Developer Hands Claude Full Control to Strip a Smart TV's Bloatware, but AI Agents Can Break Devices

Mert Cobanov opened the developer options on his Android TV, then instructed Claude to connect to the device and debloat it. He published the full prompt workflow online and described the results on X. The instructions told the agent not to uninstall anything, but to disable unused applications, shorten animation durations and keep a record of every action for later review.

Cobanov also disabled Google TV's home screen, which he said is largely filled with advertising and "recommended for you" content, and installed FLauncher, a free open-source app available on the Play Store that simply displays a grid of the TV's apps. He said the work was done without root access.

The problem Cobanov set out to solve is widespread. By the end of 2026, more than 50 percent of households are expected to own a smart TV, up from 34 percent in 2020, and many of those sets arrive with software buyers did not ask for. Samsung TVs, for example, ship with roughly 20 percent of total storage already occupied by the operating system. Much of the preloaded software consists of streaming apps such as Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video, and some companies prevent customers from uninstalling them. A second major source is software that collects data on viewing behavior for advertising, including Automatic Content Recognition, which regularly captures screenshots of what is on screen. The Center for Digital Democracy has concluded that such software turns connected TVs into a "privacy nightmare," and it can also slow down a set's operating system.

Engadget reports that Cobanov did build guardrails into his prompt to keep Claude from disabling important applications, but that copying him is not advisable. Full debugging access can leave a television unstable or unusable. AI agents are prone to mistakes and are less likely to acknowledge when they do not know an answer, so a hallucinated or wrong move may disable a critical component. If key packages are uninstalled or disabled, the TV may be unable to receive system updates in the future. AI prompts can also be hijacked by malicious actors.

A complete AI-driven overhaul is not always necessary. Sometimes freeing up memory is as simple as clearing the cache, with no apps deleted or disabled. FLauncher, the app intended to replace the Google home screen, can be downloaded without granting an AI agent system access, and other Play Store apps perform similar functions, letting users choose which packages run. For speed, several settings can be adjusted in the Developer Options section of Android TV's settings app: once enabled, animation-related controls can be reduced from 1x to 0.5x, autoplaying videos on the home screen can be turned off, usage diagnostics can be disabled, and "apps only" mode can be switched on.