I Gave Claude Code Control of My TV

By Lukas Margerie

Categories: Design, Product

Summary

Using Claude Code and reverse engineering techniques, developers are completely replacing smart TV operating systems with custom interfaces in just 2-3 prompts, achieving 70% RAM reduction and 3x faster performance. This demonstrates how AI agents can now autonomously modify closed-source systems, opening new product opportunities.

Key Takeaways

  1. Enable USB debugging on your TV and share the same Wi-Fi network with your computer. Claude Code can then discover your TV on the network and generate step-by-step instructions in 3-4 minutes, making the setup process accessible without deep technical knowledge.
  2. Take a photo of your TV's settings/about page rather than the physical device. This gives Claude Code accurate OS information (e.g., TCL running Android TV OS 14), leading to better code generation and fewer failed attempts.
  3. Combine Claude Code with Jev (by Type Safe) to preset specific command paths. This enables custom shortcuts like 'open YouTube channel' to execute 3-5x faster by avoiding AI decision-making overhead on repetitive actions.
  4. Claude Code can autonomously create custom home screen apps that replace Google TV's default interface. Simply request design concepts (even absurd ones like 'chicken laying eggs') and it implements working UI changes in 5 minutes without requiring design specifications.
  5. The reverse engineering GitHub repo enables developers to decompose any closed-source app down to binary level. Builders are using this to recreate Adobe Creative Suite alternatives (Photocraft, Vectorcraft, Filmcraft) as open-source, customizable clones.

Related topics

Transcript Excerpt

Hey guys. So recently on X, I've been seeing a lot of posts about smart TV owners basically using AI to not only remove ads from their smart TV, but also create new types of interfaces. So for example, this guy, I vibe coded my TV with Claude. All the pre-installed bloatware and ads were removed. And on top of that, I recreated its operating system and made a clean design inspired by Apple TV. And he says 70% less RAM usage and three times faster interface. And you also got people, you know, changing the entire UI to be a little bit more minimal. I also got a beautiful screen saver with revenue, calendar, weather, and notifications for new Stripe payments and saying it was super easy. I sent it the listing for my TV asked, "Can you hack this?" And it talked me through how. And this all ste…

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