mise-migrate-from-direnv

Migrating from direnv to mise (or coexisting)

direnv is the classic per-directory env-var manager — it runs .envrc on cd, injects env vars into your shell, and unsets them when you leave. mise has a built-in [env] block that does most of the same things, plus tool version management. For many users, mise replaces direnv entirely; for others, the two coexist.

The decision — replace or coexist?

You use direnv for…	Verdict
Just setting env vars (.envrc with export FOO=bar)	Replace with mise [env]
Setting env vars + activating a venv	Replace with _.python.venv
Setting env vars + sourcing .env files	Replace with _.file = ".env"
use flake (Nix integration)	Coexist — mise doesn't do Nix
use node / use python (version switching)	Replace — that's what mise is for
Complex shell logic in .envrc (functions, conditionals)	Coexist or replace case-by-case
dotenv_if_exists, watch_file, path_add	Replace — mise has all of these
Secrets from keychain via a helper	Coexist if the helper is direnv-specific, or replace by calling the helper from [hooks] enter

Most users can replace direnv entirely. The exceptions are Nix-flake shops and people with heavily custom .envrc logic.

.envrc → mise.toml translation cheat sheet

Basic env vars

# .envrc
export DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost/myapp
export LOG_LEVEL=debug
export PORT=3000

# mise.toml
[env]
DATABASE_URL = "postgres://localhost/myapp"
LOG_LEVEL = "debug"
PORT = "3000"

Sourcing a .env file

# .envrc
dotenv
# or
dotenv_if_exists .env

# mise.toml
[env]
_.file = ".env"

_.file reads a dotenv-format file and loads its variables. Error if missing, unless:

[env]
_.file = { path = ".env", optional = true }

Adding to PATH

# .envrc
PATH_add node_modules/.bin
PATH_add bin

# mise.toml
[env]
_.path = ["node_modules/.bin", "bin"]

Paths are resolved relative to the mise.toml location.

Python venv activation

# .envrc
layout python3
# or
source .venv/bin/activate

# mise.toml
[env]
_.python.venv = { path = ".venv", create = true }

The create = true flag auto-creates the venv if missing, using the mise-pinned Python.

Per-directory watched files

# .envrc
watch_file Gemfile.lock

In mise, files that affect config are auto-reloaded — mise.toml, mise.lock, and any _.file sources are watched automatically. For explicit task-level watches, use [tasks.<name>].sources.

Conditional logic

# .envrc
if [[ "$(uname)" == "Darwin" ]]; then
  export CFLAGS="-I$(brew --prefix openssl)/include"
fi

mise supports tera templates in env values:

[env]
CFLAGS = "{{ exec(command='brew --prefix openssl') | trim }}/include"

Or, for more complex logic, shell out via [hooks] enter:

[hooks]
enter = "./scripts/setup-env.sh"

Most .envrc files don't actually need complex logic — the conditional was usually copied from a template. Try simplifying first.

Replacing direnv entirely

1. Translate every .envrc to a mise.toml [env] block.
2. Remove eval "$(direnv hook zsh)" from shell rc.
3. Add eval "$(mise activate zsh)" (if not already there).
4. Delete .envrc files after confirming mise env shows the right vars in each project.
5. Uninstall direnv: brew uninstall direnv or equivalent.

Coexisting with direnv

If you have Nix flakes, complex .envrc logic, or want mise for tools-only:

# .envrc — keep this
use mise   # tells direnv to load mise's env
use flake  # your Nix integration

direnv's use mise function (from mise activate's output or the direnv-mise plugin) loads mise's tools and env into direnv's sandbox. mise handles tool versions; direnv handles the nix-flake layer on top.

Order in shell rc:

# ~/.zshrc
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"   # mise first
eval "$(direnv hook zsh)"     # direnv after

mise provides tools; direnv adds more env on top via .envrc.

Why mise's [env] is usually enough

• Declarative — [env] in mise.toml is plain TOML; no shell to debug.
• Trusted — mise's trust system means you explicitly allow a config before it runs. .envrc required direnv allow for the same reason.
• Tool-aware — _.python.venv, _.file, _.path are purpose-built for common cases.
• Tera templates — enough logic for most cases without writing shell.
• One file — mise.toml holds tools + env + tasks. .envrc only held env.

Anti-patterns

• Running direnv and mise in parallel for the same env vars. Last one wins, non-deterministically.
• Keeping .envrc just to avoid "the migration effort" — it's usually 5 minutes per project.
• use node in .envrc when mise is already managing Node. Redundant.
• Committing secrets in .envrc or mise.toml — use a secret manager + _.file pointing at a gitignored dotenv.

Rollback

Reinstall direnv, restore .envrc from git, re-add direnv hook to shell rc.

brew install direnv
git checkout .envrc

See also

• mise-env-directives — the full [env] reference (_.file, _.path, _.python.venv, _.python.uv_venv_auto, _.source).
• mise-lang-python-overview — _.python.venv depth.
• mise-trust-and-security — mise's trust system and why it exists.
• mise-migrate-from-asdf — general migration shape.
• direnv docs: direnv.net.