mise-migrate-from-nvm

Migrating from nvm to mise

nvm is the default Node version manager most developers start with. It works but has two common pain points: slow shell startup (it's a big shell function, sourced on every new terminal) and no support for any language other than Node. mise fixes both.

The migration plan

1. Inventory what nvm is currently managing.
2. Create a mise.toml with the same Node version(s).
3. Swap shell rc entries from nvm's to mise's mise activate.
4. Verify which node and versions match.
5. Uninstall nvm (optional, recommended).

Don't do the uninstall step until after verifying mise is working — it's reversible but inconvenient.

Step 1 — inventory nvm state

nvm ls                      # installed versions + current alias
cat ~/.nvm/alias/default    # default version (if aliased)
cat .nvmrc                  # project version (if present)
grep -r nvm ~/.zshrc ~/.bashrc ~/.bash_profile 2>/dev/null   # shell init

Note:

• The versions currently installed (you'll reinstall them via mise).
• The default version (the one that runs when no project sets one).
• Any .nvmrc files in active projects.
• The nvm use / nvm install commands in shell rc.

Step 2 — create mise.toml per project

For each project that has a .nvmrc, create a mise.toml:

[tools]
node = "22.12.0"    # value from .nvmrc

Or, enable idiomatic reading so mise reads .nvmrc directly (no mise.toml needed):

# mise.toml — or ~/.config/mise/config.toml for global
[settings]
idiomatic_version_file_enable_tools = ["node"]

With the idiomatic reader, an existing .nvmrc just works.

For your global default (the version you get with no project config), edit ~/.config/mise/config.toml:

[tools]
node = "lts"     # or the specific version you had as nvm default

Step 3 — swap shell rc

Remove nvm's init:

# ~/.zshrc — DELETE these lines
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"

Add mise's init:

# ~/.zshrc — ADD
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"

(For bash: eval "$(mise activate bash)" in ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile.)

Restart the shell (exec zsh / exec bash / open a new terminal).

Step 4 — verify

which node
# Should print something under ~/.local/share/mise/shims/ or ~/.local/share/mise/installs/

node --version
# Should print the version you set in mise.toml / global config

cd <project-with-.nvmrc>
node --version
# Should match the .nvmrc

If which node still points to ~/.nvm/..., the old nvm shim is still on PATH. Check for leftover nvm init lines, and confirm mise activate is the last thing run in your shell rc (so its PATH prepend wins).

Step 5 — uninstall nvm

Once mise is working reliably:

rm -rf "$HOME/.nvm"
unalias nvm 2>/dev/null

If you installed nvm via Homebrew: brew uninstall nvm.

Restart the shell. Run which nvm — should print "not found".

Handling nvm use in scripts

If you have shell scripts or Makefiles with nvm use in them, replace with mise:

# Before
nvm use 22

# After — mise auto-activates from mise.toml / .nvmrc in the cwd, so usually nothing needed.
# If you need to force a version in a script:
mise use --pin node@22

The mise.toml in the project's working directory is read automatically when mise is activated. In most scripts, just deleting the nvm use line is enough.

Handling --install-latest and friends

# nvm
nvm install --lts

# mise equivalent
mise use -g node@lts     # install + set as global default

Common migration issues

"Command not found: node" after removing nvm

You removed nvm but the shell still has the nvm version on PATH from before. Open a fresh terminal — the new shell has mise's shims instead.

Version resolves to the wrong thing

Check mise ls node — does it list the version you expect? If not, mise install node@<version> first.

Then check mise current in the project dir — it shows which version is active and which config file set it.

.nvmrc is ignored

Enable the idiomatic reader:

# ~/.config/mise/config.toml
[settings]
idiomatic_version_file_enable_tools = ["node"]

Or, add node = "<version>" explicitly to mise.toml.

Slow shell startup (it wasn't nvm?)

If removing nvm didn't speed up your shell, something else is slow. time zsh -i -c exit to measure; profile with zsh -xv to find the culprit. mise itself adds <20ms on a modern machine.

Dev tools that shell out to nvm (e.g. certain VSCode extensions)

Find: extensions, tools, or scripts that call nvm exec. Replace nvm exec with mise exec:

# Before
nvm exec 22 npm run build

# After
mise exec node@22 -- npm run build

Multiple Node versions installed simultaneously

mise supports multiple versions per tool:

[tools]
node = "24 22 20"    # three concurrent installs; first is default

Same as nvm's multi-install, just with one command to install them all (mise install).

npm globals and package managers

Globally-installed npm packages

If you had npm install -g prettier etc., they lived in nvm's per-version dirs. mise has the same isolation — you need to reinstall globals after migrating. Or, better, switch to mise's npm: backend:

[tools]
node = "24"
"npm:prettier" = "latest"
"npm:typescript" = "latest"

This gets you pinned, lockfile-tracked global CLIs.

pnpm / yarn

If you installed pnpm/yarn via npm install -g pnpm, switch to corepack + packageManager (see mise-lang-node-packages).

Rollback

If mise isn't working out for some reason (unlikely):

# Reinstall nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.0/install.sh | bash

# Remove mise activation from shell rc, restart shell.

Your .nvmrc files are still there — nothing was deleted.

See also

• mise-lang-node-overview — Node version resolution in mise.
• mise-lang-node-packages — corepack + packageManager.
• mise-shell-activation — mise activate vs shims-on-PATH.
• mise-migrate-from-asdf — similar migration shape, for asdf users.
• mise docs: mise.jdx.dev/faq.html#migrating-from-nvm.