GoKawiilGoogle told Google Home customers and developers on Wednesday that it would add smart home support for other AI agents beyond its own Gemini AI. The company’s announcement says that “any agent that supports calling [Model Context Protocol technology] tools can now interact with all of the devices and event history in the Google Home ecosystem.”
The announcement specifically names Anthropic’s Claude, the open-source AI agents OpenClaw and Hermes and the Google Antigravity coding platform as options that will soon work with Google Home.
Google previously released a version of its AI, called Gemini for Home, to act as a voice assistant and controller for all the smart devices that could connect to the Google Home app, including smart lights, smart heaters, home security cameras and smart thermostats.
Now, using Model Context Protocol technology that previously helped AI users add agents to Google Workspace. Google will begin rolling out support for other AIs in Google Home. This means you could use the voice mode in your Claude AI agent to control your thermostat, for example, or set up other automations and tap into data that Gemini for Home may not provide on its own.
Google says AIs will be able to perform more complex Google Home tasks, such as compiling security camera text summaries of what the cameras have seen, as well as use personalized dashboards for home control instead of the Google Home interface.
As of Wednesday, this ability has begun rolling out, but only to Google Home Premium Advanced users in the US, which means you’ll need a $20 subscription to access these capabilities. It’s early access, which means it could be buggy or have limitations. Google is encouraging users to report feedback to its smart home developers’ help channel.
A representative from Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: Best Google Smart Home Devices in 2026: Gemini and Home App Support
Google has focused on Gemini and its own home speakers thus far. Tyler Lacoma/CNET
I’m interested in seeing whether Claude and the other agents will be more accurate and useful than Gemini for Home, which has its share of problems. I’ve found that Gemini for Home doesn’t always understand complex commands as intended, or fails to operate devices that are connected and ready. So there’s room for improvement, and opening the platform up to other AI agents could make that happen.
... continue reading