Mise: Modern Dev Tool Management

Mise is a polyglot version manager that replaces nvm, pyenv, rbenv, and most Homebrew CLI tools with a single, fast, declarative system.

Related skills:

• just-pro - Build system setup (includes mise integration patterns)
• cli-tools - Power CLI tools (many installable via mise)

Why Mise?

Problem	Old Way	Mise Way
Node versions	nvm, fnm, volta	mise use node@22
Python versions	pyenv, conda	mise use python@3.12
Go versions	goenv, manual	mise use go@1.25
CLI tools	Homebrew	mise use jq ripgrep bat
Per-project versions	.nvmrc + .python-version + ...	Single .mise.toml

Benefits:

• 1000+ tools available (mise registry | wc -l)
• Parallel installs, prebuilt binaries
• Works on macOS and Linux
• Declarative config in repo = reproducible environments

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Quick Start

Install Mise

curl https://mise.run | sh

Shell Setup

Add to your shell rc file. If using both mise and direnv (recommended), load mise first:

# ~/.zshrc - recommended order
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"
eval "$(direnv hook zsh)"

# fish: ~/.config/fish/config.fish
mise activate fish | source
direnv hook fish | source

For faster startup, use shims instead of (or with) activation:

# zsh: add to ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/mise/shims:$PATH"
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"
eval "$(direnv hook zsh)"

# fish: add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
fish_add_path -p ~/.local/share/mise/shims
mise activate fish | source
direnv hook fish | source

Install Tools

mise use node@22 python@3.12 go@latest  # Current directory
mise use -g jq ripgrep bat              # Global (all directories)

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Project Setup

New Repo

# Pin language versions
mise use node@22 go@1.25

# Creates .mise.toml - commit it
git add .mise.toml

Existing Repo (first clone)

mise trust      # Allow repo's .mise.toml
mise install    # Install pinned tools

Example .mise.toml

[tools]
node = "22"
go = "1.25"
python = "3.12"

# Project-specific tools
just = "latest"
sqlc = "latest"

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Configuration Hierarchy

Mise merges configs from multiple levels:

~/.config/mise/config.toml     # Global defaults
  └── ~/projects/.mise.toml    # Workspace defaults
        └── ~/projects/foo/.mise.toml  # Project-specific

More specific configs override less specific ones.

Global Config (~/.config/mise/config.toml)

Your daily-driver tools:

[tools]
# Languages
node = "lts"
python = "3.12"
go = "latest"

# CLI tools (replaces Homebrew)
jq = "latest"
yq = "latest"
ripgrep = "latest"
fd = "latest"
bat = "latest"
eza = "latest"
delta = "latest"
fzf = "latest"
gh = "latest"
lazygit = "latest"
just = "latest"
direnv = "latest"
starship = "latest"

[settings]
auto_install = true

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Direnv Integration

Direnv handles per-directory environment variables. Combined with mise:

• Mise → tool versions (node, go, python)
• Direnv → environment variables (DATABASE_URL, API keys)

Best Practice: Keep a single source of truth:

• .mise.toml → tool versions only (node, go, python)
• .envrc → environment variables (DATABASE_URL, API_KEY, etc.)

Don't use [env] section in .mise.toml - it creates confusion about where vars come from.

Setup

1. Install direnv via mise:

   mise use -g direnv
   

2. Add direnv hook to shell rc:

   # zsh
   eval "$(direnv hook zsh)"
   
   # fish
   direnv hook fish | source
   

3. Create .envrc in your project:

   # Load mise tools for this directory
   if command -v mise &> /dev/null; then
     eval "$(mise hook-env -s bash)"
   fi
   
   # Project-specific environment
   export DATABASE_URL="postgres://localhost/myapp"
   export LOG_LEVEL="debug"
   

4. Allow the envrc:

   direnv allow
   

Tip: Use .envrc.example (committed) + .envrc (gitignored with secrets).

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Just Integration

just and mise complement each other:

• mise → pins tool versions
• just → runs commands using those tools

See the just-pro skill for full patterns. Quick summary:

Shell Override (recommended for teams)

# Every recipe runs through mise automatically
set shell := ["mise", "exec", "--", "bash", "-c"]

build:
    npm run build

test:
    go test ./...

Graceful Degradation (for open source)

_exec cmd:
    #!/usr/bin/env bash
    if command -v mise &>/dev/null; then
        mise exec -- {{cmd}}
    else
        {{cmd}}
    fi

build: (_exec "npm run build")

Setup Recipe

setup:
    #!/usr/bin/env bash
    mise trust && mise install

    # Create .envrc from example if missing
    if [[ ! -f .envrc ]] && [[ -f .envrc.example ]]; then
        cp .envrc.example .envrc
        echo "Created .envrc from example - edit with your values"
        direnv allow
    fi

    echo "Toolchain ready"

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Mise vs Devcontainer

Aspect	Mise + Direnv	Devcontainer
Isolation	Shared host filesystem	Full container isolation
Speed	Native performance	Container overhead
Setup time	Seconds (mise install)	Minutes (image build)
Works offline	After first install	After first build
IDE support	Any editor, native	VS Code / JetBrains
Team adoption	Low friction	Requires Docker knowledge
CI parity	Good (mise in CI)	Excellent (same container)

Recommendation: Use mise for fast local dev. Add devcontainer for hermetic reproducibility if needed. They're not mutually exclusive.

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Troubleshooting

Tools not in PATH

mise doctor  # Check activation status

Ensure mise activates after other PATH modifications in shell rc.

Shims vs Activate

• Shims (~/.local/share/mise/shims): Wrapper scripts, always work
• Activate: Dynamic PATH modification, faster for frequent version switching

Use both for reliability:

# Shims first (fallback), then activate (dynamic)
export PATH="$HOME/.local/share/mise/shims:$PATH"
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"

Direnv + Mise

Use mise hook-env -s bash in .envrc, not mise activate:

eval "$(mise hook-env -s bash)"  # Correct
eval "$(mise activate bash)"     # Wrong - generates shell hooks

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Quick Reference

# Install tools
mise use node@22              # Current directory
mise use -g ripgrep           # Global

# Manage versions
mise ls                       # List installed
mise ls-remote node           # Available versions
mise outdated                 # Check for updates

# Project setup
mise install                  # Install from .mise.toml
mise trust                    # Trust current directory's config

# Maintenance
mise prune                    # Remove unused versions
mise reshim                   # Rebuild shims
mise self-update              # Update mise itself

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Further Reading

• Mise Documentation
• Mise Registry - All available tools
• Direnv Documentation