[Feature Request] Persist camera enable/disable state across restarts

[jokerigno]

Problem / Use Case

Currently, when disabling/enabling cameras through the UI or Home Assistant, the state is temporary and resets to the config.yml value after Frigate restarts. This creates friction for common scenarios:

• Temporary maintenance: Camera offline for repairs, but auto-enables after reboot
• Privacy control: Disable indoor cameras when home, but they re-enable after restart
• Resource management: Temporarily disable cameras to save CPU/GPU, lost after reboot
• Testing workflows: Toggle cameras for testing, state doesn't persist

Proposed Solution

Add an option to persist camera enable/disable state to the database, with priority over config.yml:

Option 1 - Global setting:

cameras:
  persist_state: true  # Default: false (current behavior)

Option 2 - Per-camera setting:

cameras:
  cantina:
    enabled: true
    persist_state: true  # Override YAML with database state if exists

Behavior

1. User disables camera via UI/HA
2. State saved to Frigate database
3. On restart: Check database first → fallback to config.yml
4. Optional: UI indicator showing "state overridden" vs "config default"

Alternatives Considered

• Workaround 1: Edit config.yml manually (not user-friendly)
• Workaround 2: Home Assistant automations (complex, requires external logic)
• Workaround 3: MQTT retained messages (fragile, requires MQTT)

Implementation Notes

• Store in existing config table or new camera_state table
• Add API endpoint: GET/POST /api/cameras/{name}/state
• UI toggle shows current state + persistence indicator
• Optional: "Reset to config" button to clear database override

Similar Features

Other NVR software with this behavior:

• Blue Iris: Camera enable state persists
• Shinobi: Monitors can be disabled permanently
• ZoneMinder: Zone states are database-driven

Would this feature be aligned with Frigate's philosophy? Happy to contribute if there's interest!

[NickM-27]

This is a duplicate of #11314

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