MISE¶

Install:

# Quick install (recommended)
curl https://mise.run | sh

# Or via package manager
brew install mise           # macOS
sudo snap install mise      # Linux
cargo install mise          # From source

Activate in shell:

# Add to ~/.zshrc / ~/.bashrc
eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate zsh)"   # or bash, fish, pwsh

Install tools:

# One command: installs plugin + runtime + sets version
mise use node@22
mise use python@3.12

# Install from existing .tool-versions or .mise.toml
mise install

# List installed / available
mise ls                 # Installed tools
mise ls-remote node     # Available versions

Real talk: - mise use node@22 does everything — plugin install, version install, config write - Reads .tool-versions automatically (no migration needed from asdf) - mise install installs everything in the config file at once - Use mise use --global for system-wide defaults

.mise.toml — project config:

[tools]
node = "22"
python = "3.12"
terraform = "1"

[env]
NODE_ENV = "development"
DATABASE_URL = "postgres://localhost/myapp"

[tasks.build]
run = "npm run build"

[tasks.test]
depends = ["build"]
run = "pytest"

Using env vars:

# Load .env files
mise set DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost/myapp

# Show env for current project
mise env

Running tasks:

# Define tasks in mise.toml, then:
mise run test
mise build   # Shortcut — no "run" needed if no name conflict

# Selector UI for picking a task
mise run

Why this works: - TOML is readable, git-friendly, supports comments - Tasks auto-install required tools before running - Env vars load per-directory (like direnv, but built-in) - Replaces asdf + direnv + Makefile with one file

Tips: - No shims — MISE modifies PATH directly, so node -v has zero overhead (asdf shims add ~120ms per call) - Fuzzy matching everywhere — mise use node@20 works in all contexts (config files, CLI, tasks) - Auto-install — entering a project with uninstalled tools triggers automatic installation - Backends — supports asdf, aqua, cargo, npm, pipx, go, gem, ubi, vfox backends (not just asdf plugins) - Security — built-in support for Cosign, SLSA, GitHub Artifact Attestations - Legacy compat — reads .nvmrc, .node-version, .ruby-version files - Update — mise self-update keeps you on latest (daily releases) - Use mise doctor to diagnose shell integration issues

Gotchas: - brew vs curl — the brew formula lags slightly behind the curl install (curl recommended) - Shell hook required — without eval "$(mise activate ...)", tools won't switch automatically - Windows support — limited (no native Windows, WSL2 recommended) - Task naming conflicts — if MISE adds a command name you use as a task, fall back to mise run task-name - Plugin dependency — some asdf plugins need build tools (Python needs libssl-dev, etc.) - Cache — run mise cache clear if remote version listings seem stale