AI-Powered Scripts Let Users Disable Ads and Tracking on Android TVs
Developers have released open-source prompts that use Anthropic’s Claude Code to identify and disable advertising and telemetry apps on Android-based smart TVs without rooting the device.
A community-driven project called cleanyourtv enables owners of Android TV and Google TV sets to turn off pre-installed applications that serve ads or collect usage data. The tool leverages Anthropic’s Claude Code agent, which can issue commands over the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) once developer mode is enabled on the television.
The process begins with the AI locating the TV on the home network, listing installed packages, and disabling those identified as ad-related or telemetry-focused. Because the apps are only switched off rather than removed, a restore script can revert the changes without requiring root access. The repository lists compatibility with more than 100 models from 37 manufacturers and has received over 10,000 stars on GitHub.
Users have reported additional customizations, such as replacing the default launcher with a lighter, user-built interface, freeing up memory, or installing minimalist launchers that limit functionality to essential apps and HDMI inputs. Similar efforts exist for Amazon Fire TV devices, where a separate project disables around 65 packages and installs a small launcher with no internet permissions.
The practice has drawn attention to the pervasive use of Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) software in smart TVs, which can capture screen data and transmit it for targeted advertising. Legal actions, including a December 2025 lawsuit in Texas against several major manufacturers, allege that such devices can record screenshots multiple times per second.
While the approach offers privacy benefits, developers caution that ADB connections are unencrypted and could be exploited if left active. The cleanyourtv documentation advises users to disable debugging after completing modifications. Additionally, Anthropic has addressed vulnerabilities that could allow hidden instructions to extract credentials from Claude Code.
The open-source nature of the project has spurred community contributions, with the repository forked over a thousand times and dozens of pending pull requests.