In Odoo 19 you plugged in your own OpenAI or Google key and paid that provider directly. Odoo 20 works differently: every AI request goes through Odoo's own AI service and is paid from a prepaid balance of Odoo AI credits in your database. That is simpler to set up and harder to forecast, because the people using AI never see a meter. This guide covers what draws on the balance, where to watch it, and how we would size a pilot before switching AI on for the whole company.
Applies to: Odoo 20 Enterprise with AI features in use. Odoo shows the current price of credits when you buy them; prices change, so we do not quote them here.
What uses AI credits?
Anything that sends text, files or images to the AI service. In practice:
- Chat turns with an agent. Each question, plus every step the agent takes to answer it. A question that needs five searches and a summary is more work than a one-line answer.
- Sources. Documents are converted into searchable form when you add them, and each question is matched against them. Large source libraries cost more to set up than to use.
- Web searches, when an agent has Web Search switched on and decides to use it.
- Image generation, from agents or from the image buttons in the media manager.
- Automation runs, since every AI automation rule that fires is a full agent run (see how AI automation rules work).
- Writing help in the editor, email drafting and call transcription, where you use them.
Two settings make a single request heavier. An agent can call up to 20 tools in one step before Odoo stops it, and each chat has a think longer option for harder questions. Neither is wrong; both are reasons why credit use varies so much between users.
Where do you see the balance?
AI credits live on an In-App Purchase account called Odoo AI, alongside any other paid services you use. Administrators reach it from Settings: in the Contacts section, the Odoo In-App Purchase setting has a View My Services link. The account form shows the balance, a Buy Credits button, and the part most companies never fill in: Email Alert.
Set two things there before anyone starts using AI:
- Email Alert Threshold. The default is 1 credit, which warns you when it is already too late. Set it to roughly a week of expected use.
- Email Alert Recipients. A named person in finance or IT who will act on it, not a shared inbox nobody reads.
If you run several companies in one database, an account can be limited to specific companies, and Odoo uses a company's own account before a shared one. That is the cleanest way to give a subsidiary its own AI budget.
What happens when credits run out?
For someone chatting with an agent, Odoo shows a notification saying there are not enough credits to use Odoo AI. Annoying, but visible.
Scheduled AI runs are the blind spot. When a scheduled automation hits an empty balance, nobody gets an on-screen notice; the run simply fails, and the rule moves on to its next date without retrying. A weekly report that stopped three weeks ago can go unnoticed until someone asks where it went. The email alert above is your protection.
How we would budget a pilot
You cannot estimate AI cost from a spreadsheet of users. You can measure it in two weeks.
- Buy a small starting balance and note it.
- Pick one or two use cases and five to ten real users.
- Keep automation rules off for the first week, so you measure people first.
- Record the balance daily. A simple note in a shared sheet is enough.
- In week two, switch on one automation rule and watch how the daily drop changes.
- Multiply by the rollout, then add a margin for the enthusiasm that follows a successful pilot. It always comes.
Along the way, note which agents use sources, web search or images. Those are usually the first things to trim if the numbers come in high, and trimming them rarely hurts quality for internal-data agents.
Ways to keep usage sensible
- Switch off built-in abilities an agent does not need. New agents start with web search and image generation on.
- Narrow automation triggers. An agent on "any update" of sales orders fires far more often than one on "stage changes to Won".
- Keep sources lean. Remove duplicates and out-of-date documents before you add them.
- Write precise instructions and skills. An agent that knows exactly what to search takes fewer steps.
FAQ
Can I use my own OpenAI key in Odoo 20?
No. In Odoo 20 the AI features run through Odoo's AI service and are paid with Odoo AI credits. Using your own provider key was how Odoo 19 worked.
Where do I buy Odoo AI credits?
In Settings, the Odoo In-App Purchase setting has a View My Services link. Open the Odoo AI account there and use Buy Credits. The current price is shown there.
How do I get warned before AI credits run out?
On the Odoo AI account, set an Email Alert Threshold above the default of 1 credit and add at least one recipient. Odoo emails them when the balance falls to that level.
Do scheduled AI automations stop when credits run out?
Yes. The run fails, is not retried, and nobody sees an on-screen warning. The email alert is the only early warning.
Can each company have its own AI credit balance?
Yes. An IAP account can be limited to specific companies, and Odoo uses a company's own account before a shared one.
Next step
AI budgets go wrong when nobody owns them. If you want a pilot designed with measurement built in, see our AI transformation service or talk to us through our Odoo implementation service.
