Some smart TV owners are using AI tools to simplify their devices. Community projects aim to remove sponsored ads and unwanted apps, change the home screen, and reduce tracking, giving users more direct access to the shows and apps they want.
What the TV cleanup projects do
One project, called “dumbtv,” focuses on making a television behave more like a screen for apps and HDMI inputs. Its GitHub page says: “Your TV should do what you paid for: your apps, your HDMI inputs, and nothing else. No ads from the TV itself, no watch tracking, no update you did not ask for.”
Another project, “cleanyourtv,” is designed for Android TV and Google TV devices. It offers to remove preinstalled software over Wi-Fi and replace the existing launcher with a home screen modeled on Apple TV.
The goal is to cut through what users see as interface clutter: sponsored placements, software they do not use, and a launcher that can feel slow. Some people are also trying to disable tracking features or customize screensavers and wallpapers.
Why owners are turning to AI
People have modified consumer electronics for years, but AI tools are making the process more accessible to people who may not know how to write the necessary code themselves. Instead of building every change by hand, a user can give an AI agent details about a TV and ask for help carrying out a modification.
That interest comes as some owners object to ads appearing in the TV interface and to the collection of information about what they watch. Modern smart TVs can use automatic content recognition, or ACR, to identify what is on screen through screenshots, audio clips, or other digital fingerprints.
Viewing data can be sold to advertisers or used to personalize ads shown on the TV itself. If more people alter their devices to remove those features, the projects could challenge part of the business built around smart TV advertising and viewing data.
Projects spread through personal experiments
Gathin T., who created cleanyourtv, said the idea began after he saw sponsored advertising on his parents’ TV before they could reach Netflix. He described asking Claude Code to clean up the interface over Wi-Fi and create a home screen with only their apps.
He shared the prompt and a before-and-after post. In a donation website linked from the project homepage, he wrote that a few thousand people tried the approach on their own televisions over the next two days, including sets from Xiaomi, TCL, Sony, and LG, as well as Fire TV devices and projectors. The method does not require root access, and the TV can be returned to its factory default state.
The dumbtv project has been tested end-to-end on a Fire TV Edition set and Android or Google TV platforms from Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, Xiaomi, and Shield. Its developer, Muzzammil Yasin Sabuwala, recommends directing an AI agent to the project’s GitHub repository. He told TechCrunch that he built it with Deepseek V4.1 Flash, Claude Opus 5.5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5, and plans to add support for more models.
Other users have shared individual attempts. Ryan Doyle said Claude Code guided him through removing ads and bloatware, speeding up the interface, and changing the screensaver. Mihir Gupta wrote that one afternoon with Claude Code led him to disable 25 preinstalled apps, replace a 192 MB launcher with an 83 MB one, and add rotating wallpapers.
Changes can go wrong
These projects are still being tested across TV platforms, with users suggesting fixes and updates. Results vary: some people found that a short request such as “hack my TV” was not enough to guide an AI agent, while others warned that an agent might disable software the TV needs.
Users have reported bricking an Android TV or getting stuck partway through a Fire TV modification. Those experiences show that the process can carry real risk, even when the aim is simply a cleaner home screen. A mistaken change may leave the device partly or fully unusable.
Owners who want a simpler interface without asking an AI agent to modify system software can also consider existing Android TV launcher apps. The source names ATV Launcher, Projectivy Launcher, and FLauncher as alternatives for customizing the home screen.