What they did
Gathin23 was tired of sponsored tiles on their Android TV home screen. With USB debugging switched on in the TV's developer options, they gave Claude Code a prompt that has it talk to the set over network ADB, back up the package list, ask the owner which apps they actually use, disable the rest, then build a small native launcher with a four-app dock and install it on the TV. The agent checked each step by pulling screenshots from the TV. Because the stock adb binary was blocked on their Mac, the project ended up with a small Python ADB client and a chunked uploader for APKs. They published the prompt, the launcher, the tools and a per-model debloat list as an MIT repo.
How it went
The author says the whole thing was built in an afternoon and shows the stock Google TV home with an ad next to the new black launcher. It was tested on a Xiaomi Mi TV 4A, and other models are invited as contributions. Along the way they hit several traps: chained pm commands stopping after the first, large pushes hanging, and the on-screen keyboard vanishing after the launcher swap until the input method was reset. The repo picked up 43 stars on its first day. There are no reports yet from other TVs.
Worth knowing
Packages are disabled, not uninstalled, and a restore script brings the stock launcher back, so it can be undone. Disable the stock launcher only after the new one is installed, or the Home button lands on a factory test app. Building the launcher needs JDK 17 and the Android SDK. It does not work on Samsung Tizen, LG webOS or Fire TV.