mise

What is mise?

mise (pronounced "meez", short for mise-en-place) installs a project's tools, sets its environment variables, and runs its tasks from one mise.toml that works in your shell, editor, and CI. With mise bootstrap, it can also set up a whole machine: packages, dotfiles, and services.

• Install tools such as Node.js, Python, and Terraform from a registry of 1,000+, with a different version in each project.
• Set environment variables and load .env files for each project.
• Run tasks, such as build and test, with the project's tools and environment variables.
• Set up a machine with mise bootstrap, which applies the system packages, dotfiles, repositories, and services you declare for it.

Use only the parts you need. You can start with one tool or one task.

Demo

Watch mise run a tool once with mise exec, set global defaults, and switch Node.js versions as you move into and out of a project.

The demo transcript lists the commands with current versions.

Quickstart

1. Install mise

On macOS or Linux:

curl https://mise.run | sh
~/.local/bin/mise --version

On Windows, run winget install jdx.mise. For Homebrew, apt, Scoop, and other methods, see Installing mise.

The installer puts mise in ~/.local/bin. If that directory is not on your PATH, type ~/.local/bin/mise wherever the steps below say mise, until you activate mise in step 4.

2. Try a tool

mise exec node@24 -- node --version
# v24.x.x

mise exec installs Node.js 24 if needed and runs one command with it. It does not change your shell or any config file, and it works without activation.

3. Set up a project

mkdir my-project && cd my-project
mise use node@24

mise use installs Node.js 24 and writes it to a new mise.toml. Add an environment variable and a task to that file:

[tools]
node = "24"

[env]
NODE_ENV = "development"

[tasks.hello]
description = "Print the Node.js version and NODE_ENV"
run = 'node -e "console.log(process.version, process.env.NODE_ENV)"'

Run the task:

mise run hello

[hello] $ node -e "console.log(process.version, process.env.NODE_ENV)"
v24.x.x development

The task runs with the project's Node.js and NODE_ENV. Commit mise.toml so teammates and CI get the same setup. "24" is a version request for the Node.js 24 series, not an exact pin; to share exact versions, use a lockfile. Run mise use python@3.14 to add another tool to the project, or mise use --global node@24 to set a personal default in ~/.config/mise/config.toml.

To see what mise loaded in this directory:

mise config ls     # config files in use here
mise ls --current  # tool versions selected by those files
mise doctor        # checks the installation and shell activation

4. Activate mise in your shell (optional)

Activation puts a project's tools on your PATH and sets its environment variables when you enter the project, so you can run node without mise exec. If you installed with mise.run, run the commands for your shell once:

# bash
echo 'eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc

# zsh
echo 'eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate zsh)"' >> "${ZDOTDIR:-$HOME}/.zshrc"

# fish
mkdir -p ~/.config/fish
echo '~/.local/bin/mise activate fish | source' >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish

Open a new shell. In my-project, node --version now prints v24.x.x. For PowerShell, Nushell, and other shells, or for mise installed another way, see Shell setup.

Where to go next

To	Read
Follow the full tutorial	Getting started
Add mise to a project you already work on	Existing projects
Join a project that already has a mise.toml	Review its config, then run mise install and mise tasks ls (details)
Set up another shell or completions	Shell setup
Find a tool	Registry
Use mise in an editor or CI	Editors and IDEs · Continuous integration
Learn the main features	Dev tools · Environments · Tasks
Set up a new machine	Bootstrap · Dotfiles
Look up a command, setting, or config key	CLI reference · Settings · mise.toml
Fix a problem	Troubleshooting · FAQ
Contribute to mise or its docs	Contributing · Writing docs

Get help

• Report bugs in GitHub Issues. Check Troubleshooting first, and include the command you ran, a minimal mise.toml, the expected and actual behavior, and your mise doctor output after you review it for private details.
• Ask questions and share ideas in GitHub Discussions.
• Chat with other users on Discord.

For security reports and other contacts, see Contact. Before you use AI to reply to an Issue or Discussion, read the AI reply policy.

Special thanks

Thanks to Namespace for providing CI services for mise.

Contributors