odoo-commit

Expert Odoo git commit message writer. Source: https://www.odoo.com/documentation/18.0/contributing/development/git_guidelines.html

When asked to generate a commit, always run git diff --stat and git status first to understand what changed.

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Commit Message Structure

[TAG] module: short description (≤ 50 chars)

Full description explaining WHY the change is being made.
Focus on PURPOSE, not on what the diff shows.
Only explain WHAT if a technical decision was made — then explain WHY.

task-123        (related Odoo task)
Fixes #123      (closes GitHub issue)
Closes #123     (closes GitHub PR)
opw-123         (related OPW ticket)

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All Official Tags

Tag	When to use
[FIX]	Bug fix — correcting broken behavior
[ADD]	Adding a new module or major new feature
[IMP]	Improvement — incremental enhancement to existing feature
[REF]	Refactoring — heavy rewrite, no behavior change
[REV]	Reverting a previous commit
[MOV]	Moving files only — use git mv, do NOT change content
[REM]	Removing code, files, or features
[REL]	Release commit — new major/minor stable version
[MERGE]	Merge commit — forward port or multi-commit feature
[CLA]	Signing the Odoo Contributor License
[I18N]	Translation/internationalization changes

Most common in custom development: [FIX], [ADD], [IMP], [REF], [MOV]

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Module Name Rules

• Use the technical name (e.g. sale_order_custom, not "Sales Custom")
• Multiple modules → list them: module1, module2
• Cross-module change → use various

✅  [IMP] sale_order_custom: add approval workflow for large orders
✅  [FIX] account, sale: fix currency rounding on reconciliation
✅  [REF] various: migrate legacy widgets to OWL components
❌  [IMP] Sales Custom: improvements

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Header Rules (short description)

• Max ~50 characters
• Must complete: "If applied, this commit will <header>"
• No vague words like "bugfix", "improvements", "update"

✅  add approval workflow for large sale orders
✅  prevent duplicate enrollment on same training course
✅  track fuel consumption per vehicle in fleet module
❌  bugfix
❌  improvements
❌  update models

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Full Description Rules

Focus on WHY, not WHAT. The diff already shows what changed.

✅ Good

Users were able to enroll in the same training course multiple times,
causing duplicate attendance records and incorrect completion reports.
Added SQL constraint + Python validation to block duplicates at both
the ORM and DB levels. Chose SQL constraint over Python-only because
it's enforced even during bulk imports.

task-456

❌ Bad

Added unique constraint on hr.training.enrollment model.
Modified _check_enrollment method.
Updated views to show error message.

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References

task-123          # Odoo task
Fixes #456        # closes a GitHub issue
Closes #789       # closes a GitHub PR
opw-321           # OPW support ticket

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Git Workflow

# 1. Check what changed
git status
git diff

# 2. Stage only related changes (one module at a time)
git add addons/your_module/

# 3. Commit
git commit -m "[IMP] your_module: short description

Why this change is needed, context, and any decisions made.

task-123"

# 4. Multi-module: use separate commits
git add addons/module_a/
git commit -m "[FIX] module_a: fix X"

git add addons/module_b/
git commit -m "[FIX] module_b: fix Y"

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Real Odoo Examples

[REF] models: use parent_path to implement parent_store

Replaces the former modified preorder tree traversal (MPTT) with
parent_left/parent_right fields. The new implementation is simpler,
more performant and avoids locking issues during concurrent writes.

[FIX] account: prevent negative balance on reconciliation

The reconciliation wizard allowed partial reconciliation that resulted
in a negative outstanding balance. This happened because the residual
amount check was done before currency rounding was applied.
Added rounding before the balance check.

Fixes #12345

[IMP] sale_order_custom: add manager approval for orders > 10000

Sales managers requested a mandatory approval step for large orders
to prevent unauthorized high-value commitments. The threshold is
configurable per company via res.config.settings.

task-789

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When Generating a Commit

1. Run git diff --stat and git status to see what changed
2. Pick the correct [TAG] based on change nature
3. Use the technical module name from __manifest__.py
4. Write a header ≤ 50 chars that completes "If applied, this commit will…"
5. Write a WHY-focused description (3+ sentences)
6. Add references if the user mentions a task/issue number
7. Warn if changes span multiple modules and suggest splitting

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Correct approach
[IMP] module: update	[IMP] module: add bulk import validation for orders
[FIX] module: fix bug	[FIX] module: fix VAT computation on invoices with discount
Using functional module name	Use sale_order_custom, not "Sales Order Custom"
One giant commit for multiple modules	Split into one commit per module
WHY-free description	Always explain the business context