configure-mise

/configure:mise

Set up and audit mise as the unified manager for language runtimes, CLI tools, environment variables, and project tasks. mise replaces asdf/nvm/pyenv (runtimes), cargo install/brew install (CLI binaries), and Make/just (tasks) behind one mise.toml.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use another approach when...
Setting up mise.toml to pin a project's runtimes and CLI tools	Installing one tool ad-hoc — run mise use <tool>@<ver> directly
Picking the right backend for a tool (core / pipx: / aqua: / npm: / cargo: / go:)	The project only needs Python/JS libraries — use /configure:package-management (uv/bun)
Migrating from .tool-versions/asdf, .nvmrc, .python-version, Homebrew, or a Makefile	Defining build/test recipes only, no version management — use /configure:justfile or /configure:makefile
Adding [tasks], [env], secret loading, or a mise.lock for reproducible installs	Running a specific runtime version once — mise exec <tool>@<ver> -- <cmd> (see global rule mise-stale-tool-copies / dependency-management)
Auditing an existing mise setup for pinning, lockfile, trust, and backend correctness	Configuring CI runtime install — that consumes the mise.toml this skill produces (jdx/mise-action)

Context

• Project root: !pwd
• mise config (project): !find . -maxdepth 2 \( -name 'mise.toml' -o -name '.mise.toml' -o -path './.config/mise.toml' -o -name 'mise.local.toml' \)
• Lockfile: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name 'mise.lock'
• Legacy version files: !find . -maxdepth 2 \( -name '.tool-versions' -o -name '.nvmrc' -o -name '.python-version' -o -name '.ruby-version' -o -name '.go-version' \)
• Things mise can absorb: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'Makefile' -o -name 'justfile' -o -name 'Brewfile' \)

Parameters

Parse from command arguments:

• --check-only: Audit and report; make no changes (CI/review mode).
• --fix: Apply the recommended config without prompting for each step.
• --global: Target the global config (~/.config/mise/config.toml) instead of a project mise.toml.
• --migrate <source>: Convert an existing setup into mise.toml. Sources: asdf (.tool-versions), nvm (.nvmrc), pyenv (.python-version), brew (Brewfile CLI tools), makefile (targets → [tasks]).

Backend Selection (the core decision)

mise installs every tool through a backend. Picking the right one mirrors the user's tool-install priority (dependency-management rule): mise first, with the most secure/fastest backend.

Tool kind	Backend	Syntax	Why
Language runtime	core	python = ["3.12","3.13"], node = "lts", go = "1.23", rust = "latest"	Native version switching, the reason mise exists
Python CLI tool	pipx:	"pipx:ruff" = "latest"	Routed through uvx (fast); set pipx.uvx = true
Standalone CLI binary	aqua:	"aqua:BurntSushi/ripgrep" = "latest"	Checksums + SLSA provenance + Cosign — the secure default
Node global	npm:	"npm:typescript-language-server" = "latest"	When no aqua entry exists
Rust tool (no aqua)	cargo:	"cargo:tokei" = "latest"	Builds from source; prefer aqua if available
Go tool (no aqua)	go:	"go:golang.org/x/tools/gopls" = "latest"	Installs via go install
GitHub release (no aqua)	github:	"github:starship/starship" = "latest"	Direct release-asset fetch

Rule of thumb: runtime → core; Python CLI → pipx:; everything else → aqua: first, falling back to npm:/cargo:/go:/github: only when the aqua registry lacks the tool. Verify aqua availability at https://github.com/aquaproj/aqua-registry.

Execution

Step 1: Detect current state

From Context, classify the repo:

• No mise, has legacy version files (.tool-versions, .nvmrc, .python-version) → migration candidate.
• No mise, has Makefile/Brewfile → task/tool migration candidate.
• Has mise.toml → audit mode (Step 5).
• Greenfield → fresh mise.toml.

Detect which runtimes the project already implies: pyproject.toml/.python-version → Python; package.json/.nvmrc → Node; go.mod → Go; Cargo.toml → Rust.

Step 2: Choose config target and naming

Target	File	Committed?
Project (default)	mise.toml at repo root	yes — pins the team to the same versions
Project, local overrides	mise.local.toml	no — add to .gitignore
Global (--global)	~/.config/mise/config.toml	n/a (dotfiles)

Prefer the modern mise.toml name over legacy .mise.toml. Use mise.local.toml for machine-specific or secret-bearing overrides and ensure it is gitignored.

Step 3: Build the [tools] block

Pin runtimes the project needs, then add CLI tools by backend (table above). Pin as loosely as safe: python = "3.13" (allow patch upgrades) for libraries; exact pins (opentofu = "1.11.2") for tools where reproducibility matters. Detect latest stable versions with WebSearch/mise ls-remote <tool> before writing.

