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Quickstart (guided setup)

The /setup-odoo-tools command walks you step by step through the connection, one question at a time, and verifies the result. This page summarizes that flow in case you prefer to do it manually.

Step 0 — Detect what you already have

The command first checks whether uvx/node are available and whether the environment variables (ODOO_URL, ODOO_DB, ODOO_LOGIN and a secret) are already set. If everything is ready, it jumps straight to verification.

Step 1 — Choose the surface

  • MCP server (recommended) — full tools + compatibility layer. It needs uv/uvx (or Python 3.11+).
  • Fallback CLI — lightweight, Node only. Use it if you cannot run the MCP.

Step 2 — Odoo version and edition (optional)

Community · Enterprise · Online (odoo.com/SaaS) · Not sure. The compatibility layer covers versions 10–19 automatically; this detail is only context.

Step 3 — Connection details

  1. Odoo URL — e.g. https://my-company.odoo.com (scheme + host, no trailing path).
  2. Database name — Settings → Database, or visible in the login URL.
  3. Login email — the account you sign in with.
  4. Credential — an API key (Odoo 14+, recommended) or a password (Odoo < 14). For the API key: Preferences → Account Security → New API Key (shown only once — copy it).

Security

Never write the secret into a file that the repository tracks. Use a least-privilege Odoo user for the agent. See Security.

Step 4 — Persist the configuration

export ODOO_URL="…"
export ODOO_DB="…"
export ODOO_LOGIN="…"
export ODOO_API_KEY="…"
Add them to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc and restart Claude.

setx ODOO_URL "…"
setx ODOO_DB "…"
setx ODOO_LOGIN "…"
setx ODOO_API_KEY "…"
Restart Claude so the plugin picks up the variables.

For the CLI, run /odoo-tools:odoo-setup-cli: it installs the CLI and writes a local .env in ~/.claude/tools/odoo-cli.

Step 5 — Verify (definition of done)

  • MCP: call odoo_version. Success = returns version + edition + deployment + transport. Then try: odoo_search_read { "model": "res.partner", "fields": ["name"], "limit": 1 }.
  • CLI: node ~/.claude/tools/odoo-cli/dist/cli.js contacts '{"limit":1}'.

If it fails, diagnose by the error:

  • authentication error → check DB / login / API key
  • transport error → check the URL (scheme + host)
  • "database not found" → check the exact database name

Step 6 — First prompts

  • "list last month's posted invoices"
  • "how many active subscriptions are there"
  • "export the products to CSV"

Use /odoo-doctor for a quick check and /odoo-tools:odoo-crossversion for version notes.