jdx/mise · error

a repository preview directory requires a dry run

Error message

a repository preview directory requires a dry run

What it means

`mise ssh` (src/cli/ssh.rs:71) rejects a combination of flags: `--repository-preview-directory` was provided without `--repository-dry-run`. A preview directory stages repository setup output for inspection, which is only meaningful (and only safe) in dry-run mode, so run_inner bails when one is set without the other.

Source

Thrown at src/cli/ssh.rs:71

    #[usage(long, hide = true)]
    repository_dry_run: bool,
    #[usage(long, hide = true)]
    repository_preview_directory: Option<PathBuf>,
    #[usage(long, hide = true)]
    global_config_directory: bool,
    /// Command to execute after --; omit for an interactive shell
    #[usage(trailing_var_arg = true, allow_hyphen_values = true)]
    command: Vec<String>,
}

impl Ssh {
    pub(crate) async fn run(self) -> Result<()> {
        self.run_inner().await
    }

    async fn run_inner(self) -> Result<()> {
        if self.repository_preview_directory.is_some() && !self.repository_dry_run {
            bail!("a repository preview directory requires a dry run");
        }
        if self.global_config_directory {
            println!(
                "{}",
                crate::system::remote_repository::global_directory().display()
            );
            return Ok(());
        }
        if let Some(bundle) = self.repository_bundle {
            let origin = self
                .repository_origin
                .ok_or_else(|| eyre::eyre!("missing repository origin"))?;
            let revision = self
                .repository_revision
                .ok_or_else(|| eyre::eyre!("missing repository revision"))?;
            // a history-managed setup repository is set up from, never
            // checked out into the configuration directory
            if let Some(branch) =

View on GitHub (pinned to afd2eddd3a)

Solutions

1. Add `--repository-dry-run` to the same command.
2. Remove `--repository-preview-directory` if you actually want to apply (not preview) the repository setup.
3. Update wrapper scripts/aliases so the two flags are always emitted together.

Example fix

// before
mise ssh host --repository-preview-directory /tmp/preview

// after
mise ssh host --repository-dry-run --repository-preview-directory /tmp/preview

if (args.includes('--repository-preview-directory') && !args.includes('--repository-dry-run')) {
  throw new Error('--repository-preview-directory requires --repository-dry-run');
}

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking `mise ssh --repository-preview-directory <dir> ...` while omitting the `--repository-dry-run` flag; conditionally constructed CLI args that set the preview dir but leave dry_run false.

Common situations: Wiring up dotfiles-repository previewing in a script and forgetting the paired flag; copying a dry-run command and stripping the dry-run flag while keeping the preview path; typos in wrapper scripts building the argument list.

Related errors

• locked mode requires lockfile to be enabled hint: Remove `lo
• --changed does not accept target arguments
• --source can only be used with one target
• --operation takes at most one checkpoint reference
• cannot nest relay sessions

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@afd2eddd3a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c530f6a79fe5ecff. Report an issue: GitHub.