---
id: whool
version: "1.3"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# whool — whool - build backend for Odoo addons

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 154.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

whool is a standards-compliant Python build backend designed specifically for packaging Odoo addons as distributable wheels and source distributions. It replaces the older setuptools-odoo project by implementing PEP 517 and PEP 660, making it compatible with modern Python build frontends like build and pip. Instead of requiring setup.py and setup.cfg files, whool uses a minimal pyproject.toml configuration at the root of each addon, making it less intrusive and easier to manage.

The package works by packaging only files under git control, automatically managing dependencies from addon manifests, and supporting editable installs so developers can work on addons in place without modifying Odoo's addons-path. It includes a command-line tool (whool init) to initialize pyproject.toml in addon directories, and integrates with standard Python packaging workflows. For multi-addon projects or customer deployments, the documentation recommends using hatch-odoo instead.

Use it for:

- Package individual Odoo addons as wheels for distribution to PyPI or private repositories.
- Set up editable installs of Odoo addons in development environments without modifying Odoo configuration.
- Migrate from setuptools-odoo to a standards-compliant build backend while maintaining addon compatibility.
- Automate dependency resolution from addon manifests during the build process.
- Initialize pyproject.toml configuration across multiple addon directories with whool init.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

whool is a PEP 517 and PEP 660 compliant build backend that packages individual Odoo addons as Python distributions, replacing the deprecated setuptools-odoo.

Yes, if you are packaging individual Odoo addons for distribution. whool is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, uses a permissive MIT license, and offers low installation friction. It is the modern successor to setuptools-odoo and is standards-compliant with PEP 517/660. Not suitable for multi-addon projects (use hatch-odoo instead) or if your addons are not under git control.

## Install

pip install whool
uv add whool
poetry add whool

## Installing whool

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with four runtime dependencies (importlib-metadata, manifestoo-core, tomli, wheel). Active maintenance with last commit 2026-08-10 and a release on 2025-07-26.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) means you can use whool in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions, provided you include the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install whool

# In your addon directory, create pyproject.toml:
[build-system]
requires = ["whool"]
build-backend = "whool.buildapi"

# Then build:
pip wheel --no-deps --wheel-dir /tmp/dist/ .

Requires git control of addon files (whool packages only files under git control). Editable installs on Windows require symbolic link support to be enabled.

Verify before relying:

- Whether version numbering is automatically derived from git commit history as mentioned in the description but not fully documented.
- How configuration options in [tool.whool] (depends_override, external_dependencies_override, post_version_strategy_override, odoo_series_override) are actually used in practice.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 154.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

odoo addon build backend, odoo package builder, pep 517 build backend, odoo wheel packaging, odoo addon distribution, python build backend odoo, odoo addon pyproject.toml, odoo-addon, build-backend, packaging

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/whool) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/whool/)