Free My TV is a new open-source home screen for Google TV that strips out the sponsored rows, banners and autoplay promos and shows a clean shelf of the streaming apps you already have. The GitHub repository picked up roughly 1,500 stars in a day or so of trending, and it is notable for a second reason: it was built with Claude Code, says so, and ships a CLAUDE.md so an AI assistant can port it to other TV brands.
This guide covers what it does, how to install it, how it works under the hood, and the trade-offs a careful reader should weigh. We have not run it on a TV, so everything below comes from the README and repository page as of October 20, 2026, and the performance numbers are the author's.
TL;DR: Free My TV at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is it? | Replacement home screen for Google TV and Android TV; LG webOS and Samsung Tizen versions too |
| License | MIT |
| Cost | Free; you need your own TMDB API key |
| What it removes | Sponsored rows, banners, autoplay promos |
| What it shows | A shelf of your own apps, trending picks limited to apps you have, weather, day and night themes, screensaver |
| Claimed performance | 60 fps, 96 MB memory vs 242 MB stock, on one 98-inch TCL TV |
| Undo | "One button to undo" restores the factory home screen |
| Repo stats | About 1.5k stars, 161 forks, 8 open issues, 13 open pull requests |
| Built with | Claude Code, with a CLAUDE.md for adapting to other brands |
How it works
The README describes a plain Android app with no Gradle and no external libraries, built with aapt2, javac, d8 and apksigner through a build.sh script. The interesting part is how it takes over the home screen. Google TV does not let a third-party app simply replace the launcher, so the app runs ADB commands against the TV's own debugging service from inside the TV, changing the home activity and disabling packages.
Three safeguards are listed:
- A watchdog reverts to the stock home screen after three crashes in five minutes, so a bad build does not leave you with a blank TV.
- A protected list keeps picture, sound, inputs and the Play Store from being disabled. The app disables built-in system apps rather than uninstalling them.
- One-button undo that restores the factory home screen.
On LG and Samsung, the project uses shared HTML, CSS and JavaScript in a web/ folder, installed through LG's Developer Mode with a Python script and, on Samsung, through the community TizenBrew installer.
How to install it (Google TV)
Per the README:
- Enable developer mode and USB debugging on the TV.
- Get a personal TMDB API key and put it in
config.properties, keeping that file out of git. - Build with
build.shand install overadb, or use the Claude Code path the README describes. - Keep the generated keystore: updates are signed with it, and losing it means reinstalling.
On LG, developer mode expires after about 40 days unless extended, per the README, so the setup needs periodic renewal.
If you use Claude Code to do the work, read each command before approving it. The README's own warning list is the best checklist.
What the README warns about
A good sign is that the author lists risks rather than hiding them:
- Apps that saved a Wi-Fi network are never disabled, because Android would erase that network; you may need to forget and reconnect to your network first.
- On TCL TVs, background running is blocked by default and must be enabled with an adb command, or auto-start never happens.
- On TCL TVs it uses an accessibility service to read remote buttons. Accessibility services can see and act on screen content, so grant that permission only if you trust the code.
- It is not endorsed by TMDB and not affiliated with Google, TCL, LG, Samsung or any streaming service.
- It sends coordinates and API requests to TMDB and Open-Meteo, and to Binance for crypto prices (the
show_cryptosetting defaults totrueper the README; set it tofalseif you do not want that call). On Samsung 2023 and newer TVs, a Samsung account sign-in is needed once to sign the app.
The AI angle: a repo designed to be ported by an assistant
The most interesting design choice is the CLAUDE.md instruction file. Instead of asking contributors to learn each TV platform, the author wrote guidance that tells an AI coding assistant how to adapt the app to another brand, and the README says the project is made to be adapted by AI. This is the same pattern as the Claude Code skills and agent files we have covered, such as the TV vibehack debloat guide and the Fire TV Stick debloat walkthrough, where the model does the platform-specific legwork from a short brief.
It also raises the usual vibe-coding question: who reviews code the assistant wrote and then applies to a device you own? Our post on shipping AI-written code you do not understand is a good checklist, and the Last Secure Code benchmark shows why you should not assume generated code is secure by default.
