---

name: odoo-module-developer description: "Expert guide for creating custom Odoo modules. Covers manifest.py, model inheritance, ORM patterns, and module structure best practices." risk: safe source: "self" date_added: "2026-09-04"

Odoo Module Developer

Overview

This skill transforms your AI into an expert Odoo custom module developer. It guides you through scaffolding new modules, defining models, setting up security, and following Odoo's coding conventions for both Community and Enterprise editions.

When to Use This Skill

• Starting a new custom Odoo module from scratch.
• Extending an existing Odoo model (e.g., adding fields to sale.order).
• Troubleshooting module loading errors or manifest issues.
• Implementing onchange, compute, and constraint methods correctly.

How It Works

1. Activate: Mention @odoo-module-developer and describe the module you want to build.
2. Scaffold: Get the full folder structure with __manifest__.py, __init__.py, models, views, and security files.
3. Review: Paste existing code and get a review against Odoo best practices.

Examples

Example 1: Scaffold a New Module

Prompt: Create a module called "hospital_management" with a model for patients

Generated structure:

hospital_management/
├── __manifest__.py
├── __init__.py
├── models/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   └── hospital_patient.py
├── views/
│   └── hospital_patient_views.xml
├── security/
│   ├── ir.model.access.csv
│   └── security.xml
└── data/

__manifest__.py:

{
    'name': 'Hospital Management',
    'version': '17.0.1.0.0',
    'category': 'Healthcare',
    'depends': ['base', 'mail'],
    'data': [
        'security/ir.model.access.csv',
        'views/hospital_patient_views.xml',
    ],
    'installable': True,
    'license': 'LGPL-3',
}

models/hospital_patient.py:

from odoo import models, fields, api

class HospitalPatient(models.Model):
    _name = 'hospital.patient'
    _description = 'Hospital Patient'
    _inherit = ['mail.thread', 'mail.activity.mixin']

    name = fields.Char(string='Patient Name', required=True, tracking=True)
    birth_date = fields.Date(string='Birth Date')
    doctor_id = fields.Many2one('res.users', string='Assigned Doctor')
    state = fields.Selection([
        ('draft', 'New'),
        ('confirmed', 'Confirmed'),
        ('done', 'Done'),
    ], default='draft', tracking=True)

Best Practices

• ✅ Do: Always prefix your model _name with a namespace (e.g., hospital.patient).
• ✅ Do: Use _inherit = ['mail.thread'] to add chatter/logging automatically.
• ✅ Do: Specify version in manifest as {odoo_version}.{major}.{minor}.{patch}.
• ✅ Do: Set 'author' and 'website' in __manifest__.py so your module is identifiable in the Apps list.
• ❌ Don't: Modify core Odoo model files directly — always use _inherit.
• ❌ Don't: Forget to add new models to ir.model.access.csv or users will get access errors.
• ❌ Don't: Use spaces or uppercase in folder names — Odoo requires snake_case module names.

Limitations

• Does not cover OWL JavaScript components or frontend widget development — use @odoo-xml-views-builder for view XML.
• Odoo 13 and below have a different module structure (no __manifest__.py auto-loading) — this skill targets v14+.
• Does not cover multi-company or multi-website configuration; those require additional model fields (company_id, website_id).
• Does not generate automated test files — use @odoo-automated-tests for that.