v2026.9.6

This release adds experimental project daemons backed by pitchfork, a `mise doctor project` command for project-declared diagnostic checks, and tool discovery from vfox backend plugins in `mise search`. It also changes the HTTP backend's default install layout so uninstall and prune reclaim disk space, speeds up warm `lockfile_mode = "generate"` installs and repeated OCI builds, and fixes a batch of nushell, monorepo, lockfile, brew, and Windows bootstrap issues.

## Highlights
- **Services next to tools:** `[daemons]` declares background processes and PostgreSQL/Redis presets in `mise.toml`, managed through `mise daemons` and optionally started when you enter the project. `[doctor.checks.<name>]` lets projects declare their own environment probes for `mise doctor project`.
- **Discovery and output:** `mise search`, shell completion, and interactive `mise use` now include tools published by installed vfox backend plugins, and `settings.truncate` / `--no-truncate` disable terminal-width truncation (automatically when a coding agent is detected).
- **Storage and speed:** HTTP tools now extract into their own install directory by default (opt back into deduplication with `shared_extraction = true`), warm generate-mode installs skip needless lockfile rewrites, and OCI builds share a local tool-layer cache.

## Added
- **daemons:** New experimental `[daemons]` section and `mise daemons` command family (`start`, `stop`, `restart`, `ls`, `status`, `logs`, `tui`) manage project background processes with pitchfork. PostgreSQL and Redis presets install the database as a tool (participating in lockfiles), supply connection environment variables and readiness checks, and keep project data across stop/start. Daemons with `auto = ["start", "stop"]` start when entering the project from an activated Bash, Zsh, or Fish shell and are released when the last shell session leaves. Requires `experimental = true` and pitchfork 2.25.0 or later; database presets are Unix-only and PostgreSQL uses loopback trust authentication intended for local development. ([#13085](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13085) by @jdx)

  ```toml
  [settings]
  experimental = true

  [daemons]
  postgres = "18"
  redis = "8"

  [daemons.web]
  run = "npm run dev"
  port = 3000
  auto = ["start", "stop"]
  ```
- **doctor:** `mise doctor project` runs checks declared in `[doctor.checks.<name>]` with the project's environment and installed tools, reporting PASS/FAIL/error/skipped per check in text or `--json`. Checks support `description`, `hint`, `timeout` (default `10s`), `dir`, `shell`, and `os` selectors, run concurrently under the `jobs` limit, and exit nonzero when any check fails. Ordinary `mise doctor` does not run them, and hints are never executed. A follow-up aligned `dir` resolution with task conventions (config root for project configs including `~/mise.toml`, `~/` expansion), fixed head-of-line blocking when one probe hangs, and kept `nohup mise doctor project` alive on SIGHUP. ([#13062](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13062), [#13089](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13089) by @jdx)

  ```toml
  [doctor.checks.openssl]
  description = "OpenSSL development files are discoverable"
  run = "pkg-config --exists openssl"
  hint = "Run `mise bootstrap packages apply` to install the declared build dependencies."
  timeout = "5s"
  os = ["linux", "macos"]
  ```
- **vfox:** Tools provided by installed vfox backend plugins now appear in `mise search`, shell completion, and interactive `mise use`, namespaced as `<plugin>:<tool>`. Plugins can implement `BackendListTools` for a finite catalog and/or `BackendSearchTools` for query-driven discovery in large ecosystems; a prefixed query like `npm:eslint` is routed only to that plugin. Results are cached, slow plugins fall back to stale cache, and existing plugins need no changes. `mise registry` remains registry-only. ([#13111](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13111) by @jdx)
- **cli:** New `settings.truncate` (and `MISE_TRUNCATE`, default `true`) controls terminal-width shortening of table cells and task metadata. `mise ls`, `mise config ls`, and `mise bootstrap dotfiles status` gain `--truncate` / `--no-truncate`, and output is kept complete automatically when a known coding agent is detected. ([#13112](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13112) by @jdx)

  ```sh
  mise bootstrap dotfiles status --no-truncate
  ```
- **bootstrap:** `[bootstrap.macos.dock]` gains `apps`, an ordered list of pinned application paths. Status compares identity and order (ignoring Dock-added metadata), apply adds, removes, and reorders application tiles while preserving other tiles and `persistent-others`, and an empty list removes all application tiles. Paths must be absolute or home-relative `.app` bundles. ([#13075](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13075) by @azohra)

  ```toml
  [bootstrap.macos.dock]
  apps = [
    "/System/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app",
    "/Applications/Firefox.app",
  ]
  ```
- **bootstrap:** `mise bootstrap packages where brew:<formula>` prints an installed formula's stable `opt` root (for example `/opt/homebrew/opt/unzip`), so scripts can put keg-only executables on PATH without hardcoding the Homebrew prefix or Cellar version. Missing installs exit nonzero with empty stdout. ([#13083](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13083) by @himkt)
- **dotfiles:** Destination `variants` can omit `source` when every variant sets a `target`; the entry key is then resolved as a relative path under `settings.dotfiles.root` instead of next to `mise.toml`. Parent traversal is rejected. ([#13087](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13087) by @jdx)

  ```toml
  [dotfiles."vscode/settings.json"]
  mode = "copy"
  variants = [
    { os = "macos", target = "~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json" },
    { os = "linux", target = "~/.config/Code/User/settings.json" },
  ]
  ```
- **fmt:** `mise fmt` now sorts lists whose order has no meaning: `redactions` lexically, and task `sources`/`outputs`, `task_templates` sources/outputs, `task_config.global_inputs`, and `input_groups` by reach (`@group:` references, then globs, then literal paths). Lists containing `!` exclusions, entries starting with template syntax, or comments are left untouched, and precedence-sensitive lists such as `env_file`, `tools.*`, `includes`, and `depends` are never sorted. ([#13058](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13058) by @jrandolf)
- **oci:** `mise oci build` gains `--no-cache` to bypass the new local tool-layer cache; entries live under each tool's cache directory and are removed by `mise cache clear TOOL`. ([#13056](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13056) by @jdx)

