Mise Task Conventions

Mandatory

Every project root MUST contain a mise.toml
If a project root does NOT contain a mise.toml then copy the base to the project root as mise.toml

Progressive Discovery Reference Map

When you see a relevant match to your current task, STOP! Read no further and load the applicable reference.

Are you starting a fresh project? See starting-fresh
Are you integrating mise in a brownfield project? See brownfield
Were you asked to encapsulate a multi-step custom workflow? See custom-workflows
Did you create a new script, add a new CLI command, or get asked to expose or make available any of the former as a convenience task? See wraping-an-interface
Are you implementing or adapting one of the supported common workflows (Database, Build, CI, Test, Deploy, Lint)? See common-workflows

If you didn't find a match, here are the general rules to follow

If defining a simple task like a one-liner, use TOML Tasks

Then, define tasks directly in mise.toml under the [tasks.*] section:

[tasks.build]
description = "Build the project"
run = "cargo build"

[tasks.test]
description = "Run tests"
run = "cargo test"
depends = ["build"]

Execute: mise run build or mise build

If your task is multi-line and looks more like inline code, use File Tasks

Implement the task as an executable shell or python script in .mise/tasks/ directory:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
#MISE description="Build the project"
#MISE depends=["lint"]
cargo build

Place in .mise/tasks/build (no extension), make executable, and run identically: mise run build

Configuration File Structure

project-root/
├── mise.toml              # Primary config with [tasks.*] section
├── .mise/tasks/            # Directory for file-based tasks
│   ├── build             # Executable task script
│   ├── test              # Executable task script
│   └── deploy            # Executable task script

TOML Task Structure

[tasks.task-name]
description = "Task description shown in mise tasks"
run = "command to execute"
depends = ["other-task"]
env = { VAR = "value" }
dir = "{{ config_root }}"
sources = ["src/**/*.rs"]
outputs = ["target/release/binary"]

File Task Metadata

Use #MISE comments for task configuration:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
#MISE description="Deploy application"
#MISE depends=["build", "test"]
#MISE sources=["dist/**/*"]
#MISE env={ENVIRONMENT="production"}

# Task implementation
./deploy.sh

Task Configuration Options

Essential Fields:

run (TOML tasks only, required)

String: run = "cargo build"
Array: run = ["cargo build", "cargo test"]
Mixed with task refs: run = [{ task = "lint" }, "cargo build"]

description

Used in help output, completions, and mise tasks listing
Visible to users as documentation

depends

Tasks that run before this task
depends = ["lint", "test"]

depends_post

Tasks that run after this task completes
depends_post = ["cleanup"]

Environment & Execution

env

Task-specific environment variables
Not propagated to dependent tasks
env = { NODE_ENV = "production", API_KEY = "secret" }

tools

Tools to install/activate before task
Only for this task, not dependencies
tools = ["node@20", "python@3.12"]

dir

Working directory for execution
Default: "{{ config_root }}" (where mise.toml lives)
dir = "{{ cwd }}/subdir"

shell

Override default shell for inline execution
TOML tasks only
shell = "bash -c"

Caching with Sources & Outputs

sources

Input files/globs that this task uses
Mise skips execution if sources unchanged and outputs are newer
sources = ["src/**/*.rs", "Cargo.toml"]

outputs

Output files/directories produced by task
Enable automatic change detection with outputs = [{ auto = true }]
outputs = ["target/release/binary"]

Caching behavior:

Mise compares modification times of oldest output vs newest source
If outputs are newer, task is skipped
Use mise run --force to bypass cache

Control & Visibility

hide

Hide from mise tasks output, help, and completions
Useful for internal/deprecated tasks
hide = true

quiet

Suppress mise's own output (like command being run)
quiet = true

silent

Suppress all task output
Options: true (both), "stdout", "stderr"
silent = "stdout"

raw

Connect task directly to shell stdin/stdout/stderr
Disables parallel execution
Required for interactive tasks
raw = true

confirm

Prompt user before running
confirm = "Are you sure you want to deploy?"

Advanced: Task Arguments

Define formal arguments and flags in usage field:

[tasks.deploy]
run = "deploy.sh"
usage = """
{usage} [OPTIONS] <environment>

Arguments:
  <environment>  Target environment [env: ENVIRONMENT]

Options:
  --force       Skip confirmation
"""

Running Tasks

Basic Execution

mise run task-name          # Full command
mise r task-name            # Short alias
mise task-name              # Shorthand (avoid in scripts)

Passing Arguments

Extra arguments pass through to the task:

mise run build --release
mise run test -- --nocapture

Multiple Tasks

Run sequentially:

mise run lint build test

Run separate sequences with ::: delimiter:

mise run build arg1 ::: test arg2

Advanced: Parallel Execution

Default: 4 parallel jobs. Control via:

--jobs N flag
MISE_JOBS environment variable
jobs setting in mise.toml

mise run -j 8 task1 task2 task3

Output is line-prefixed to prevent interleaving. Use --interleave for direct stdout/stderr.

Listing Tasks

mise tasks                    # List all tasks
mise tasks --hidden           # Include hidden tasks
mise tasks deps [tasks]...    # Show task dependencies

Watching for Changes

mise watch task-name          # Re-run on file changes

Uses watchexec internally to monitor source files.

