+ What Is Odoo Hermes?
++ Odoo Hermes is the integration between Odoo ERP and + Hermes AI Agent. It gives your AI agent direct access to your + Odoo database — CRM contacts, sales orders, inventory levels, invoices, and more — + all through natural language prompts. +
++ Instead of clicking through Odoo's module menus to find a customer or generate a + report, you just ask your agent. "Show me all leads from last week." "What's the + total value of open quotes?" "Create a new invoice for ACME Corp." Your agent + handles the API calls and returns the answer. +
++ There are three ways to set up the connection, each with different + trade-offs. The full comparison article + covers all three in detail, but here's the quick summary: +
+ +XML-RPC Direct
+ ~3 min setup · Lowest latency +Configure Odoo credentials in Hermes and the agent calls the API directly. Best for quick queries, demos, and prototyping.
+Odoo MCP CLI
+ ~5 min setup · Standard protocol +Run mcp-server-odoo and register with Hermes. Best for multi-tool agents that already use MCP for other services.
+n8n Pipeline
+ ~10 min setup · Highest determinism +Hermes delegates Odoo operations to n8n workflows. Best for production business processes where every step must be predictable.
+Speed Run
+ ~10 min · Full walkthrough +From zero to an Odoo-connected agent. Follow the Odoo Speed Run for the complete beginner-friendly guide.
+Why Use Odoo Hermes?
+ +One Interface, All Modules
++ Odoo has CRM, Sales, Inventory, Accounting, Manufacturing, and 30+ other modules. + Each has its own UI, filters, and reports. Odoo Hermes collapses them all into a + single text interface. Ask once, get answers from any module. +
+ +Automate Repetitive Tasks
++ Instead of logging into Odoo every morning to check new leads, update stages, and + generate reports, your agent does it on a schedule. Set up a cron job + that runs "Pull all new leads from last 24 hours, categorize them by industry, and + save the result to my dashboard" — and it happens automatically at 08:00 every day. +
+ +Combine Odoo with Other Tools
++ Hermes Agent isn't limited to Odoo. It also browses the web, sends emails, reads + files, and runs code. Your agent can research a prospect on LinkedIn, + check their CRM record in Odoo, draft a personalized email, and send it — all in + one session. +
+ +No Code Required
+
+ You don't need to write Python scripts, build API integrations, or maintain
+ middleware. Configure once in config.yaml and your agent is ready.
+ The entire setup takes about 10 minutes.
+
+ +
Step-by-Step Setup (XML-RPC Direct)
++ This is the fastest path — one config block and your agent talks to Odoo directly. + For the MCP or n8n approaches, see the full comparison guide. +
+ +Prerequisites
+Have these ready before you start:
+-
+
- Your Odoo instance URL (e.g.
https://your-instance.odoo4projects.com)
+ - Odoo username and password (create a dedicated agent user — never use admin) +
- Hermes Agent installed and running +
Step 1 — Generate an API Key
+
+ In Odoo, go to Settings → Users → select your agent user → Technical.
+ Scroll to Security and click Generate API Key.
+ Name it hermes-agent and copy the key immediately — Odoo only shows it once.
+
Step 2 — Configure Hermes
+Add this block to your ~/.hermes/config.yaml:
odoo:
+ url: "https://your-instance.odoo4projects.com"
+ db: "your-database"
+ user: "agent@company.com"
+ api_key: "your-api-key"
+ readonly: true
+ Set readonly: true for first setup. Remove it once you're confident
+ and need the agent to create or update records.
+
Step 3 — Give Your Agent the Prompt
+Start Hermes and paste this prompt:
+Connect to the ODOO 19 database with the credentials $ODOO_URL $ODOO_USER $ODOO_APIKEYStep 4 — Verify
+Ask your agent a simple question to confirm the connection works:
+Give me a list of customers with their email addresses.If everything is configured correctly, the agent returns live data from your Odoo instance:
+1. Azure Interior — azure.interior@example.com
+2. Deco Addict — deco.addict@example.com
+3. Gem Furniture — gem.furniture@example.com
+4. Lumber Inc — lumber.inc@example.com
+Total: 8 customers in CRMThat's it. Three minutes, one config block, and your agent talks to Odoo.
+ +What to Try Next
+-
+
- "Show me all leads in the CRM" — pulls from
crm.lead
+ - "List my recent sales orders" — queries
sale.order
+ - "What products are low on stock?" — checks
stock.quant
+ - "What's the total value of open quotes?" — sums draft sale orders +
+ +
Comparison: Which Method Should You Use?
+ +| Factor | +XML-RPC | +MCP | +n8n | +
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup time | +~3 min | +~5 min | +~10 min | +
| Determinism | +Low (LLM-driven) | +Medium (tool-bound) | +High (step-by-step) | +
| Audit trail | +None | +None | +Full (n8n logs) | +
| Best for | +Quick queries, demos | +Multi-tool stacks | +Invoices, orders, data entry | +
| Components | +Hermes + Odoo | ++ MCP server | ++ n8n | +
+ +
Frequently Asked Questions
+ +What is Odoo Hermes?
+Odoo Hermes is the integration between Odoo ERP and Hermes AI Agent. It allows your AI agent to read, write, and automate data across Odoo modules — CRM, Sales, Inventory, Accounting — through natural language prompts instead of clicking through the Odoo UI.
+How do I connect Odoo to Hermes Agent?
+There are three ways: XML-RPC direct — configure Odoo credentials in Hermes config.yaml and the agent calls the API directly. Odoo MCP CLI — run mcp-server-odoo and register with Hermes. n8n pipeline — delegate Odoo operations to deterministic n8n workflows. The right choice depends on whether you need speed (XML-RPC), standardization (MCP), or determinism (n8n).
+Is Odoo Hermes free?
+Hermes Agent is open-source and free. Odoo Community Edition is also free with no per-user fees. You only pay for hosting — derez.ai offers managed agents starting at $9.50/month. Use coupon code blog950 for your first month free.
+Which integration method is best for production?
+The n8n pipeline is the most production-ready. Every Odoo operation runs through a deterministic workflow — check customer exists, then check product, then create invoice. This prevents the LLM from chaining API calls in unexpected ways. Use XML-RPC for quick queries and demos, n8n for business-critical operations like invoicing and order management.
+Can Odoo Hermes write to my database?
+Yes, but you control it. Set readonly: true in the config for read-only access. Remove it to allow create/update operations. Always create a dedicated Odoo user for the agent with restricted model access — never use an admin account.
What Odoo versions does Odoo Hermes support?
+The XML-RPC and JSON-RPC APIs work with Odoo 15 through 19, including Odoo Community Edition and Odoo Enterprise. The MCP server supports Odoo 17+. The n8n approach works with any version that exposes a webhook-compatible API.
+Can I schedule Odoo Hermes to run automatically?
+Yes. Hermes Agent has built-in cron job support. You can schedule prompts like "Check for new leads every hour and alert me if there are more than 5" or "Generate a weekly sales report every Monday at 09:00." The agent runs autonomously and sends you the results.
+Deploy Your Odoo Hermes Agent
++ First month free with coupon code blog950. From zero to + an Odoo-connected AI agent in under 10 minutes. +
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