Google's decision to retire the Works with Nest platform without an immediate replacement raised eyebrows and concerns amongst the community. This move rendered the Nest integration in Home Assistant ineffective for those without an existing Works with Nest developer account.

A new hope emerges

Recently, the successor to Works with Nest was revealed as the Smart Device Management (SDM) API. This development offers a glimmer of hope for those eager to integrate their Nest devices with Home Assistant.

Not one to sit idly by, YouTuber Digital Spring Media took it upon themselves to sign up for the SDM API and successfully integrated their Nest doorbell camera. If you're curious about the process, their video offers an insightful walkthrough.

Proceed with caution: limitations ahead

Before you break out the champagne, it's important to be aware of a few limitations that might give you pause when considering this integration.

• Firstly, accessing the Smart Device Management API comes at a cost. A $5 fee is required, and unfortunately, there's no trial available. Additionally, not all Nest devices are currently supported. While cameras, displays, doorbells, and thermostats made the cut, the popular Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm remains unsupported.
• As it stands, setting up this integration is far from a walk in the park. Brace yourself for executing commands in the terminal and editing JSON files. While the aforementioned YouTube video sheds light on the process, you may prefer to wait for a more user-friendly method to emerge.
• The issue of needing to refresh the access token every hour is mentioned in the video. However, there's a silver lining: Reddit user /u/zoommicrowave discovered a solution to this problem using Node-RED. You can find their proposed fix in a Reddit thread.