Step 4 — Add the tablet to Home Assistant

Home Assistant gives the tablet its encryption key, and keeps it: nothing to copy. It can only do so during the tablet's pairing window, the 30 minutes after it starts.

Within 30 minutes of the tablet's start

1. Settings → Devices & services: the tablet shows up as discovered, ESPHome integration.
2. Configure, then Submit.

That is all. Home Assistant creates the key, gives it to the tablet and keeps it. A tablet Home Assistant already knows, installed again with an erase (« Erase device » ticked, or « Erase User Data »), shows up under « Discovered » with a Reconfigure button: Home Assistant waits for that confirmation before it gives the tablet back its key (reinstalled with an erase).

It worked if the tablet is listed under Settings → Devices & services → ESPHome, and its device page shows its controls, sensors and configuration. That page is where every tablet setting lives.

If it does not work

What you see	What to do
The 30 minutes are over	restart the tablet (a short press on its reset button, or unplug it): the window opens again for 30 minutes. Once the tablet has its key, it never opens again
The tablet was already in Home Assistant, and was erased	Home Assistant waits for a confirmation and no longer connects: reinstalled with an erase
The tablet is not discovered	Settings → Devices & services → Add integration → ESPHome, then type the tablet's IP address (step 3) and port 6053. Same result: Home Assistant gives it its key. The fresh-install test of the project adds the tablet this way

Nothing else to allow

The tablet never calls a Home Assistant action: it sends events, which packages/tab5_evenements.yaml (from step 1) turns into a fixed list of actions, for a Tab5 only (ADR-0025). The option « Allow the device to perform Home Assistant actions » stays unticked.

Only a firmware 3.1 or older still needs it ticked (ESPHome → Configure): voice, calendar and alarm clock use it on those versions. See upgrading from 3.1.

Next: step 5, your sources.