## Changed
- **http:** New `http:` installations extract directly into their own install directory, so `mise uninstall` and `mise prune` now remove their files instead of leaving payloads in `$MISE_DATA_DIR/http-tarballs/`. Set `shared_extraction = true` on a tool to keep the previous deduplicated symlink layout. Existing symlinked installs keep working; `mise install --force <tool>` migrates one to independent files without disturbing other installs that share the content. Legacy `http-tarballs` entries are not reclaimed automatically. Shared raw and compressed binary caches now also include the executable filename in their key, so differently named tools no longer reuse the wrong filename. ([#13059](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13059) by @jdx)
- **oci:** `mise oci push --no-cache` now bypasses both the remote registry cache and the local tool-layer cache. ([#13056](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13056) by @jdx)
- **registry:** `postgres`, `redis`, and `mongodb` now prefer `conda:` backends, installing prebuilt conda-forge binaries in seconds instead of compiling through vfox; vfox and asdf remain as fallbacks. `conda:redis-server` covers Linux and macOS only. ([#13061](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13061) by @jdx)

## Performance
- **lockfile:** Warm `mise install` runs in `lockfile_mode = "generate"` skip scheduling work for tools whose artifact metadata is already reusable, and skip rebuilding, serializing, and staging the lockfile entirely when nothing was installed and the on-disk lock already matches (preserving comments in the file). Explicit `mise lock`, forced provenance verification, upgrades, and new platforms still regenerate. ([#13101](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13101), [#13103](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13103) by @jdx)
- **oci:** `mise oci push --from BASE` no longer downloads base layers when the base and target live in the same repository, and `oci build`, `oci run`, and `oci push` share a local cache of packaged tool layers keyed on file contents, so repeated builds with overlapping tools skip tar and gzip work. ([#13055](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13055), [#13056](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13056) by @jdx)

