Debugging Odoo: Common Pitfalls

Debugging Odoo: Common Pitfalls and How to Fix Them

Have you ever spent hours staring at an Odoo error message, wondering why your perfectly coded module refuses to work? You’re not alone. Odoo, while powerful, can sometimes feel like a maze of cryptic errors—missing dependencies, mysterious PostgreSQL failures, or modules that vanish into thin air.

The good news? Most Odoo bugs follow predictable patterns. In this guide, we’ll break down the most common Odoo pitfalls, how to diagnose them, and—most importantly—how to fix them for good.

1. Missing Dependencies: The Silent Module Killer

One of the most frequent issues in Odoo is a module failing because of missing dependencies. You install a custom module, restart Odoo, and… nothing happens.

How to Diagnose:

  • Check the module’s __manifest__.py file for the depends key.
  • Look for errors in the Odoo logs (--log-level=debug helps).

How to Fix:

  1. Manually install missing dependencies (if they exist in your Odoo instance).
  2. Verify module names—typos (e.g., base_setup vs. base_setting) are common culprits.
  3. Use -i to force-install dependencies when updating:
    ./odoo-bin -u yourmodule -d yourdb --log-level=debug

2. Module Path Issues: When Odoo Can’t Find Your Code

You’ve placed your module in the addons folder, but Odoo acts like it doesn’t exist.

Possible Causes:

  • Incorrect addons_path configuration.
  • Folder permissions preventing Odoo from reading files.

How to Fix:

✅ Check your odoo.conf file: 

[options]  
addons_path = /path/to/addons,/another/path

✅ Verify folder permissions: 

chmod -R 755 /your/module/path

✅ Restart Odoo after changes.

3. PostgreSQL Problems: The Database Blues

Odoo relies heavily on PostgreSQL, and database issues can cause crashes, failed installations, or missing data.

Common PostgreSQL Errors:

  • Connection refused → PostgreSQL service isn’t running.
  • Role does not exist → The database user isn’t set up correctly.
  • Out of memory → PostgreSQL needs tuning for large datasets.

Solutions:

🔹 Start/restart PostgreSQL: 

sudo service postgresql restart

🔹 Check user permissions: 

CREATE USER odoo WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';  
ALTER USER odoo CREATEDB;

🔹 Optimize PostgreSQL settings in /etc/postgresql/.../postgresql.conf if Odoo runs slowly.

4. Cache Issues: When Odoo Refuses to Update

You’ve made changes, but Odoo still shows old data or behavior.

Why This Happens:

  • Odoo caches views, assets, and translations.
  • Browser cache may interfere.

How to Fix:

💡 Clear Odoo’s cache:

  • Restart the server (sudo service odoo restart).
  • Use --dev=reload to auto-refresh assets:
    ./odoo-bin --dev=reload

💡 Hard-refresh your browser (Ctrl + F5).

5. Permission Errors: “Access Denied” Mysteries

Even with the right code, Odoo may block actions due to permission rules.

Debugging Steps:

  1. Enable Developer Mode (Settings → Activate Developer Mode).
  2. Check user groups (Settings → Users & Companies → Groups).
  3. Inspect ir.model.access records (via Technical → Security → Access Rights).

6. Logs Are Your Best Friend

Most Odoo errors can be decoded by checking logs.

How to Enable Detailed Logging:

./odoo-bin --log-level=debug

📌 Key log locations:

  • /var/log/odoo/odoo-server.log (Linux)
  • Terminal output (if running manually)

Final Tip: The Power of Community

Stuck on a weird Odoo bug? Chances are, someone else has solved it. Check:

Your Turn!

Debugging Odoo can be frustrating, but each solved bug makes you a better developer. What’s the trickiest Odoo error you’ve faced? Share your solution in the comments—it might save someone hours of headache! 🚀

(Need help with a specific Odoo issue? Drop a question below!)

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