Users deploy Claude Code to strip bloatware from smart TVs

Developers are leveraging AI coding tools to remove pre-installed bloatware, telemetry, and sponsored advertisements from modern smart TVs over Wi-Fi. Project cleanyourtv, created by developer Gathin T., uses Claude Code to identify network-connected televisions, strip preinstalled packages, and generate lightweight custom launchers. Similarly, Muzzammil Yasin Sabuwala created dumbtv by instructing AI agents to execute modifications from a GitHub repository. Sabuwala built his tool using a combination of Deepseek V4.1 Flash, Claude Opus 5.5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5.

The automated cleanup process offers dramatic UI responsiveness improvements without requiring root access or permanently modifying hardware. In one test, developer Mihir Gupta used Claude Code to disable 25 bloat apps and replace a 192 MB stock launcher with an 83 MB custom launcher featuring rotating wallpapers. Another user, Ryan Doyle, prompted Claude Code with his TV's product listing to guide him through removing interface lag and customizing screensavers. The tools have been applied across Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV platforms on hardware from Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, Xiaomi, LG, and Shield.

This trend demonstrates how autonomous AI coding assistants lower the technical barrier for device tinkering, posing a potential challenge to television manufacturers reliant on Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) and targeted ad inventory. However, practitioners should approach agentic modification with caution. While traditional tools like ATV Launcher, Projectivy Launcher, and FLauncher provide stable home screen replacements, user reports indicate AI agents can occasionally brick Android TV devices or fail to process simple prompts, underscoring current agentic reliability bounds.