.
• Build custom Zigbee coordinator applications that control and monitor Zigbee devices over EZSP protocol.
• Manage Zigbee network formation, device pairing, and cluster operations via the bellows CLI.
• Integrate EmberZNet-based Zigbee radios into zigpy-based projects without writing low-level EZSP protocol code.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

bellows is a Python library that implements the EZSP protocol to communicate with Silicon Labs Ember and Mighty Gecko Zigbee coordinator devices, enabling them to control Zigbee networks and devices.

Yes, if you have a Silicon Labs Zigbee coordinator device and want to use it with Home Assistant ZHA or build a custom Zigbee application. The library is actively maintained, has low install friction, and is the standard driver for these adapters in the zigpy ecosystem. No, if you lack compatible hardware or need a different Zigbee radio chipset. Be aware of the GPL-3.0 copyleft license if you plan to distribute derivative work.

Install

bellows on PyPI

pip install bellows

uv add bellows

poetry add bellows

Installing bellows

Before you install

Low install friction; pure Python wheel with four runtime dependencies (click, click-log, voluptuous, zigpy). Active maintenance with a recent commit on 2026-08-06 and 219 repository stars.

License in practice

GPL-3.0 copyleft license means any derivative work or distribution must also be licensed under GPL-3.0; suitable for open-source projects but incompatible with proprietary closed-source applications.

Quickstart

pip install bellows

import bellows
# Requires EZSP_DEVICE environment variable or explicit device path
# Example: export EZSP_DEVICE=/dev/ttyUSB0
# Then use bellows CLI: bellows devices

Requires Python 3.11 or later; requires a Silicon Labs EM35x or EFR32 Zigbee coordinator device with compatible EmberZNet firmware flashed and connected via serial interface.

Verify before relying

• Whether the library works standalone or requires Home Assistant/ZHA integration to be useful
• Specific EZSP protocol versions (v4/v5/v6/v7/v8) supported by version 1.0.0
• Current stability and recommended hardware among the listed Zigbee adapters

Package facts

Evidence: bellows-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Networking packages