Import Name vs Package Name¶

The error¶

You install an Odoo addon that lists git in its external_dependencies:

# __manifest__.py
{
    "external_dependencies": {
        "python": ["git"],
    },
}

You try to install it:

$ pip install git
ERROR: No matching distribution found for git

Or worse — you install the wrong package entirely. The Python import name git corresponds to the pip package GitPython, not git.

Why it happens¶

Odoo addon manifests declare Python dependencies using import names (what you write in import git), not pip package names (what you pass to pip install GitPython). These are often different.

In Odoo ≤12.0, the module loader validated dependencies using importlib.import_module, so import names were the correct format. Starting from 13.0, manifests should use pip package names — but many addons (especially OCA ports from older versions) still use import names.

How odoo-venv solves it¶

odoo-venv maintains a built-in mapping table that automatically translates import names to their correct pip packages. When --install-addons-manifests-requirements is enabled, every dependency is looked up against this table before installation.

Full mapping table¶

Manual workaround¶

If you're not using odoo-venv, check the mapping table above and install the correct pip package manually:

pip install GitPython    # not "git"
pip install pycryptodome # not "crypto"
pip install Pillow       # not "pil"

The lookup is case-insensitive — Crypto, crypto, and CRYPTO all map to pycryptodome.