There isn't a great way to do this with most smart bulbs on circuits controlled by a smart switch, but any of the options you describe should work. But there are some additional things you could consider.
If you aren't attached the idea of a hard-wired smart switch for any reason (e.g., you want a Z-Wave repeater there and this is how you're doing it), you could use any switch--smart or not (but for price I'd probably go "dumb")--and do something that would give a similar effect. The options are basically covering the switch and using something else, though some are "functional" switch covers that provide buttons you could use. A couple ideas...
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If you don't think it's ugly, you could get a light switch cover like these for toggle switches or similar ones for decorator switches, then use a button device nearby. Good ones I can think of include a Pico Remote (if you have a Lutron bridge) or Hue Dimmer (works natively with Hubitat if you want); the first can mount in a standard decorator plate, while the second can't but does come with its own (optional) wallplate.
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You could also just cover the existing switch with the Osram dimmer remote, which attaches over an existing toggle or decorator switch or the similar CentraLite dimmer remote (actually never used that but looks so similar to the Osram/Lightify that I can't help but wonder if they're the same except for branding). Unlike the above options, these cover the switch and replace it with functional buttons (rather than you needing to find a way to mount a different device in an intuitive location).
If you really do want a smart switch, your best bet is probably to:
- Use a Z-Wave switch that supports disabling the internal relay. (When you truly want to turn the circuit off, you can re-enable the relay; otherwise, it will just send events to Hubitat that you can use in automations, but the switch won't affect the circuit.) The enabling and disabling of the relay can be done via physical actions on the device or setting a Z-Wave parameter. Inovelli are the only switches I'm aware of that support this, though they're currently out of stock (might be able to find a refurb or used). There may be others. and hopefully they'll be in stock soon, assuming their new supplier/hardware will also be able to support this.
- See if subscribing to the "on" event for your bulb happens to work when its circuit (smart switch) is off, in which case you could also subscribe to that event in a rule (or app), then check to see if the smart switch is on and turn it on if not. Not sure if this would actually work with your bulbs.
- Do something like what you suggest--it's not ideal, but could work. It's basically what I do, though my goal is to never actually turn the smart switch off. As a safeguard in case someone does, any automation that turns this light on also checks for the smart switch and turns it on if it's not already. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wait a few more seconds after this (for it to be back on the ZigBee network) if you want to send additional commands like color or level, which will complicate things, but it's certainly possible. I don't do that since I'll settle for the bulb's default after-power-loss state.
- As an alternative to disabling the relay (or if your switch doesn't support it), some people may suggest a solution like connecting the line and load wires. The switch will still send on/off events, and you can use them in automations (e.g., to change the bulb), but it won't actually turn on/off the circuit. This, of course, is not really what you want but could work if you're willing to settle for there still being one way to turn the socket/circuit off should you really need it: the breaker.