## Fixed
- **nushell:** `mise activate nu` no longer throws `env_variable_not_found` on every prompt or `cd` when a variable to hide is absent from the current scope; `hide-env` is now wrapped in `try`, matching the no-op behavior of other shells. ([#13071](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13071) by @i-api)
- **task:** Task-level tools are now auto-installed for tasks referenced from `run` entries, including names rendered at runtime, right before they execute; `--skip-tools` is honored and install failures are reported as task failures without blocking siblings. ([#13086](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13086) by @jdx)
- **config:** `[monorepo]` settings are now merged across same-directory config layers (base plus `mise.<env>.toml` overlays): omitted fields are inherited, an overlay's `config_roots` replaces the base list, and `monorepo_root = false` in an overlay disables the root and its descendant trust. ([#13084](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13084) by @jdx)
- **lockfile:** Runtime tool requests such as `mise which hk --tool hk@latest` now use the lockfile belonging to the config that effectively defines the tool, instead of merging project and global pins and reporting a false "multiple resolutions" ambiguity or selecting an overridden pin. `mise which --tool` warns when a lower-precedence config has a matching pin the effective config lacks. ([#13042](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13042) by @nettlesh)
- **lockfile:** Complete lockfile generation for Packslip tools skips platforms with no published artifact while still writing supported targets, and a verified Packslip signer may now replace legacy `github-attestations` metadata on upgrade instead of being rejected as a provenance downgrade. ([#13102](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13102), [#13105](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13105) by @jdx)
- **upgrade:** `mise upgrade` now detects updates between letter-suffixed versions such as tmux `3.7b` to `3.7c`; `sub-N` aliases keep resolving numeric components as before. ([#13119](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13119) by @jdx)
- **brew:** Formulae that are keg-only solely because macOS ships them (such as `brew:zip` and `brew:unzip`) are now linked into `<prefix>/bin` on Linux, matching Homebrew. Kegs installed by earlier mise versions stay unlinked until the next `mise bootstrap packages upgrade` or a reinstall. ([#13108](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13108) by @lil-lon)
- **brew-cask:** Tap casks with `preflight_steps` or `postflight_steps` no longer fail during metadata extraction; declarative `run` steps are captured as structured steps and executed by mise, with support for `must_succeed = false`. ([#13060](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13060) by @jdx)
- **bootstrap:** `mise bootstrap remote` on Windows now finds `ssh.exe` and `tar.exe` on PATH instead of failing with `required command 'ssh' not found`. ([#13117](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13117) by @JamBalaya56562)
- **bootstrap:** macOS defaults status explains type mismatches, showing for example `2 (real; expected integer)` instead of two identical-looking values marked `differs`. ([#13096](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13096) by @jdx)
- **dotfiles:** `mise bootstrap dotfiles track` honors the global `yes` setting for confirmations, and warns when tracking a symlink whose resolved source is not itself tracked, suggesting the command to enroll it. ([#13072](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13072) by @nettlesh, [#13095](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13095) by @jdx)
- **schema:** The JSON schema now models Git directory `manifest` dotfile entries, restricting explicit modes to `copy` or `symlink-each` and rejecting combinations with inline content or file-edit fields. ([#12741](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/12741) by @risu729)
- **asdf:** `mise asdf install` and `mise asdf reshim` no longer re-enter the full CLI dispatch, avoiding stack overflows on small-stack Linux environments; `asdf install` now follows the same implicit config trust as `mise install`. Bash completions are regenerated for the updated usage-rs word-break handling. ([#13114](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13114) by @jdx)

## Registry
- Added `mpv` (`conda:mpv`, Linux and macOS) ([#13049](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13049) by @i-api), `agent-browser` (`aqua:vercel-labs/agent-browser`) ([#13088](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13088) by @3w36zj6), and `himalaya` (`github:pimalaya/himalaya`) ([#13091](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13091) by @i-api).
- `editorconfig-checker` installs again after 4.0.1 renamed its assets and executable; the shorthand now uses the GitHub backend. ([#13098](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13098) by @jdx)
- `mc` installs from MinIO's GitHub releases instead of the retired Aqua download URL that returned HTTP 410. ([#13113](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13113) by @jdx)

## Documentation
- The docs landing page gains interactive diagrams for project environment switching, bootstrap machine resources, tool configuration precedence, artifact cache execution, and tracked dotfile synchronization. ([#13065](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13065), [#13066](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13066), [#13067](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13067), [#13068](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13068), [#13069](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13069) by @jdx)
- The task-running guide is reorganized around finding and running tasks, passing arguments, then controlling execution. ([#13077](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13077) by @azohra)

## New Contributors
- @lil-lon made their first contribution in [#13108](https://github.com/jdx/mise/pull/13108)

**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/jdx/mise/compare/v2026.9.5...v2026.9.6

## 💚 Sponsor mise

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If mise saves you or your team time, please consider becoming an [individual or company sponsor](https://jdx.dev/sponsors.html). Your support funds ongoing development and helps keep mise fast, free, and independent.