Android TV setup

Work on the real device, step by step. Every change is reversible and verified with a screenshot or a command that proves it. Ask the owner before anything that depends on taste or on how they use the TV. The question bank is references/questions.md; ask each question at its phase, in the owner's language, with checklist/option UI when available.

Layout

• scripts/ - helpers, run from the TV's work directory. Python 3, no packages needed.
• launcher/ - the launcher source (Java, AndroidX RecyclerView). Copied into each TV's work directory.
• references/ - one file per phase, read it when you reach that phase.
• Work directory per TV: tvs/<brand-model>/ next to the skill's repo (or the current project). It holds .tv (one line IP:5555), backup/, shots/, debloat/, launcher/ and the TV's README.md. backup/ and shots/ contain device identifiers: never publish them.

Run scripts as python <skill>/scripts/<name>.py with the work directory as the current directory.

Script	Purpose
scan.py	find TVs on the LAN (ADB and Cast ports)
tv.py	shell command, key presses, screenshots
backup.py	save the original state, print a device summary
disable.py	disable a package list, refuses core/factory/Wi-Fi-owner packages, logs for restore
setting.py	change settings, records original values for restore
snapshot.py	find which settings key a TV menu item writes (save, change one item, diff)
appops.py	restrict background running for apps, logs for restore
privacy.py	list ACR/ad packages and apps holding the mic or camera; block mic and camera; blocking DNS with a proof check; logs for restore
restore.py	undo everything: packages, settings, app ops, Home
build-install.sh	build the launcher, install, set as Home, print who really holds Home
adb-closed.py	prove network ADB is closed at the end

Phases

1. Connect - references/connect.md. Find the TV, connect ADB, tell the owner when the "Allow debugging?" prompt appears and to tick "Always allow". Ask the connection questions (Q-C*).
2. Back up - scripts/backup.py before any change. Read the summary aloud: brand, Android version, RAM, Google TV or not, who owns the saved Wi-Fi network.
3. Debloat - references/debloat.md. Sort packages, ask Q-D*, disable in small batches, screenshot after each batch.
4. Privacy - references/privacy.md. Mandatory on every TV, never skipped. Scan with scripts/privacy.py, have the owner switch off ACR / viewing information / ad ID in the menu (screenshots), disable proven ACR packages, block the mic and camera for vendor apps, turn on blocking DNS (privacy.py dns on). Ask Q-R*.
5. Performance - references/performance.md. Measure memory first, ask Q-P*, apply, measure again.
6. Launcher - references/launcher.md. Ask Q-L*, build, install, take over Home. On Google TV this involves the setup wizard and the Wi-Fi owner: follow the file exactly. Verify the cold-start skeletons per launcher.md section 5a. For owners in Russia (timezone/locale) or with slow YouTube, ask Q-B* and set up ByeByeDPI per references/dpi-bypass.md before building, so the launcher can start it only while YouTube is open.
7. Picture - references/picture.md. Ask Q-V*, discover the vendor's keys, apply a calibrated profile, verify in the TV's own menu.
8. Sound - references/sound.md. Ask Q-S*, apply, verify.
9. Reboot check - reboot once. Confirm Home, network, the disabled list, the settings and the mic/camera app ops survived.
10. Finish - references/finish.md. Write the TV's README (with a Privacy section), close network ADB, prove it is closed.

Remote buttons (app keys, gear/dashboard key, remapping, Bluetooth remotes) are a separate module that is not part of this version. Record which buttons stopped working (getevent -lt + logcat) and tell the owner.

Hard rules

• Back up first. Never uninstall system packages: pm disable-user --user 0 only, one pm call per shell call.
• Never disable Android core packages (see references/debloat.md) or anything the TV needs to show a picture, switch inputs, pair the remote, type, or install apps. When a vendor package name is unclear, read dumpsys package <pkg> (activities, services, receivers, permissions); ask the owner if still unclear.
• Never launch, even read-only, a package whose name says factory/fac/AT/production. Some boards flip a factory flag when one starts and lose the Input key, CEC and Play services on the next boot.
• Before disabling a package, check dumpsys wifi | grep -o 'cname=[^ ]*'. Android deletes the saved network of a disabled owner and the TV drops off Wi-Fi and ADB. disable.py refuses; the owner must forget and re-join the network in Settings first. The TV may get a new IP afterwards.
• Disable in small batches and screenshot between them. After the last batch, reboot and compare pm list packages -d with backup/disabled-by-us.txt.
• If pm disable-user is refused for every package, stop debloating and say so. Offer DNS blocking and the TV's own privacy toggles instead.
• set-home-activity can print Success and change nothing. Only dumpsys activity activities | grep mFocusedApp after pressing Home proves the takeover. If Home goes black, re-enable the stock launcher at once.
• Settings writes must be verified: read the value back and look at the TV's menu (screenshot). A vendor key that changes in settings but not on screen was not applied.
• Live TV, HDMI and DRM apps give 0-byte screenshots. That is the TV, not a fault: check dumpsys activity activities | grep topResumedActivity instead.
• The privacy phase is not optional. If the owner declines a step, record it in the TV's README as declined. Menu toggles are not proof: verify with privacy.py scan and pm list packages -d.
• Keep it light: TVs have 1-3 GB of RAM. The launcher has no blur, no video, no network polling.
• Finish by closing network ADB: port 5555 is plaintext and gives a shell to authorised keys on the LAN.

Reporting

After each phase tell the owner, briefly: what changed, how it was verified, how to undo it. Write per-TV knowledge (package meanings, vendor settings keys, quirks) into references/devices/<board>.md so the next TV of the same family goes faster.