Developer uses Claude Code to debloat Android smart TV for ‘unbelievable’ performance upgrade — TV now smoother than it was new as autonomous agent deactivates apps, shortens animations, all without root access

A developer has taken to social media to praise his revitalized smart TV, optimized to work better-than-new thanks to Claude Code. Mert Cobanov, currently a Senior AI Engineer at Refik Anadol Studio, chatted with other Twitter/X users about his “unbelievable” fast and smooth TV experience (machine translation). Moreover, the dev has created a Clean up your Android TV site to help others implement the same optimizations.

Sadly, I understand Cobanov’s inspiration for smart TV debloating. TV makers often offer screens with laggardly processors, meager amounts of RAM, and slow storage. When new, they may already be sluggish performers, but after app and Android TV updates (if you actually get OS updates), system performance can get even worse. This makes a market for set-top boxes and HDMI sticks, such as the Amazon Fire TV line. However, that’s extra complexity and more devices/remotes for end users. Not ideal.

“This morning, I opened the developer options on my Android TV and told Claude to connect to the TV via ADB and debloat it,” wrote AI engineer Cobanov on X. “It started controlling the TV, deactivated apps, installed FLauncher. Shortened animation durations. Doing all this without root access, by the way.” The big payoff was that the TV now runs smoother than when it was new, four years ago, asserts Cobanov. “It’s unbelievable. You should definitely check it out,” readers are encouraged.

The how-to web page that this project precipitated is pleasantly brief. There are just four steps required to spring-clean your TV OS. Then, the whole prompt Cobanov wrote to get Claude Code (or Codex) to work its magic is included for you to copy/edit.

There are warnings associated with this process, which you should pay attention to if you are going to do this with your own one-eyed monster. However, Cobanov says that if you follow his guide, “Nothing is uninstalled, so every step can be reversed. The agent keeps a list of what it disabled, so telling it ‘re-enable everything you disabled’ is enough.” Instructions are also provided to bring back any single app that you may regret wiping during the debloating process.