The problem: Odoo Online blocks the module that everyone else ships
If you run Odoo Online — the official cloud SaaS plan where every instance lives on a *.odoo.com subdomain — and you have tried to connect an AI agent to it, you have probably hit a wall. Nearly every "Odoo MCP" integration on the market is a server-side Odoo module. And Odoo Online, by design, does not let you install custom server-side modules.
That restriction is what keeps the shared SaaS platform stable and secure — but it also means a module-based Model Context Protocol server is structurally impossible on Odoo Online. This is true even for KSROlabs' own native MCP Server module: it is built for self-hosted, Odoo.sh, and on-premise Odoo, and it cannot be installed on a *.odoo.com instance either.
So when people search for "connect Claude to Odoo Online" or "MCP for Odoo Online", they find guides that quietly assume they can install a module — and none of them work on SaaS. The rest of this guide explains the one architecture that does, and how to set it up in about 20 minutes.
The solution: an external XML-RPC bridge, not a module
The Odoo Online MCP Gateway is a free, open-source (MIT-licensed) bridge that connects Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP client to Odoo Online. The key architectural decision is that it runs entirely outside Odoo. Nothing is installed on the *.odoo.com server, so there is no SaaS policy to conflict with.
Instead of hooking into Odoo's internals like a module would, the gateway talks to your instance through Odoo's standard XML-RPC API — the same external interface Odoo has exposed and kept stable since Odoo 8. Every Odoo Online instance already speaks XML-RPC. The gateway authenticates with your normal Odoo login, then translates Model Context Protocol tool calls from your AI client into XML-RPC reads and (opt-in) writes.
That is why the architecture works on SaaS where modules cannot: XML-RPC is an externaldoor Odoo Online leaves open on purpose, whereas modules require server-side access Odoo Online deliberately locks down. Run the gateway on your laptop, a small VM, or a container, and your AI agent gets a governed MCP endpoint to your live Odoo data.
Step-by-step: connect your AI client in about 20 minutes
Four steps take you from a fresh clone to asking your Odoo Online data questions in plain English. Everything below happens outside Odoo.
Clone the Odoo Online MCP Gateway and run init
Clone github.com/KSROlabs/odoo_online_mcp_gateway and run `python3 -m odoo_online_mcp_gateway init` to scaffold a ready-to-edit configuration file. Everything runs outside Odoo, so there is nothing to install inside your *.odoo.com instance.
Add your Odoo Online credentials
Set ODOO_BASE_URL (your https://your-company.odoo.com URL), ODOO_DB (your database name), ODOO_LOGIN, and ODOO_PASSWORD in the generated config — the same sign-in details you already use for Odoo Online. No Odoo-side setup or admin module install is required.
Start the gateway
Run `python3 -m odoo_online_mcp_gateway http` (or launch the bundled Docker Compose stack) to expose an MCP endpoint at http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp, secured with Bearer-token authentication.
Connect Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client
Point Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any Model Context Protocol client at the gateway over stdio or HTTP using the Bearer token. Then ask questions about your live Odoo Online data in plain English.
git clone https://github.com/KSROlabs/odoo_online_mcp_gateway.git cd odoo_online_mcp_gateway python3 -m odoo_online_mcp_gateway init # scaffolds your config # edit the generated config / .env: # ODOO_BASE_URL=https://your-company.odoo.com # ODOO_DB=your-company # [email protected] # ODOO_PASSWORD=your-odoo-password python3 -m odoo_online_mcp_gateway http # starts the MCP endpoint # → http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp (Bearer token auth)
With the gateway running, add it to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor as an MCP server pointing at http://127.0.0.1:8787/mcp with your Bearer token. The client discovers the available tools automatically, and you can immediately ask things like "list this month's overdue invoices over $5,000" or "which deals closed last week?"
Security: read-only by default, with real guardrails
Connecting an AI agent to a live ERP calls for careful access control. The gateway ships with a conservative default posture:
Read-only by default — the create_record, update_record, and delete_record write tools are disabled until you explicitly opt in, and each change requires a confirmation step.
