A release that fails review costs days. Prepare a clean archive, use clear version numbers, write a honest changelog, state compatibility and test on a fresh install so your release is approved the first time.
On a marketplace where people review releases before buyers can download them, a rejected release means lost days. Most rejections are not about bad code. They come from preventable details: a messy archive, a missing changelog, versions that do not match, or compatibility that was never tested. This guide shows how to prepare a release that passes the first time.
It is written for authors on DevMarket, where each release is checked by a person before it becomes available, but the same habits help on any platform.
A release review is a quality and safety check, not a guarantee of your software. Reviewers look at:
Knowing this tells you what to prepare.
Your release is a single zip file. Make it tidy:
..), absolute paths, links to files outside the archive and files with strange names are rejected, because they can be used to attack a buyer's machine.
Pick a numbering scheme and keep to it. Dotted numbers such as 1.2.0 are easy to read. For Odoo modules, many authors prefix the Odoo series, as in 19.0.1.2.0. Increase the number with every release, and never upload two different archives under the same version. If you must replace a rejected upload, fix it and upload it again under the same number: a rejected release does not block you from trying again.
The changelog is read by buyers deciding whether to update and by reviewers checking the release. Say what changed in plain words:
"Bug fixes and improvements" tells nobody anything. Even one specific line per change is better.
Choose the platform versions this release works with, and mean it. If you say it works with Odoo 17.0, 18.0 and 19.0, you should have tested all three. If you only tested one, say one. Buyers rely on this list, and a wrong claim leads to support requests, bad reviews and refunds.
Create a fresh environment, install your release the way a buyer would, and run through the main features. Install it on each supported platform version. Check that upgrading from the previous release works, and that uninstalling or deactivating leaves the system healthy. Keep a short test script so that every release gets the same checks.
If the release adds or removes features, update the item description and screenshots too. Reviewers compare what you promise with what you ship. A page that describes features the archive does not contain is a common reason for a request to change.
State if the software connects to external services, sends data anywhere or loads code from elsewhere, and describe what and why. Hidden tracking or hidden data collection is not allowed, and it destroys trust when found. Honest disclosure is simple and protects you.
| Item | Ready when |
|---|---|
| Archive | Opens cleanly, no unsafe paths, no clutter |
| Version | New, consistent, in the same style as before |
| Changelog | Specific, with security fixes flagged |
| Compatibility | Only versions you tested |
| Test | Fresh install, upgrade and uninstall checked |
| Description | Matches the release |
| Disclosure | External connections described |
Read the reviewer's note carefully, fix the points it lists, and upload again. Treat each note as a free quality check. If you are unsure what a note means, ask.
Once your releases are in good shape, make sure the page that presents them is too: read how to write a product listing that sells, and think about how to price and license your software. To sell on DevMarket, start from the seller page.
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