These days, turning on the TV means getting past everything it wants you to watch first. A sponsored banner here, a row of recommendations there, and an app you never asked for that keeps showing up when you just wanted to open Netflix.
But some smart TV owners have had enough, and are putting AI coding assistants to work.
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Developers and other users on social media are sharing experiments in using tools such as Anthropic‘s Claude Code to disable unwanted software, replace busy home screens, and make their TVs feel more responsive. The results range from simple app menus to personalized interfaces, with open-source projects that collect tools and prompts for anyone interested in trying them themselves.
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For one developer, his motivation was fixing his parents' television. In an Oct. 17 post on X, he described using Claude Code to overhaul a Xiaomi TV that displayed an advertisement before they could reach Netflix. He said the assistant connected over Wi-Fi, removed 25 software packages, and built a replacement home screen.
“Looks like an Apple TV now lol,” he wrote.
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Another X user reportedly got rid of his “ads, bloatware, spyware [and] laggy UI.”
“I also got a beautiful screensaver with my revenue, calendar, weather, and notifications for new Stripe payments. It was super easy!” he added.
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These experiments have become a part of CleanYourTV, an open-source project originally called “tv-vibehack.” Its goal? Replace the…