Install a Home Assistant launcher on an Android TV over adb

A Redditor gave ChatGPT adb access to their Android TV through a Mac mini; in about an hour it sideloaded and configured a Home Assistant launcher with camera and weather tabs.

Done withChatGPTinHome Assistant· Nov 7, 2026

What they did

u/youplaymenot saw another Redditor's Android TV home screen built on Home Assistant and wanted the same. Their Home Assistant was already connected to ChatGPT, and they gave it adb access to the TV through their Mac mini. They described the look they wanted and let it work. It navigated the TV over adb, pushed the launcher APK to it and configured it, with home screen tiles drawn from their Home Assistant cameras and sensors.

How it went

It took about an hour and the poster was very happy with the result. The home tab shows the front door camera, weather and house temperature, a second tab shows all cameras with one enlargeable, and an Assist tab holds entities they can control. They found watching it drive the computer and TV both impressive and a bit unnerving.

Worth knowing

The post does not say which ChatGPT harness had the adb access. Commenters pointed to Hearth, a ready-made launcher with the same features, which may be quicker than having an agent build one.

Try it

With ChatGPT· 6 parts to fill in

My Android TV is at [TV IP address] with network debugging on, and you can run adb from [my computer]. Set it up with a Home Assistant style launcher like [description or link]. Before changing anything, list the installed launcher and apps so it can be restored. Install the launcher APK, then configure it with my Home Assistant at [HA URL]: [cameras], [weather and temperature sensors] and an Assist tab. Take a screenshot after each step and stop to ask me before disabling or removing anything.

Square brackets are the parts to fill in. The prompt is ours; the story is theirs.

Where they said it

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