mise - Dev Environment Manager Cheatsheet

mise - Dev Environment Manager Cheatsheet

A polyglot dev environment manager that replaces asdf, nvm, pyenv, direnv, and make in a single tool. Manage tool versions, environment variables, and project tasks — all from one config file.

Installation

Platform	Command
macOS/Linux (Recommended)	curl https://mise.run | sh
macOS (Homebrew)	brew install mise
Arch Linux	sudo pacman -S mise
Ubuntu/Debian (apt)	sudo apt install mise
Fedora/RHEL	sudo dnf install mise
Windows (Scoop)	scoop install mise
Cargo (All platforms)	cargo install mise
Nix	nix-env -iA nixpkgs.mise
Docker	docker run jdx/mise

Shell Integration (Required)

Shell	Config File	Command to Add
Bash	~/.bashrc	eval "$(mise activate bash)"
Zsh	~/.zshrc	eval "$(mise activate zsh)"
Fish	~/.config/fish/config.fish	mise activate fish | source
PowerShell	Profile	mise activate pwsh | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

Tool Version Management

Installing and Using Tools

Command	Description
mise use node@22	Install Node.js 22 and set for current directory
mise use python@3.12	Install Python 3.12 for current directory
mise use --global node@22	Set Node.js 22 as global default
mise use node@lts	Use the latest LTS version
mise use node@latest	Use the absolute latest version
mise install	Install all tools from mise.toml / .tool-versions
mise install node	Install the configured version of Node.js
mise install node@20	Install a specific version
mise uninstall node@18	Remove a specific version
mise upgrade node	Upgrade Node.js to latest matching version
mise upgrade	Upgrade all tools
mise ls	List all installed tool versions
mise ls node	List installed Node.js versions
mise ls-remote node	Show all available Node.js versions
mise which node	Show path to active node binary
mise where node@22	Show installation directory for Node.js 22
mise search python	Search for available tools matching “python”
mise exec node@20 -- node -v	Run command with a specific tool version

Supported Tools (Partial List)

Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust, Java, Erlang, Elixir, PHP, Terraform, kubectl, Helm, Deno, Bun, and hundreds more via plugins.

Environment Variables

Command	Description
mise set MY_VAR=value	Set env var for current directory
mise set --global API_KEY=xyz	Set global env var
mise unset MY_VAR	Remove an env var
mise env	Show all active environment variables
mise env --json	Show env vars as JSON

Task Management

Command	Description
mise run build	Run the “build” task
mise run test	Run the “test” task
mise run lint -- --fix	Run task with extra arguments
mise tasks ls	List all available tasks
mise tasks info build	Show details about the “build” task
mise tasks add build "npm run build"	Create a new task
mise tasks edit build	Edit a task in your editor
mise tasks deps	Show task dependency tree
mise tasks validate	Validate task configuration

Configuration Files

mise.toml (Primary — per-project)

# .mise.toml or mise.toml in project root
[tools]
node = "22"               # Exact major version
python = "3.12"            # Exact minor version
terraform = "latest"       # Always latest
ruby = "3.3.0"             # Exact patch version
go = "prefix:1.22"         # Latest 1.22.x

[env]
NODE_ENV = "development"
DATABASE_URL = "postgres://localhost/mydb"
# Load from .env file
_.file = ".env"

[tasks.build]
description = "Build the project"
run = "npm run build"
depends = ["install"]      # Run 'install' first

[tasks.install]
description = "Install dependencies"
run = "npm install"

[tasks.test]
description = "Run test suite"
run = "npm test"
depends = ["build"]

[tasks.dev]
description = "Start dev server"
run = "npm run dev"

.tool-versions (asdf-compatible)

# .tool-versions — compatible with asdf
node 22.0.0
python 3.12.1
ruby 3.3.0

Config Hierarchy (Most specific wins)

1. mise.toml in current directory
2. mise.toml in parent directories (walking up)
3. ~/.config/mise/config.toml (global)

Diagnostics and Utilities

Command	Description
mise doctor	Diagnose configuration issues
mise version	Show mise version
mise self-update	Update mise itself
mise cache clear	Clear download and build caches
mise reshim	Regenerate shim files
mise deactivate	Deactivate mise in current shell
mise lock	Create a lockfile for reproducible installs
mise config ls	List all active configuration files

Plugin Management

Command	Description
mise plugins ls	List installed plugins
mise plugins install terraform	Install a plugin
mise plugins update	Update all plugins
mise plugins update terraform	Update specific plugin
mise backends ls	List available tool backends

Migration from Other Tools

From nvm

# Remove nvm from shell config, then:
mise use --global node@$(node -v | sed 's/v//')

From asdf

# mise reads .tool-versions files natively
# Just install mise and activate it — existing .tool-versions files work

From direnv

# Move env vars to mise.toml [env] section
# mise handles directory-scoped env vars natively

Common Workflows

# Set up a new project
cd ~/projects/my-app
mise use node@22 python@3.12
mise set NODE_ENV=development

# Clone and bootstrap a project
git clone repo && cd repo
mise install              # Installs all tools from mise.toml

# Run project tasks
mise run dev              # Start dev server
mise run test             # Run tests
mise run build            # Build for production

# Check tool versions across projects
mise ls

# Keep tools up to date
mise upgrade              # Upgrade all tools to latest

Comparison with Other Tools

Feature	asdf	nvm	direnv	mise
Multi-language	Yes	Node only	No	Yes
Env variables	No	No	Yes	Yes
Task runner	No	No	No	Yes
Config file	.tool-versions	.nvmrc	.envrc	mise.toml + .tool-versions
Speed	Slow (shell)	Moderate	Fast	Fast (Rust)
Shims	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Resources

• Official Website
• Getting Started Guide
• Configuration Reference
• GitHub Repository