Gathin23 / cleanyourtv

> Vibe coded my parents' TV this afternoon! It was showing a sponsored ad before you could even get
> to Netflix. Gave Claude Code the model number, it found the TV on wifi, removed 25 Xiaomi packages
> and wrote a new launcher. Looks like an Apple TV now lol.
>
> @gathint, 17 October 2026. The replies are where
> most of the TV lists here came from. The repo was called tv-vibehack until the 19th; old links work.
## How it works
Android TVs have the same debug bridge as Android phones. Switch on USB debugging in the TV's
developer options, allow your computer once, and the rest is standard Android tooling:
1. **Back up** the list of installed packages and settings.
2. **Disable** the manufacturer's telemetry, ad services, content rows and preloaded junk with
 `pm disable-user`. Nothing is uninstalled, so a restore script can undo every step.
3. **Install** a small native launcher and make it the default home screen.
**No root, no cable, nothing uninstalled, and a one-line restore if you change your mind.**
The bloat differs by brand, so the prompt has your coding assistant discover it on your TV and ask
before touching anything you might use.
## Quick start
You need a computer on the same Wi-Fi as the TV and a coding assistant with shell access.
Suggested: Claude Code on 0G Private Computer, one API key for 100+ models.
Claude Code with an Anthropic plan, Codex or Gemini CLI work too.
| | |
|---|---|
| **1. On the TV** | Settings → Device Preferences → About → press OK on **Build** seven times → back → Developer options → **USB debugging** on. If you see a Network or ADB debugging toggle, turn that on too. Keep the TV on. |
| **2. On your computer** | Paste `PROMPT.md` into your assistant and fill in your TV model. |
| **3. Follow along** | Accept "Allow USB debugging?" on the TV, then answer the checklist: which apps you use, which four go in the dock, whether to keep the voice assistant, Chromecast and updates. |
The assistant backs up, debloats, builds and installs the launcher, and checks each step with
screenshots pulled from the TV. With this repo as context it takes about fifteen minutes.
## What you get
- **A pitch-black home** with a dock of your four favourite apps in a rounded band, where Apple TV puts it.
- **A top shelf** naming the focused app in large type, with an ambient glow in a colour taken from its artwork.
- **The rest of your apps in a grid** that slides up when you press Down.
- **One floating glass highlight** that springs from tile to tile. The focused tile lifts and shows its name.
- **Three frosted buttons**: Inputs (HDMI ports under the names you gave them in the TV's settings, AV, Live TV), Wi-Fi or Ethernet with the network name, Settings.
- **A greeting, a thin clock and the date** in Outfit, and a matching Clock screensaver. Set `show_stats` in config or a theme for one line under the clock: CPU, free memory and free storage. It stays off unless you turn it on, and it refreshes only while Home is on screen.
- **Th