Bearer-token authentication protects the endpoint, so only clients holding your token can reach the gateway.
Configurable rate limits and payload size caps prevent runaway or accidental mass operations.
Model allowlisting and field-level access control let you restrict exactly which Odoo models and fields agents can see.
Full audit logging records every tool call, with optional error redaction so sensitive details never leak into your logs.
Because you self-host the gateway, your Odoo credentials and data never pass through anyone else's server. A good practice is to use a dedicated, least-privilege Odoo user for the gateway rather than your admin account, so agents inherit only the access that user has.
Honest positioning: free and open-source vs paid hosted
To be clear: KSROlabs is not the only vendor offering MCP for Odoo Online. Paid hosted alternatives exist — for example, Pantalytics is a subscription service that also connects AI to Odoo Online, running on the provider's own servers with daily call caps.
What the Odoo Online MCP Gateway can honestly claim is that it is the only free, open-source, self-hostable MCP gateway for Odoo Online. That distinction matters on three fronts:
Cost — the gateway is free forever under the MIT License. There is no subscription and no license fee, versus a recurring monthly cost for hosted services.
Per-call caps — self-hosting means no daily or per-call limits imposed by a vendor. You are bounded only by your own Odoo instance and hardware.
Data residency — because you run it yourself, no third-party server ever holds your Odoo data or credentials. With a hosted service, your ERP data flows through the provider's infrastructure.
If you would rather not manage the infrastructure yourself, KSROlabs also offers managed deployment of the gateway — you get the same open-source code, with someone else running it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I connect Claude to Odoo Online (SaaS)?
Yes. The free, open-source Odoo Online MCP Gateway from KSROlabs runs outside Odoo and connects to your *.odoo.com instance over the standard XML-RPC API. That lets you link Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT-compatible MCP clients, and any other Model Context Protocol client to your live Odoo Online data — with nothing installed inside Odoo.
Why can't I install an Odoo MCP module on Odoo Online?
Odoo Online — the official cloud SaaS plan hosted on *.odoo.com — does not allow installing custom server-side modules. That restriction applies to every module-based "Odoo MCP" integration on the market, including KSROlabs' own MCP Server for Odoo. A gateway that runs externally and talks to Odoo over XML-RPC is the only architecture that works on Odoo Online.
Is the Odoo Online MCP Gateway free?
Yes — it is fully open source under the MIT License. Clone it from GitHub, run it on your own machine, server, or container platform, and use it for free with no subscription and no per-call caps. KSROlabs also offers managed deployment and support for teams that would rather not self-host.
Do I need to install anything in Odoo?
No. The gateway runs completely outside Odoo and authenticates with the same login credentials you already use for your *.odoo.com instance, communicating over Odoo's standard XML-RPC API — the stable interface available since Odoo 8. There is no module to install, review, or wait on.
Is it safe to give AI access to live Odoo Online data?
The gateway is read-only by default — the write tools (create_record, update_record, delete_record) ship disabled and require an explicit opt-in plus a confirmation step before anything changes. It also layers on Bearer-token authentication, configurable rate limits, payload size caps, model allowlisting, field-level access control, and full audit logging, so you stay in control of exactly what agents can see and do.
Can I connect ChatGPT and Cursor to Odoo Online the same way?
Yes. The gateway speaks the standard Model Context Protocol over stdio and HTTP, so any MCP-compatible client works — Claude, Cursor, Claude Code, and ChatGPT-compatible MCP clients included. The setup is identical: point the client at the gateway endpoint with the Bearer token.
How is this different from the MCP Server module and from paid hosted options?
The MCP Server for Odoo is a native module for self-hosted, Odoo.sh, and on-premise deployments — it cannot be installed on Odoo Online. The Odoo Online MCP Gateway is a free, open-source external bridge built specifically for SaaS instances that cannot install modules. Paid hosted alternatives exist too — for example, Pantalytics is a subscription service that also serves Odoo Online but runs on the provider's own servers with daily call caps. The gateway's defensible differentiator is that it is the only free, open-source, self-hostable option: no subscription, no per-call caps, and no third-party server ever holding your data.