The key facts

  • The dumbtv and cleanyourtv projects on GitHub allow AI agents to remove ads and tracking from smart TVs
  • cleanyourtv creator Gathin T. removed 25 Xiaomi packages from his parents' TV using Claude Code
  • Users report failures: one 'bricked' their Android TV, another got stuck halfway through hacking a Fire TV

AI for 'dumbing down' smart TVs

Developers and 'vibe-coding' enthusiasts are sharing solutions for cleaning smart TVs of ads, speeding up app launches, redesigning the home screen, and disabling tracking features. The dumbtv project on GitHub declares its mission: 'Your TV should do what you paid for: your apps, your HDMI inputs, and nothing else. No ads from the TV itself, no viewing tracking, no updates you didn't ask for.' The cleanyourtv project promises to remove preinstalled software from any Android TV or Google TV over Wi-Fi and replace the launcher with an Apple TV-like one.

How it started

cleanyourtv creator Gathin T. said the idea came about when he got tired of ads on his parents' TV. According to him, he gave Claude Code the model number, the agent found the TV on Wi-Fi, removed 25 Xiaomi packages, and wrote a new launcher. 'Over the next two days, several thousand people did the same to their TVs: Xiaomi, TCL, Sony, Fire TV, LG, a couple of projectors,' the developer wrote on his donation page. The solution requires no root access and allows returning to the factory state. The dumbtv project has been tested on Fire TV Edition and Android/Google TV from Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, Xiaomi, and Shield; to use it, you are advised to point an AI agent at the GitHub repository.

Context and risks

Modern smart TVs are equipped with Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology, which identifies played content via screenshots, audio snippets, or digital fingerprinting. If such hacks become popular, they could disrupt the business model of the smart TV advertising industry, which makes money selling viewing data. Users warn of risks: in some cases Claude refused to carry out simple requests to 'hack my TV,' while others noted that AI agents can make mistakes and disable important packages. One user reported 'bricking' their Android TV with Claude, and another got stuck halfway through hacking a Fire TV. For the cautious, there are regular home screen replacement apps: ATV Launcher, Projectivity Launcher, and FLauncher.