I'm trying to implement a hands-free voice assistant setup where I can speak natural language commands to Google Assistant and have the actual command text passed to my backend system.
For example, when I say "Hey Google, tell my system to deploy the code", I want "deploy the code" to be passed as raw text to my backend.
Google seems to have systematically removed functionality over time. They've sunset Conversational Actions and apparently limited what's possible with voice commands. I've spent days going down rabbit holes only to hit dead ends.
Home Assistant: Setting up as middleware to receive and forward commands, but I can't figure out how to get Google Assistant to pass the text in the first place
IFTTT: Researched this, but apparently Google depreciated text ingredients functionality in 2022 and I'm not sure if it's available in any form now
Custom App: Developing my own Google Assistant app, but this seems overly complex for what should be simple functionality
Alternative Assistants: Switching to Alexa or others that might have better API support, but this would prevent me from launching calls using voice (which is a deal-breaker)
Is there ANY way, in 2025, to get Google Assistant to pass arbitrary voice command text to a backend system? I'm open to ANY method at this point:
I just need the raw command text to get to my system somehow. The backend processing is already handled - I just need the command to get there!
To answer my own question: I got the bright idea of using SMS. Google Assistant can send them. I have an Arduino with a number that can receive them, and if they are from my number they can get passed through using a POST request. Not the most secure solution in the world, but good enough for my personal needs.