Minimal example:

[tools]
python = "3.13"
node = "lts"
"pipx:ruff" = "latest"
"pipx:pre-commit" = "latest"
"aqua:jqlang/jq" = "latest"
"aqua:cli/cli" = "latest"   # gh

Step 4: Add [env], [tasks], [settings] as needed

• [env] — project env vars and PATH; load secrets from a gitignored file with _.file = ".env.local" (never inline secrets). See REFERENCE.md.
• [tasks] — migrate Makefile/just recipes here so mise run <task> replaces make <target>. Supports depends, alias, multi-line run. See REFERENCE.md for the full grammar.
• [settings] — set pipx.uvx = true whenever any pipx: tool is present (works around jdx/mise#7477); experimental = true for newer backends; legacy_version_file = true to keep honoring .tool-versions/.nvmrc during migration.

Step 5: Audit (always; the whole job when --check-only)

Report a compliance table:

mise Configuration Report
=========================
Config file            mise.toml                 [PRESENT | MISSING]
Runtimes pinned        python, node              [PINNED | UNPINNED]
CLI backends           aqua / pipx               [SECURE | cargo-from-source | mixed]
pipx.uvx setting       true                      [SET | MISSING (pipx tools present)]
Lockfile               mise.lock                 [COMMITTED | MISSING]
Local overrides        mise.local.toml           [GITIGNORED | TRACKED ⚠ | n/a]
Trust                  trusted                    [TRUSTED | UNTRUSTED]
Legacy files remaining .tool-versions            [MIGRATED | STILL PRESENT]

Overall: [N issues]

Checks: every runtime pinned; CLI tools prefer aqua: over cargo:/source builds; pipx.uvx = true present if any pipx: tool; mise.lock committed; mise.local.toml gitignored if present; config trusted (mise trust). If --check-only, stop here.

Step 6: Apply (with --fix or on confirmation)

1. Write/patch the target config (Step 2 file).
2. mise trust the config (required before mise will use a new/edited file).
3. mise install to materialize tools.
4. mise lock to generate/refresh mise.lock, then track it (git add mise.lock).
5. If mise.local.toml exists, ensure .gitignore covers it.
6. mise doctor to verify the setup is healthy.

Step 7: Migrations (--migrate <source>)

Source	Action
asdf	Read .tool-versions, map each line to a [tools] entry, keep legacy_version_file = true, then remove .tool-versions once verified. asdf plugin names usually match mise core/aqua names.
nvm	.nvmrc → node = "<ver>".
pyenv	.python-version → python = "<ver>" (a list if multiple).
brew	Move CLI tools (not casks/services/build-deps) from Brewfile to aqua:/core backends; leave GUI apps, fonts, daemons, and compilers in Homebrew.
makefile	Convert each target to a [tasks.<name>] with run; map prerequisites to depends. See REFERENCE.md task grammar.

Always verify with mise install && mise doctor before deleting the source file. See REFERENCE.md for per-source mapping tables and worked examples.

Step 8: CI integration (mention, don't duplicate)

A committed mise.toml + mise.lock is consumed in CI by jdx/mise-action (mise install then mise run <task>), giving local↔CI parity (the local-ci-parity rule). Point the user to /configure:ci-workflows rather than writing the workflow here.

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Audit only	/configure:mise --check-only
Auto-configure	/configure:mise --fix
List installed tools (JSON)	mise ls --json
Show active versions	mise current
Available versions of a tool	mise ls-remote <tool>
Show outdated	mise outdated
Diagnose	mise doctor
Generate lockfile	mise lock

Flags

Flag	Description
--check-only	Report status without modifying files
--fix	Apply the recommended config without per-step prompts
--global	Target ~/.config/mise/config.toml instead of project mise.toml
--migrate <source>	Convert asdf/nvm/pyenv/brew/makefile into mise.toml

Examples

# Audit an existing setup
/configure:mise --check-only

# Set up mise.toml for the current project
/configure:mise

# Auto-configure, no prompts
/configure:mise --fix

# Migrate an asdf project
/configure:mise --migrate asdf

# Convert Makefile targets into mise tasks
/configure:mise --migrate makefile

Error Handling

• mise not installed: Offer the install one-liner (curl https://mise.run | sh) or note it is itself a Homebrew bootstrap tool; do not block the audit.
• Untrusted config: mise refuses to load an untrusted file — run mise trust after writing.
• pipx: tool fails to resolve: ensure uv is a mise-managed tool and pipx.uvx = true is set (jdx/mise#7477).
• aqua package not found: the org/repo name must match an aqua-registry entry; fall back to github:/cargo:/go: or core.
• Tool "keeps coming back" after removal: stale per-node-version copies + ~/.default-npm-packages re-seeding — see the global mise-stale-tool-copies rule.
• node ≥26 on minimal Linux: prebuilt binaries link libatomic.so.1; gate node to platforms that have it (chezmoi-style os guard) or pin an older line.

See Also

• /configure:package-management — uv/bun for Python/JS libraries (mise installs the runtimes; uv/bun manage deps)
• /configure:justfile, /configure:makefile — task runners mise's [tasks] can replace
• /configure:ci-workflows — CI that consumes mise.toml via jdx/mise-action
• Global rules: dependency-management (tool-install priority, mise exec vs mise use), mise-stale-tool-copies (per-version cleanup)
• REFERENCE.md — full [tasks]/[env]/[settings] grammar, backend cheat-sheet, migration mapping tables
• mise docs: https://mise.jdx.dev/ · aqua registry: https://github.com/aquaproj/aqua-registry