Mise: Custom Back Ends via Plugins

We're excited to introduce backend plugins - a powerful new way to extend mise with custom tool management capabilities! This is a big one people have been wanting for a long time.

What's New

Backend plugins enable you to create custom backends that can manage multiple tools using the plugin:tool format. This opens up endless possibilities for package managers, tool families, and custom installations.

Real-World Examples

Backend plugins could (probably) be used for: mise-nix, mise-gcloud, mise-maven, mise-pixi, mise-conda. If there's a package manager or ecosystem out there that provides binaries you probably will be able to use this to integrate it along with the rest of your mise tools.

I just can't say what it could support for sure because I haven't tried any of these yet. You'll have to let me know what snags you run into—if any.

Quick Start

Gaps

This is just a v1 so there likely will be gaps to fill as people try new use-cases so lmk what you find. Now that we've got the base infra in place to support this it should be easy to extend. One thing in particular I'd love suggestions on are places we can add more helpful lua modules since lua can be a bit limiting but we can add more to the plugin framework to perform things in rust where needed.

Why This Matters

This enhancement transforms mise from a tool manager into a platform for custom tool ecosystems. Whether you're managing npm packages, internal company tools, or specialized build systems, backend plugins provide the flexibility you need.

Ready to create your own backend plugin? Check out our Backend Plugin Development Guide to get started!

This release brings the power of custom backends to everyone, making mise more extensible than ever before.