Why TV home screens are ad surfaces
Smart-TV makers sell hardware at thin margins and earn recurring revenue from the software layer: promoted rows, paid placements for streaming services, and autoplay previews. The home screen is the most valuable real estate on the device, which is why the stock launcher fills with recommendations you did not ask for and why a launcher that shows only your installed apps feels like a different product.
Replacing it is technically awkward by design. On Android TV the launcher is a system component, and the platform expects the manufacturer's home activity to remain in control. Developer mode and ADB are the sanctioned escape hatch for people who want to change that, which is why every approach, including this one, starts with enabling them. Free My TV's novelty is packaging that escape hatch into an app that runs the ADB commands on the TV itself, so you do not need a computer connected after setup.
That convenience has a cost: an app holding the permissions to disable other apps is powerful, and the safeguards in the README, the protected list, the watchdog and the undo button, are what keep it from bricking the experience. They are the part to test first on a spare device. If the undo path fails on your model, you want to find out before it is your only TV.
What a similar project would need to be trustworthy
Popularity is not a security review. For a tool like this, a reader should look for a few things: a small, readable code base so reviewing is realistic; no network calls beyond the listed services; a clear list of requested permissions; reproducible builds so the APK you install matches the source; and active handling of issues. Free My TV scores reasonably on the first three from its README, and the open pull-request count is the thing to watch on the last. If you adapt it with an assistant to another brand, treat the generated changes as new, unreviewed code and read the diff.
Is the ad-free claim a terms-of-service problem?
The README does not discuss it, and we did not find a statement from Google about replacement launchers using on-device ADB. Disabling stock packages on a TV you own is generally within what developer mode allows, but manufacturers can change behavior in system updates, and some devices tie features such as voice search or app recommendations to the stock launcher. If your TV is under warranty or a carrier or retailer subsidy, check those terms before disabling system apps. We cannot say how any given manufacturer will respond, and the repository does not either.
Claimed vs verified
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| No sponsored rows or promos | README | Plausible by design; not independently tested here |
| 60 fps, 96 MB vs 242 MB | README | One device, self-reported |
| Protected apps cannot be disabled | README | Check the code and test on a spare TV |
| Watchdog reverts after 3 crashes in 5 minutes | README | Code-level claim; try it deliberately |
| Works on LG and Samsung | README | Depends on developer mode and community tooling |
What to do before installing
- Read the source. It is small, has no external libraries, and is MIT-licensed, so a review is feasible in an afternoon.
- Try it on a secondary TV first, and confirm the undo button restores the stock launcher before you rely on it.
- Check the Android debug bridge documentation so you understand what the commands it issues do.
- Know the Wi-Fi caveat: the README says apps that saved a Wi-Fi network are never disabled, and you may need to forget and reconnect first.
- Skim the open issues and pull requests; with 8 and 13 open respectively, they show real-world breakage early.
- Do not paste secrets such as your TMDB key into chats with an assistant; keep
config.propertiesout of git.
For readers using AI agents that run shell commands on real devices, AgentBeam, the agent security platform from the explainx.ai team, is built to stop agents before they take dangerous actions.
Questions people are asking
Will it block ads inside streaming apps? No. It replaces the home screen only; ads in Netflix, YouTube and others are separate.
Can I use it on Fire TV or Roku? The README covers Google TV and Android TV, LG webOS and Samsung Tizen. Fire TV is Android-based, so the adaptation prompt may help, but that is not documented here.
Is it an app-store app? No. Install is by developer mode and sideloading.
Why did it trend so fast? Frustration with ad-heavy TV home screens is widespread, and a free, small, readable, AI-built alternative is an easy repository to star. Stars measure interest, not maturity.
What is still unknown
- Independent performance and battery-of-TVs compatibility results.
- Long-term behavior across system updates.
- Whether the maintainers can keep up with 13 open pull requests and broader demand.
- The repository creation date and release history, which the page did not show.
Related reading
- TV vibehack: debloat Android TV with Claude Code
- Debloat an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Claude Code
- Free Claude Code proxy: terms and data risks
- Shipping AI-written code you do not understand
- Last Secure Code benchmark for vibe-coding agents
- Claude Code desktop app mods guide
Details are from the repository README on October 20, 2026 and may change.