# Open-source tv-vibehack project uses AI agents to debloat Android TVs

> **Key takeaway:** The MIT-licensed tv-vibehack repository provides prompts and tools for using Claude and other AI coding agents to remove ads, telemetry and bloatware from Android TV devices via ADB.

**Published:** 2026-10-19T10:59:24+00:00 
**Source:** It's FOSS Community News 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/open-source-tv-vibehack-project-uses-ai-agents-to-debloat-an.html 

## Summary
A community trend of using AI coding agents to clean up budget Android TVs has produced tv-vibehack, an open-source repository with over 1,300 GitHub stars. The project provides prompts for Claude, Codex and similar tools to connect via Android Debug Bridge, disable ad-serving and telemetry packages, and install a minimal custom launcher. A related project called dumbtv extends the approach to Amazon Fire TV. The method is reversible if users disable rather than uninstall system packages, though it requires enabling developer options and leaving ADB access open during the process.

## How tv-vibehack works
- **Prerequisite**: Enable Developer Options on the Android TV (press OK on Build seven times), then activate USB debugging; on some Xiaomi models this also opens network ADB on port 5555
- **AI agent connection**: Run Claude Code or desktop Claude on a same-network computer, provide the TV's IP address, and request package analysis
- **Package management**: Agent lists installed packages and uses `pm disable-user` to disable ads, sponsored rows, telemetry and preloaded bloat without uninstalling
- **Launcher replacement**: Install a minimal custom launcher with reduced animations; tv-vibehack's launcher omits blur, video and background services to save RAM on 1-2 GB devices
- **Safety measures**: Good prompts back up the package list first and ask before modifying HDMI inputs, firmware updates, or keyboard services
- **Fire TV variant**: dumbtv project targets Fire OS 7.7.1.7, disables ~65 packages including ACR screen fingerprinting and ad ID, runs personalDNSfilter for DNS-level blocking, and provides a 41 KB zero-permission launcher
- **AI agent documentation**: dumbtv ships AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, llms.txt and skill files for direct AI consumption

## Why it matters
The project demonstrates a practical, user-controlled application of AI agents for device ownership rights, but carries risks: open ADB ports during setup create network exposure, and disabling firmware update services trades security patches for performance. The approach is limited to Android TV/Google TV and does not work on Samsung Tizen, LG webOS or Roku.