Odex

Odex is a TypeScript CLI for Odoo development workflows. The current version focuses on one practical job first: updating Odoo modules inside a Docker container with a shorter, repeatable command.

The idea is to start with something useful every day, then grow into a broader Odoo developer tool over time.

Goals

• Shorten repetitive Odoo update commands
• Standardize common update flags for local development
• Make Docker-based Odoo updates easier to run and repeat
• Keep the CLI scriptable and friendly to future expansion

Current Scope

Right now Odex ships with a single command:

1. update

This keeps the project small while solving a real pain point first.

Why Odex

• Short
• Easy to remember
• Sounds like a real developer tool
• Fits the Odoo + CLI use case well
• Professional enough to grow into a real product name

Tech Stack

Odex uses a small TypeScript stack that fits a lightweight CLI:

• commander for commands and options
• execa for running Docker commands
• zod for validating input and options
• tsx for running TypeScript during development without rebuilding every time
• esbuild for bundling the CLI
• javascript-obfuscator for producing a harder-to-read build output

Why Commander

For the first version, commander is a better fit than a larger framework like oclif because:

• The main need is parsing arguments and flags
• The tool primarily builds and runs Dockerized Odoo commands
• The current scope is still small
• It is faster to start with and easier to maintain

If Odex grows significantly later, with many commands or a real plugin system, moving to oclif can be considered then.

CLI Direction

Odex should prefer explicit flag-based commands instead of starting with interactive prompts so it is:

• Easy to repeat
• Easy to reuse in shell scripts
• Easy to integrate into CI/CD workflows

Current command style:

odex update sale_management --db dev
odex update sale_management,stock --db dev
odex update sale_management --db dev --container odoo-web
odex update sale_management --db dev --dry-run

Installation

yarn install
yarn build
yarn link

If you use fish shell, make sure Yarn's global bin directory is on your PATH:

fish_add_path $HOME/.yarn/bin
source ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Then you can run:

odex --help

Available Command

update

Updates one or more Odoo modules inside a Docker container by running odoo -d <db> -u <modules>.

Default behavior:

• Runs through docker exec -it
• Uses container name odoo if --container is not provided
• Includes --stop-after-init by default
• Includes --no-http by default
• Supports comma-separated module names
• Supports --dry-run to preview the generated command

Examples:

odex update sale_management --db dev
odex update sale_management,stock --db dev
odex update sale_management --db dev --container odoo-web
odex update sale_management --db dev --dry-run
odex update sale_management --db dev --no-stop-after-init

Generated command example:

docker exec -it odoo odoo -d dev -u sale_management --stop-after-init --no-http

Development

yarn dev update sale_management --db dev --dry-run
yarn typecheck
yarn build

Build outputs:

• dist/odex.js main runnable CLI build
• dist/odex.obf.js obfuscated build output

Project Structure

src/
  main.ts
  commands/
    update.ts
  lib/
    run-odoo.ts

File responsibilities:

• src/main.ts CLI entry point and command registration
• src/commands/update.ts update command definition and option parsing
• src/lib/run-odoo.ts Docker command building and execution logic

Roadmap

Near-term ideas:

• scan
• update changed
• update all
• odex docker-update <module> -d <db> -s <service>
• odex update changed
• odex logs grep RPC_ERROR
• odex addon new <module_name>
• odex validate manifest
• odex xpath find "<expr>"

Summary

Odex is a TypeScript CLI for Odoo development, currently centered on a Docker-based update command. It keeps the first version small and practical, while leaving room to expand into a fuller Odoo developer workflow tool later.