What causes "Version not installed" in asdf-vm/asdf?

Install the version: `asdf install `

Version not installed

Error message

Version not installed

What it means

A version is selected for the tool but `installs.IsInstalled` reports it is not actually present under ~/.asdf/installs. The CLI refuses to print an install path for a non-existent install.

Source

Thrown at internal/cli/cli.go:1556

		if found && len(versions.Versions) > 0 {
			versionStruct := toolversions.Version{Type: "version", Value: versions.Versions[0]}
			if installs.IsInstalled(conf, plugin, versionStruct) {
				installPath := installs.InstallPath(conf, plugin, versionStruct)
				fmt.Printf("%s", installPath)
				return nil
			}
		}

		// not found
		msg := fmt.Sprintf("No version is set for %s; please run `asdf set [options] %s <version>`", tool, tool)
		logger.Print(msg)
		return errors.New(msg)
	}

	if !installs.IsInstalled(conf, plugin, version) {
		logger.Printf("Version not installed")
		return errors.New("Version not installed")
	}

	installPath := installs.InstallPath(conf, plugin, version)
	fmt.Printf("%s", installPath)

	return nil
}

func loadPlugin(logger *log.Logger, conf config.Config, pluginName string) (plugins.Plugin, error) {
	plugin := plugins.New(conf, pluginName)
	err := plugin.Exists()
	if err != nil {
		logger.Printf("No such plugin: %s", pluginName)
		return plugin, err
	}

	return plugin, err
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 074a1722ca)

Solutions

Install the version: `asdf install <tool> <version>`
Verify the exact installed version with `asdf list <tool>` and align .tool-versions with it
Do not manually delete directories under ~/.asdf/installs; use `asdf uninstall` to keep state consistent

Example fix

// before (.tool-versions: nodejs 22.0.0, not installed)
$ asdf where nodejs
// after
$ asdf install nodejs 22.0.0 && asdf where nodejs

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

VER=$(awk -v t="$TOOL" '$1==t{print $2; exit}' .tool-versions 2>/dev/null)
if [ -n "$VER" ] && [ ! -d "$HOME/.asdf/installs/$TOOL/$VER" ]; then
  echo "$TOOL $VER not installed; run: asdf install $TOOL $VER" >&2
fi

Try / catch

out=$(asdf where "$TOOL" 2>&1) || {
  case "$out" in
    *"not installed"*) asdf install "$TOOL";;
    *) echo "$out" >&2;;
  esac
}

Prevention

Run `asdf install` (no args) to install every version in .tool-versions after cloning
Never delete directories under ~/.asdf/installs manually; use `asdf uninstall`
Use exact full version strings to avoid partial-version mismatches

When it happens

Trigger: Running `asdf where <tool>` when the resolved version (from .tool-versions or defaults) was never installed, or the install directory was deleted/corrupted, or the version string differs slightly from the installed one (e.g. '20.12' vs '20.12.0').

Common situations: Cloning a repo with .tool-versions listing versions you haven't installed; cleaning ~/.asdf/installs manually; version bump in .tool-versions without running `asdf install`.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of asdf-vm/asdf@074a1722ca (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/acfec3b2f5667883. Report an issue: GitHub.