MCP

smartest-tv: play a title by name on a TV or in the browser

For launching Netflix or YouTube by title first. Without a TV it opens the browser. The first play still changes this machine or the TV screen.

Official source · smartest-tv

Install

pip install stv

Who it's for

If you want to name a title in a terminal or an agent and have the TV open Netflix, Apple TV+, YouTube, or Spotify, this tool matches. It can also cast a URL, do multi-room audio, and act as an MCP server so an assistant can steward the room. It is not TV firmware and will not buy you a membership.

Official notes:

https://github.com/Hybirdss/smartest-tv

Main prerequisite: you can try without a TV; the command then opens in the browser. With a TV, run stv setup first, then connect. Official text says no API key, no cloud dependency, and it is not browser automation. The repo title also mentions LG, Samsung, Roku, and Android.

First try in 3 minutes

Use one official path: install the package named stv with pip, then play one official sample title.

Prerequisites: Python / pip installed. A TV is optional. The first play opens the matching app in the browser or on the TV — a visible side effect. Confirm you are willing to interrupt the current screen.

Install command:

pip install stv

Where to configure: in the MCP client, mcpServers.tv has command uvx and args stv. That is the official one-line MCP form. The evidence names Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity. pip is for the command line, uvx is for MCP; do not add a third installer.

Low-risk first call: run stv play "Frieren". Without a TV, official text says it opens in the browser. This is not read-only: it resolves the title, gets a content ID, and deep-links into the app. Confirm the current screen may be taken. After MCP is attached, only repeat this play-by-name; do not invent other tool names.

Success signal: the browser or TV starts that title, or it clearly says setup is not done. Repeats should be faster because official text says results are cached.

Use cases

Case 1: without a TV, use stv play plus the official sample title Frieren to check resolve and deep-link. Official text writes No TV? Opens in your browser. What you can check is whether the browser opens the matching content. The evidence does not write other play switches; do not invent the missing parts.

Case 2: with a TV, connect with stv setup first, then play by name. Official text says you name a title, stv resolves a content ID and deep-links into the app on the TV. This fits a living-room device that already finished setup. On the MCP side official text only says there are 21 tools and does not name them. Up to here you can only confirm play-by-name and setup exist. Casting a URL and multi-room audio are mentioned without commands; do not invent subcommands from that.

Limits

Play changes TV or browser state; that is not zero risk. Official text says no key and no cloud, but it still resolves titles locally and deep-links — not “does not touch the screen.” Control of a real set before setup is not spelled out.

The 21 MCP tools have no name roster. Cache makes repeats faster, but there is no cache directory or cleanup command. This guide only covers pip install, uvx MCP config, stv play, and stv setup. Other living-room capabilities without a command should not be extrapolated.