How to use CleanYourTV, step by step

How to use CleanYourTV on an Android TV or Google TV, from switching on USB debugging to your first clean home screen. With an AI coding assistant it takes about fifteen minutes.

Before you start: a computer on the same Wi-Fi as the TV, an AI coding assistant with shell access (Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI), and the TV switched on. Plan to do it in one sitting.

Step 1: Turn on USB debugging on the TV

Open Settings → Device Preferences (on Google TV: System) → About.
Select Build (on Google TV: Android TV OS build) and press OK seven times, until it says you are a developer.
Go back and open Developer options. Turn on USB debugging. If you also see Network debugging or ADB debugging, turn that on too.
Note the TV’s IP address from its network settings and leave the TV on.

Some boxes cut power to their USB port while USB debugging is on, so a USB drive, speaker or USB Ethernet adapter can drop until you turn debugging off again.

Step 2: Get the repository and the prompt

Download or clone the CleanYourTV repository on your computer and open your AI assistant in that folder. The assistant then reuses the project’s tools and launcher instead of writing its own.

git clone https://github.com/Gathin23/cleanyourtv.git
cd cleanyourtv

Open PROMPT.md, copy the prompt part into your assistant and fill in your TV model. The prompt tells the assistant to work on the real TV step by step, check every change with screenshots pulled from the TV, and ask you before anything that depends on your preferences.

Step 3: Accept the connection on the TV

The assistant finds the TV on your network and connects to it on port 5555. A box appears on the TV: Allow USB debugging? Choose Allow (you can tick "Always allow from this computer"). If nothing appears, see connection problems.

Step 4: Answer the checklist

Before changing anything the assistant backs up the TV and asks you a few questions:

Which apps you actually use, so they stay.
How many apps go in the dock and in what order.
Whether to keep the voice assistant (the remote’s mic button), Chromecast casting and system updates.

Then it disables the packages in small batches, builds and installs the launcher, makes it the Home app and checks the result on screen. Only after the new launcher is running does it disable the stock one.

Step 5: Close debugging

When you are happy with the result, keep the debloat list the assistant used (you need it to restore), then turn off USB debugging and Network debugging in Developer options, revoke the debugging authorisations and restart the TV. The launcher keeps working without debugging.

Doing it by hand

Every step is a script in the repository that needs only Python 3. From the repository folder, with your TV’s IP address:

python3 -m venv tools/venv && tools/venv/bin/pip install -r tools/requirements.txt
export TV_HOST=192.168.1.50

tools/venv/bin/python -I tools/tv.py --probe          # model, Android version, firmware
tools/disable.sh examples/<your tv>/debloat.txt        # apply a debloat list
TV_HOST=192.168.1.50 launcher/build-and-install.sh    # build the launcher and make it Home

Pick your model’s list from the supported TVs. Building the launcher needs JDK 17 and Android SDK platform 34; on a Mac, Homebrew can install both. On Windows every script has a PowerShell version next to it.

On macOS, the standard adb connect often fails with "No route to host" because of Local Network privacy. The project’s own tools/tv.py avoids that.

Changing it afterwards

Launcher settings: hold OK on the Settings button on the home screen and choose Launcher settings to set 4 to 7 apps per row and turn animations on or off.
Themes: push a theme folder with tools/theme.sh to change colours, wallpaper and the dock without rebuilding.
Clock screensaver: choose Clock in the TV’s screensaver settings.
Go back to the stock home screen: see restore your TV.

Questions about setup

Which AI assistant works best with CleanYourTV?

The project names Claude Code, OpenAI Codex and Gemini CLI. Any coding assistant that can run shell commands on your computer should work. The developer used Claude Code.

Do I need to clone the repository?

It helps. With the repository on your computer the assistant reuses the ready-made tools and launcher and only edits the configuration, instead of writing them from scratch.

Where do I find my TV’s IP address?

In the TV’s network settings, under the Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection details. The assistant can also look for it on your network, or you can check your router’s list of connected devices.

There is no Developer options menu.

Press OK on the Build entry seven times first, in Settings, Device Preferences (or System), About. On some ISP boxes the menu is locked; see troubleshooting.

Can I do this without an AI assistant?

Yes. Every step is a script in the repository that needs only Python 3. The by-hand commands are below.

Can I do it for a parent’s TV in another home?

Yes, over a private Tailscale connection, never by opening the ADB port on their router. The repository has a step-by-step guide for remote setups.