Common Pattern: Task Orchestration

[tasks.ci]
description = "Run CI checks"
depends = ["lint", "test", "build"]

[tasks.deploy]
description = "Deploy application"
depends = ["ci"]
depends_post = ["notify"]
run = "./deploy.sh"

Common Pattern: Environment-Specific Tasks

[tasks.build]
description = "Build for development"
run = "npm run build"
env = { NODE_ENV = "development" }

[tasks."build:prod"]
description = "Build for production"
run = "npm run build"
env = { NODE_ENV = "production" }

Common Pattern: Conditional Execution with Sources

[tasks.compile]
description = "Compile only if sources changed"
run = "gcc src/*.c -o bin/app"
sources = ["src/*.c", "src/*.h"]
outputs = ["bin/app"]

Common Pattern: File Task with Dependencies

#!/usr/bin/env bash
#MISE description="Full CI pipeline"
#MISE depends=["lint", "test"]
#MISE sources=["src/**/*"]

set -euo pipefail

echo "Running build..."
cargo build --release

echo "Running integration tests..."
cargo test --release

Cross-Language Task Runner

[tasks.backend]
description = "Start backend server"
dir = "{{ config_root }}/backend"
run = "cargo run"

[tasks.frontend]
description = "Start frontend dev server"
dir = "{{ config_root }}/frontend"
run = "npm run dev"

[tasks.dev]
description = "Start full development environment"
depends = ["backend", "frontend"]

Mise automatically injects these globals:

MISE_ORIGINAL_CWD - Initial working directory
MISE_CONFIG_ROOT - Directory containing mise.toml
MISE_PROJECT_ROOT - Project root directory
MISE_TASK_NAME - Current task identifier
MISE_TASK_DIR - Task script location (file tasks)
MISE_TASK_FILE - Full task script path (file tasks)

Workflow Command: Initialize Mise in Project

# 1. Create mise.toml
`cp ./references/base-mise.toml mise.toml`

# 2. Trust the config
mise trust

# 3. Verify tasks
mise tasks

Workflow Command: Convert Makefile to Mise Tasks

For projects with Makefiles, migrate to mise for better dependency management:

# Instead of Makefile targets
[tasks.install]
description = "Install dependencies"
run = "npm install"

[tasks.build]
description = "Build project"
depends = ["install"]
sources = ["src/**/*"]
outputs = ["dist/"]
run = "npm run build"

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

Benefits over Make:

Automatic parallel execution
Built-in file watching
Cross-platform compatibility
Better dependency management

Create File Task Script

# 1. Create task directory
mkdir -p .mise/tasks

# 2. Create executable script
cat > .mise/tasks/deploy <<'BASH'
#!/usr/bin/env bash
#MISE description="Deploy application to production"
#MISE depends=["test"]
#MISE confirm="Deploy to production?"
#MISE env={ENVIRONMENT="production"}

set -euo pipefail

echo "Deploying to production..."
$MISE_PROJECT_ROOT/scripts/deploy.sh "$@"
BASH

# 3. Make executable
chmod +x .mise/tasks/deploy

# 4. Run it
mise run deploy

Best Practice: Task Naming

Use semantic names: build, test, deploy
Group with colons: test:unit, test:integration, test:e2e
Wildcard support: mise run test:* runs all test tasks

Best Practice: Dependency Management

Use depends for prerequisites: depends = ["lint", "test"]
Use depends_post for cleanup: depends_post = ["notify"]
Keep dependency chains shallow (2-3 levels max)
Tasks run in parallel when possible

Best Practice: Caching Strategy

Define sources for input files
Define outputs for generated artifacts
Use globs for flexibility: sources = ["src/**/*.rs"]
Use { auto = true } for automatic output detection

Best Practice: File Tasks vs TOML Tasks

Use File Tasks when:

Script is >10 lines
Complex bash logic required
Multiple commands with error handling
Script needs version control

Use TOML Tasks when:

Simple one-liners
Task orchestration (depends on other tasks)
Environment variable setup
Quick prototyping

Best Practice: Error Handling

In TOML tasks:

[tasks.robust]
run = ["set -euo pipefail", "./script.sh"]

In File tasks:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail  # Exit on error, undefined vars, pipe failures

# Task implementation

Troubleshooting: Tasks Not Appearing

Check:

Syntax errors in mise.toml: mise tasks --verbose
Missing description field
Task marked hide = true
Config not trusted: mise trust
Troubleshooting: Task Not Caching

Verify:

sources and outputs are defined
Globs match files: ls src/**/*.rs
Output files exist after task runs
Use mise run --force task-name to bypass cache once
Troubleshooting: File Task Not Executable

chmod +x mise-tasks/task-name

Troubleshooting: Tasks Running in Wrong Directory

Set explicit working directory:

[tasks.task-name]
dir = "{{ config_root }}/subdir"
run = "make build"

Troubleshooting: Parallel Execution Issues

For interactive tasks or tasks requiring stdin:

[tasks.interactive]
raw = true
run = "npm run dev"

Additional Resources

Official docs: https://mise.jdx.dev/tasks/
Task configuration: https://mise.jdx.dev/tasks/task-configuration.html
Running tasks: https://mise.jdx.dev/tasks/running-tasks.html

mise-task-managing