Fire TV Screensaver Timeout Enforcer

A portable Windows desktop application that keeps your Fire TV Stick screensaver timeout forced to 1 minute (60 seconds) by periodically checking and correcting the setting via ADB.

Why This App?

Fire OS has a frustrating behavior: it keeps reverting the screensaver timeout to 5 minutes (300000ms) after wake/resume events. This app runs in the background and automatically enforces your preferred 1-minute timeout by monitoring and correcting the setting at regular intervals.

Features

• ? Automatic Enforcement: Periodically checks and corrects the screensaver timeout
• ? Easy Setup: Simple IP address configuration
• ? Configurable Interval: Check every 10-600 seconds (default: 30 seconds)
• ? Activity Log: See exactly what's happening with timestamped entries
• ? Portable: Runs from any folder, no installation required
• ? No Certificate Required: Unpackaged deployment, no MSIX signing needed

Requirements

• Windows 11 (x64)
• Fire TV Stick with ADB debugging enabled
• Same local network (Fire TV and PC must be on the same LAN)

Note: The app is fully self-contained. No .NET or Windows App SDK installation is required. Just extract and run!

How It Works

The app uses ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to communicate with your Fire TV Stick:

1. Connects to the Fire TV via adb connect <ip>:5555
2. Reads the current timeout: adb shell settings get system screen_off_timeout
3. Corrects if needed: adb shell settings put system screen_off_timeout 60000
4. Repeats at the configured interval

The target timeout is 60000ms (1 minute / 60 seconds).

Setup Instructions

1. Enable ADB Debugging on Fire TV

1. On your Fire TV, go to Settings ? My Fire TV ? About
2. Click on Build 7 times rapidly to enable Developer Options
3. Go back to My Fire TV ? Developer Options
4. Enable ADB Debugging
5. (Optional but recommended) Enable Apps from Unknown Sources for network authorization

2. Find Your Fire TV's IP Address

1. On your Fire TV, go to Settings ? My Fire TV ? About ? Network
2. Note the IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50)
3. For best results, assign a static IP to your Fire TV in your router settings

3. Download Platform-Tools

You need the Android platform-tools (containing adb.exe):

1. Download from: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
2. Extract the ZIP file
3. Copy these 3 files to a platform-tools folder next to the app executable:
   • adb.exe
   • AdbWinApi.dll
   • AdbWinUsbApi.dll

Your folder structure should look like:

FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer/
??? FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer.exe
??? platform-tools/
?   ??? adb.exe
?   ??? AdbWinApi.dll
?   ??? AdbWinUsbApi.dll
??? (other app files)

4. First-Time ADB Authorization

The first time you connect via ADB, your Fire TV will show an authorization prompt:

1. Run the app and click Start Enforcing
2. Look at your Fire TV screen for the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt
3. Check "Always allow from this computer"
4. Click OK

If you miss this prompt, the app will keep retrying until authorized.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 (17.x or later) or Visual Studio 2025/2026
• .NET 10 SDK
• Windows App SDK workload installed
• Windows 11 SDK (10.0.19041.0 or later)

Build Steps

1. Clone the repository
2. Open FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer.sln in Visual Studio
3. Select x64 as the target platform
4. Build the solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)
5. The output will be in bin\x64\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0\win-x64\

Publish as Self-Contained

For a fully portable deployment that doesn't require .NET 10 to be installed:

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true

Running the App

1. Navigate to the output folder (or published folder)
2. Ensure platform-tools folder contains the ADB files
3. Run FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer.exe
4. Enter your Fire TV's IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50:5555)
5. Set your preferred check interval (default: 30 seconds)
6. Click Start Enforcing

Settings are automatically saved to settings.json next to the executable.

Troubleshooting

App won't launch after downloading (nothing happens)

If the app does not launch after downloading, first ensure the ZIP was fully extracted and that you are running the executable from the extracted folder. If the problem persists, see the general troubleshooting steps below.

App won't launch (no window appears)

• Make sure you extracted the ZIP completely (don't run from inside the ZIP)
• Ensure all .pri files are present in the folder (should be automatic)
• If you see a Windows SmartScreen warning, click More info → Run anyway
• If you get a missing DLL error, re-extract the ZIP and try again
• If you see a "Missing ADB files" error, ensure the platform-tools folder is present with all required files

"Connection failed" or "device offline"

• Verify the Fire TV IP address is correct
• Ensure both devices are on the same network
• Check that ADB debugging is enabled on Fire TV
• Try restarting the Fire TV
• If you previously authorized ADB, try revoking and re-authorizing

Windows Firewall Prompt

When first connecting, Windows Firewall may ask to allow adb.exe. Click Allow for private networks.

ADB Authorization Prompt Not Appearing

1. Run adb disconnect then adb connect <ip>:5555 manually from command line
2. The prompt should appear on the Fire TV
3. If not, try: Settings ? My Fire TV ? Developer Options ? Revoke USB debugging authorizations
4. Then try connecting again

Fire TV IP Address Changes

If your Fire TV gets a new IP address (DHCP), you'll need to update the app. Consider assigning a static IP in your router's DHCP settings.

Timeout Keeps Reverting Anyway

This is expected behavior - that's why this app exists! The app will catch and correct the reversion within your configured interval. If it happens too often, reduce the check interval.

Security Considerations

?? ADB Debugging Security Warning

Enabling ADB debugging on your Fire TV has security implications:

• Any device on your network can potentially connect to your Fire TV
• An authorized computer has significant control over the device
• Consider disabling ADB when not actively needed

This app only modifies the screen_off_timeout setting and does not access any personal data.

File Structure

FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer/
??? FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer.exe    # Main application
??? settings.json                       # Your saved settings (auto-created)
??? platform-tools/                     # ADB binaries (you must add these)
?   ??? adb.exe
?   ??? AdbWinApi.dll
?   ??? AdbWinUsbApi.dll
??? (runtime files)

Project Structure (Source)

FireStickScreenSaverEnforcer.App/
??? App.xaml / App.xaml.cs              # Application entry point
??? MainWindow.xaml / MainWindow.xaml.cs # Main UI and logic
??? Models/
?   ??? AppSettings.cs                   # Settings model
??? Services/
?   ??? AdbRunner.cs                     # ADB command execution
?   ??? SettingsService.cs               # Settings persistence
??? platform-tools/                      # (Add ADB files here for development)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Platform-Tools License

The Android platform-tools (adb.exe, etc.) are provided by Google under their own license terms. You must download them directly from Google and comply with their license. This repository does not include platform-tools binaries.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Acknowledgments

• Google for providing the Android platform-tools
• Microsoft for WinUI 3 and Windows App SDK