jdx/mise · error

cannot export ' ': use a shorthand attribute such as…

Error message

cannot export '{spec}': use a shorthand attribute such as nix:ripgrep; the importing NixOS configuration owns the package source

What it means

`mise bootstrap packages export --format nix` renders installed `nix:` bootstrap packages as a NixOS module whose packages resolve against the importing configuration's `pkgs`. The export refuses package specs parsed as explicit sources (flake refs like `github:owner/repo#pkg`, store paths, expressions) because a NixOS module can only reference attributes of the importing pkgs set — the package source must be owned by the importing configuration.

Solutions

1. Replace the explicit-source spec in `[bootstrap.packages]` with a plain nixpkgs attribute shorthand, e.g. `nix:ripgrep` instead of `nix:github:owner/repo#ripgrep`.
2. Keep the flake-based package out of mise bootstrap packages and declare it directly in your NixOS configuration or an overlay.
3. If a nixpkgs attribute exists for the software, install that attribute (possibly from a pinned nixpkgs input in the NixOS config) so it is exportable.

Example fix

# before (mise.toml)
[bootstrap.packages]
"nix:github:owner/repo#hello" = "latest"

# after
[bootstrap.packages]
"nix:hello" = "latest"

// Before export, ensure every nix: spec is a plain attribute shorthand
const explicit = /(^|:)(github|gitlab|sourcehut|git|file|path|flake|nixpkgs)[:/]/;
const bad = Object.keys(packages).filter(k => k.startsWith("nix:") && explicit.test(k.slice(4)));
if (bad.length) throw new Error(`non-shorthand nix specs not exportable: ${bad.join(", ")}`);

const isShorthandNixSpec = (spec) =>
  spec.startsWith("nix:") && /^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+(\.[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+)*$/.test(spec.slice(4));

When it happens

Trigger: Running `mise bootstrap packages export --format nix` when `[bootstrap.packages]` contains a spec like `nix:github:owner/repo#hello`, a nix store path, or an embedded Nix expression instead of a plain attribute path such as `nix:ripgrep` (Installable::parse sets explicit=true).

Common situations: Users installed a package from a flake or tarball via `mise bootstrap packages install nix:github:...` and later try to reproduce their setup on NixOS by exporting; the flake-installed package cannot be represented as `pkgs.<attr>`.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

• cannot export version pin
• Check command must not be empty
• collection updates require scalar or array values
• config file not found
• config file not found

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@533346cc37 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5e25c1d20fc3802b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/cli/system/export.rs:56

        let module = render(
            packages
                .iter()
                .map(|(spec, package)| (spec.as_str(), package.version())),
        )?;
        miseprint!("{module}")?;
        Ok(())
    }
}

fn render<'a>(packages: impl IntoIterator<Item = (&'a str, &'a str)>) -> Result<String> {
    let mut attributes = std::collections::BTreeSet::new();
    for (spec, version) in packages {
        let name = spec
            .strip_prefix("nix:")
            .ok_or_else(|| eyre::eyre!("expected a nix: package: {spec}"))?;
        let request = Installable::parse(name)?;
        if request.explicit {
            bail!(
                "cannot export '{spec}': use a shorthand attribute such as nix:ripgrep; the importing NixOS configuration owns the package source"
            );
        }
        if version != "latest" {
            bail!(
                "cannot export version pin '{spec}' = '{version}': pin nixpkgs in the importing NixOS configuration instead"
            );
        }
        attributes.insert(
            request
                .attribute
                .split('.')
                .map(nix_string)
                .collect::<Vec<_>>()
                .join("."),
        );
    }
    let mut output = String::from(

View on GitHub (pinned to 533346cc37)