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Change auto installable modules

module_change_auto_install folder_open OCA/server-tools open_in_new
Tools License: AGPL-3

In odoo, by default some modules are marked as auto installable by the auto_install key present in the manifest.

  • This feature is very useful for "glue" modules that allow two modules to work together. (A typical example is sale_stock which allows sale and stock modules to work together).
  • However, Odoo SA also marks some modules as auto installable, even though this is not technically required. This can happen for modules the company wants to promote like iap, modules with a big wow effect like partner_autocomplete, or some modules they consider useful by default like account_edi. See the discussion:

This module allows to change by configuration, the list of auto installable modules, adding or removing some modules to auto install.

auto_awesome What this module does

AI-generated from the code · Odoo 19.0

Lets administrators change which Odoo modules install themselves automatically, by adding or removing modules from the auto-install list through the Odoo configuration file or environment variables.

Odoo normally decides on its own which modules install automatically when their dependencies are present. This module gives that decision back to the administrator, without editing any module code.

  • In the Odoo configuration file, a new [module_change_auto_install] section is read at startup. Two options are available: modules_enabled to force modules to become auto-installable, and modules_disabled to stop modules from installing automatically.
  • The same settings can be supplied through the environment variables ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED and ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_DISABLED, which is handy for container deployments.
  • A module can be listed alone to make it auto-install in all cases, or followed by a colon and a list of modules separated by slashes to make it auto-install only when those specific modules are installed. For example, a module can be set to install only when the sales and purchase modules are present.
  • Modules listed in the disabled option are never auto-installed, even if Odoo itself marked them as auto-installable.
  • Each change is written to the server log, so administrators can see which modules were switched on or off.

The module only touches the module-loading mechanism of Odoo and adds no new screens, menus or database models. It depends only on base.

Depends on

base

Text generated by AI (DeepSeek) from reading the Odoo 19.0 code on GitHub; it may contain mistakes, so check the code before deciding. View the code on GitHub

Availability by version

Reviewed: 2026-11-03
Confirmed (verified in repository and branch) Estimated (unverified) No information

Confirmation status: 7 confirmed, 2 with no information of 9 versions.

Sources · Odoo 12.0

Confirmed on 2026-11-03 in branch 12.0 of OCA/server-tools.

terminal Installation and usage

OCA documentation · Odoo 19.0

Installation

Source · Odoo 19.0

You don't have to install this module. To make the features working :

  • make the module module_change_auto_install available in your addons path
  • either update your odoo.cfg or set the environment variables following the "Configure" section

Configuration

Source · Odoo 19.0
  • Edit your odoo.cfg configuration file:
  • Add the module module_change_auto_install in the server_wide_modules list.
  • (optional) Add a new entry modules_disabled beneath a new section [module_change_auto_install] to mark a list of modules as NOT auto installable. The environment variable ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_DISABLED can also be set.
  • (optional) Add a new entry modules_enabled beneath a new section [module_change_auto_install] to mark a list of modules as auto installable. This feature can be usefull for companies that are hosting a lot of Odoo instances for many customers, and want some modules to be always installed. The environment variable ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED can also be set.

The values in the configuration file takes precedence over the environment variable values.

Typical Settings

server_wide_modules = web,module_change_auto_install

[module_change_auto_install]
modules_disabled =
    partner_autocomplete,
    iap,
    mail_bot

modules_enabled =
    web_responsive:web,
    base_technical_features,
    disable_odoo_online,
    account_usability

When using environment variables, the same configuration is:

export ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_DISABLED=partner_autocomplete,iap,mail_bot
export ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED=web_responsive:web,base_technical_features,disable_odoo_online,account_usability

Run your instance and check logs. Modules that has been altered should be present in your log, at the load of your instance:

INFO db_name odoo.addons.module_change_auto_install.patch: Module 'iap' has been marked as NOT auto installable.
INFO db_name odoo.addons.module_change_auto_install.patch: Module 'mail_bot' has been marked as NOT auto installable.
INFO db_name odoo.addons.module_change_auto_install.patch: Module 'partner_autocomplete' has been marked as NOT auto installable.
INFO db_name odoo.modules.loading: 42 modules loaded in 0.32s, 0 queries (+0 extra)

Advanced Configuration Possibilities

if your odoo.cfg file contains the following configuration:

[module_change_auto_install]
modules_enabled =
    account_usability,
    web_responsive:web,
    base_technical_features:,
    point_of_sale:sale/purchase

The behaviour will be the following:

  • account_usability module will be installed as soon as all the default dependencies are installed. (here account)
  • web_responsive module will be installed as soon as web is installed. (Althought web_responsive depends on web and mail)
  • base_technical_features will be ALWAYS installed
  • point_of_sale module will be installed as soon as sale and purchase module are installed.

When using environment variables, the same configuration is:

export ODOO_MODULES_AUTO_INSTALL_ENABLED=account_usability,web_responsive:web,base_technical_features:,point_of_sale:sale/purchase

No verified information in OCA: Usage.

info

Data imported from GitHub: this sheet reflects the latest catalog review, not a live lookup. Always check the module documentation and staging before installing in production.