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Odoo integrations

Use MailDesk with Project

5 min read Odoo 18.0

Turn an email into a project or task, link it to work that already exists, and let the AI split a long request into a list of tasks for you to check.

Who this is for: project managers and delivery staff (daily use) and MailDesk administrators (one-time setup per mailbox).

You need:

  • The MailDesk Project Integration module (maildesk_mail_client_project). It is a separate module.
  • MailDesk Basic and MailDesk Pro.
  • The Odoo Project app.
  • A connected mailbox that syncs.

Which MailDesk plan includes this module is described in Plans and included features.

Before you begin

  • Install the module on your Odoo database and check that Project is installed. Install steps are in Install MailDesk.
  • Administrators: turn the integration on for each mailbox that needs it (Step 1). It is off by default.
  • Users: you need normal Odoo Project access. The panel works as you, so your project access rules still apply. You also need access to the mailbox. See Security and access rights.

Step 1: Turn on Project for a mailbox (administrator)

  1. Open MailDesk ▸ Configuration ▸ Mailboxes ▸ Mailbox Accounts and open the mailbox.
  2. Open the Settings tab and find the card Project & Task Linking.
  3. Switch Enable on. The card shows its options.
  4. Set the options you need, then save the mailbox.

The Project and Task Linking card on the Settings tab of a mailbox account, with the Enable toggle switched on

What you should see: the card expands and shows Defaults, Permissions and Automation.

Group Options
Defaults Default Project, Default Customer, Default Project Manager, Default Task Assignees, Default Task Stage
Permissions Allow Create Project, Allow Link Project, Allow Unlink Project, Allow Create Task, Allow Link Task, Allow Unlink Task, Allow Task Stage Change, Allow Task Assignee Change, Allow Task Deadline Change, Allow Task Priority Change
Automation Auto-link by Reply Headers (Project), Auto-link by Subject Token (Project), Log Agent Replies (Project), Log Customer Replies (Project)

Set the defaults once

New tasks start in the project, stage and with the assignees you choose here. If no assignee is set, the task goes to the user who creates it.

Step 2: Open the Project panel on an email

  1. Open an email in MailDesk.
  2. Click the Project panel button (tasks icon) on the email toolbar.

The Project button, a tasks icon, on the toolbar of an open email

What you should see: the Project panel opens beside the message with the buttons Create Project, Create Task, Break into tasks (AI), Link Project and Link Task. Under them, the sections Projects and Tasks say No project linked yet and No task linked yet.

The Project panel for an email that has no project or task linked yet

Step 3: Create a project or a task from the email

  1. In the panel, click Create Project or Create Task.
  2. Odoo opens the form. MailDesk fills in the email subject as the name, the email text as the description and the customer (the mailbox default, else the one contact that matches the sender). A new project gets the Default Project Manager, or you. A new task gets the Default Project, Default Task Stage and Default Task Assignees.
  3. Complete the fields and save.

The project form opened from the panel and filled in from the email

The task form opened from the panel and filled in from the email

What you should see: the record appears in the panel as a card. The first linked record carries the Primary badge.

Break into tasks (AI)

Break into tasks (AI) sends the email text to your AI provider. The panel then shows AI plan — review & create: an optional new project name and a list of tasks with subtasks. Drop the tasks you do not want with the bin icon, then click Create all, or click Cancel. Nothing is created before you click Create all. The tasks go into the project already linked to the email, else the Default Project, else a new project from the plan. AI features belong to MailDesk Pro; see AI permissions and data access.

  1. In the panel, click Link Project or Link Task.
  2. In Link Existing Project or Link Existing Project Task, choose the record. For a task you can first filter by project.
  3. Tick Make Primary if this record should be the main one for the email. (This option appears when the email already has linked records of that kind.)
  4. Click Link Project or Link Task.

The Link Existing Project Task window with the project filter and task field

Unlinking is safe

Unlinking removes only the link between the email and the record. The project or task is not changed or deleted.

Step 5: Change a task from the panel

On a task card you can set the stage and the priority (Low or High) from the lists on the card, if your administrator allowed it. Click the card to open the full task.

Step 6: Check the email in Project

Open the project or task in Odoo. The linked email appears in its chatter with an Open in MailDesk link.

A linked email shown in the chatter of the task, with the Open in MailDesk link

What you should see: in MailDesk, the toolbar button shows a badge with the number of linked records.

Log options

The options Log Agent Replies (Project) and Log Customer Replies (Project) are on the card, but the module does not post a separate message into the chatter. The linked email itself is the record, and followers of the project or task are not notified again.

How automatic linking works

When Auto-link by Reply Headers (Project) or Auto-link by Subject Token (Project) is on, MailDesk links a follow-up email on its own, but only when the match is exact. Both options are on by default. A scheduled action does the work in the background, so the link can appear a few minutes after the email arrives.

  • Reply headers: the reply belongs to an email that is already linked.
  • Subject token: the subject contains [PROJECT-123] or [TASK-123], which names one record.

If it does not work

Symptom Check Safe next step
There is no Project & Task Linking card. Is the module installed? Is the Settings tab open? Install the module, then reload the mailbox form.
There is no Project button on emails. Is Enable on for this mailbox? Do you have access to this mailbox? Ask an administrator to turn it on or give you access.
A create or link button is missing. The permission options on the card. Ask an administrator to switch on the matching Allow ... option.
The task cards show no stage or priority lists. Allow Task Stage Change and Allow Task Priority Change. Ask an administrator to switch them on.
Break into tasks (AI) shows an error. Is an AI provider set up, and is AI allowed for this mailbox? See AI permissions and data access. Create the task with Create Task.
Odoo shows an access error. Your Project access rights. Ask your Odoo administrator for Project access.
A follow-up email was not linked. Are the auto-link options on? Does the token match a record? Link it by hand with Link Task or Link Project.

For other problems, see Troubleshooting.

Next step

Use MailDesk with Helpdesk to turn support emails into tickets.