Shellbee Support
Shellbee is a native iOS app that connects to a Zigbee2MQTT bridge over WebSocket and lets you monitor and control your Zigbee network from your iPhone or iPad.
This page is the official support resource for the app. If you have a question, run into a bug, or want to request a feature, you’re in the right place.
Contact
The fastest way to reach the developer is email:
We aim to reply within 2 business days. Please include:
- The version of Shellbee you’re running (Settings → About).
- Your iOS / iPadOS version and device model.
- The version of Zigbee2MQTT your bridge is running.
- A description of what you were doing and what went wrong.
- Screenshots or screen recordings, if relevant.
Report a bug or request a feature
Public bug reports and feature requests are tracked on GitHub:
A GitHub account is required to file issues directly. If you don’t have one and don’t want to create one, email us at kenneth@echodb.dev and we’ll file the report on your behalf.
Requirements
- iPhone or iPad running iOS / iPadOS 17 or later.
- A reachable Zigbee2MQTT instance (version 1.33 or later recommended) with the WebSocket/frontend enabled.
- A valid authentication token for the bridge, if your instance requires one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect Shellbee to my Zigbee2MQTT bridge?
Open the app, tap Add Server, and enter your bridge’s WebSocket URL. Shellbee supports both ws:// (LAN) and wss:// (TLS) connections. On the local network, Shellbee can also discover .local hosts via Bonjour.
If your bridge requires an auth token, paste it into the Token field. Tokens are stored in the iOS Keychain, not in UserDefaults.
I get “Connection refused” or “Cannot connect.”
- Confirm the bridge’s frontend/WebSocket is enabled in
configuration.yaml(frontend: true). - Confirm the port is reachable from your iPhone (try the URL in Safari on the same device).
- If using
wss://, make sure your TLS certificate is trusted by iOS. - If your bridge is behind a reverse proxy, make sure WebSocket upgrades are forwarded.
Does Shellbee work over the internet?
Yes, as long as your Zigbee2MQTT bridge is reachable from the device — typically via a VPN (Tailscale, WireGuard) or a reverse-proxied wss:// endpoint. Shellbee itself does not proxy your data through any third-party server.
Does Shellbee collect any personal data?
Shellbee communicates directly with the Zigbee2MQTT bridge you configure. It contains no advertising SDKs, no analytics, no tracking, and no developer-operated backend for app data.
The one exception is optional, opt-in crash reporting via Sentry. Crash reports are off by default and are never sent without your explicit permission. URLs, IP addresses, and auth tokens are scrubbed from reports before they are sent. You can decline individual reports, always share, or never share anything — and change your choice at any time in Settings → Feedback.
See the Privacy Policy for the full list of what is and is not included in a crash report.
Which devices and features are supported?
Shellbee generates controls from Zigbee2MQTT’s exposes metadata, so it automatically supports most devices that Z2M supports, including lights (on/off, brightness, color), switches, covers, fans, climate devices, locks, and a wide range of sensors.
Does Shellbee support Live Activities?
Yes. Connection state and OTA update progress can appear as a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on supported iPhones.
How do I update firmware on a Zigbee device?
From the device detail screen, open the action menu and choose Check for updates. If an update is available, you can start it from there. OTA progress appears as a Live Activity while the update runs.
Documentation
Shellbee bundles offline documentation for common Zigbee devices. You can also refer to the upstream Zigbee2MQTT documentation for bridge-side configuration.
Privacy
See the Shellbee Privacy Policy.
About
Shellbee is developed by Kenneth Tashda. Source: github.com/tashda/shellbee License: AGPL-3.0