working-with-mise

---
name: working-with-mise
description: Use when adding, configuring, or troubleshooting mise-managed tools - ensures proper CLI usage, detects existing config files, and diagnoses PATH/activation issues when commands aren't found
---

# Working with mise

## Overview

mise is a polyglot tool version manager. Use this skill when:
- Adding tools to a project via mise
- Troubleshooting "command not found" when mise should have tools available
- Deciding whether mise is the right choice for a dependency

## The Iron Rules

1. **Use `mise use` to add tools** - never manually edit config files
2. **Detect existing config files first** - don't create new ones when one exists
3. **Fix the shell, don't workaround** - if tools aren't on PATH, diagnose the activation issue rather than using `mise exec` as a permanent workaround

## When to Use mise vs Alternatives

### Use mise when version matters per-project

Tools where different projects need different versions:
- Language runtimes: node, python, ruby, go, rust
- Infrastructure tools: terraform, kubectl, helm
- Tools with breaking changes between versions

```bash
# Good mise candidates - version sensitivity
mise use node@20      # Projects may need different Node versions
mise use terraform@1.5  # IaC often pins specific versions
mise use ruby@3.2     # Gemfiles often require specific Ruby
```

### Use Homebrew/system when version rarely matters

Stable CLIs with consistent interfaces across versions:
- jq, yq - query languages are stable
- gh, hub - GitHub CLI
- ripgrep, fd - search tools
- tree, htop - system utilities

```bash
# Better as Homebrew - version doesn't matter
brew install jq gh ripgrep
```

### Decision checklist

Ask yourself:
1. Does this project's README/docs specify a version? → mise
2. Could different team members need different versions? → mise
3. Does the tool have breaking changes between versions? → mise
4. Is it a stable CLI you use the same way everywhere? → Homebrew

## Adding Tools with mise

### 1. Check for existing config files first

Before adding tools, detect what config format the project uses:

```bash
# Check for existing mise config
ls -la mise.toml .mise.toml .mise.local.toml .tool-versions 2>/dev/null
```

Config file precedence (mise uses the first it finds):
- `mise.toml` or `.mise.toml` - standard mise config
- `.mise.local.toml` - local overrides (usually gitignored)
- `.tool-versions` - legacy asdf format

**If a config file exists, use that format.** Don't create a new one.

### 2. Use `mise use` to add tools

**Always use the CLI** - it validates the tool exists and works:

```bash
# Add to project config (mise.toml or existing format)
mise use node@20

# Add to global config (~/.config/mise/config.toml)
mise use -g python@3.12

# Dry run to see what would happen
mise use --dry-run terraform@1.5
```

**Never manually edit config files** - `mise use` ensures:
- The tool/version exists in the registry
- The tool installs correctly
- The config syntax is valid

### 3. Verify the tool is available

```bash
# Check mise sees the tool
mise ls

# Check the tool is on PATH
which node
node --version

# Compare with mise's view
mise which node
```

## Troubleshooting "Command Not Found"

When a tool should be available but isn't found:

### Diagnostic workflow

```bash
# 1. Check mise installation health
mise doctor

# 2. Check what tools mise knows about
mise ls                    # All installed tools
mise ls --current          # Tools for current directory

# 3. Compare which vs mise which
which node                 # What shell finds
mise which node            # What mise thinks it should be

# 4. Check if tool would work via mise exec
mise exec -- node --version  # If this works, it's an activation issue
```

### Common causes and fixes

#### Shell activation not set up

**Symptom**: `mise exec -- node` works, but `node` doesn't

**Diagnose**:
```bash
mise doctor  # Look for activation warnings
```

**Fix** - add to shell rc file:

```bash
# For zsh (~/.zshrc)
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"

# For bash (~/.bashrc)
eval "$(mise activate bash)"

# For fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish)
mise activate fish | source
```

Then restart your shell or `source` the rc file.

#### Config file not trusted

**Symptom**: mise shows trust warning, tools not activated

**Fix**:
```bash
mise trust
```

#### Tool not installed for current directory

**Symptom**: `mise ls` shows tool globally but not in `mise ls --current`

**Diagnose**:
```bash
# Check what config file applies
mise config

# Check if there's a local config overriding global
cat mise.toml .mise.toml .tool-versions 2>/dev/null
```

**Fix**: Add the tool to the project config:
```bash
mise use node@20  # Adds to project config
```

#### Shims vs PATH activation confusion

**Symptom**: Tools work in terminal but not in IDE/scripts

See [references/dev-tools/shims-html.md](references/dev-tools/shims-html.md) for detailed explanation.

**Quick fix** for non-interactive contexts:
```bash
# In ~/.zprofile or ~/.bash_profile (non-interactive)
eval "$(mise activate zsh --shims)"

# In ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc (interactive)
eval "$(mise activate zsh)"
```

### When to use `mise exec` (legitimately)

`mise exec` is appropriate for:
- One-off commands with specific versions: `mise exec node@18 -- npm test`
- CI/CD scripts where activation isn't available
- Testing a different version temporarily

`mise exec` is NOT a fix for:
- Tools not being on PATH in your terminal (fix activation instead)
- "It works with mise exec" as a permanent solution

## Validation Commands

After configuration changes, verify everything works:

```bash
# Full health check
mise doctor

# Verify specific tool
mise which node && node --version

# Verify PATH includes mise tools
echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep mise
```

## Available References

- [references/cli/use-html.md](references/cli/use-html.md) - Full `mise use` documentation
- [references/cli/doctor-html.md](references/cli/doctor-html.md) - Diagnostic commands
- [references/cli/activate-html.md](references/cli/activate-html.md) - Shell activation
- [references/cli/which-html.md](references/cli/which-html.md) - Path resolution
- [references/dev-tools/shims-html.md](references/dev-tools/shims-html.md) - Shims vs PATH activation
- [references/guides/getting-started.md](references/guides/getting-started.md) - Setup guide

## Red Flags - You're About to Violate

- "Let me just add this to mise.toml manually" → Use `mise use` instead
- "I'll use mise exec as a workaround" → Diagnose why activation isn't working
- "Let me create a .mise.toml" → Check if config already exists first
- Adding jq/gh/ripgrep to mise → Consider if version actually matters
- Assuming mise is activated → Run `mise doctor` to verify

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