jdx/mise · error

Cannot use :task syntax outside of monorepo root directory

Error message

Cannot use :task syntax outside of monorepo root directory

What it means

With a monorepo root configured, a colon pattern must resolve to a scope: mise computes the nearest project root (config dir or declared [monorepo].config_roots) at or above cwd, bounded by the monorepo root. If cwd is not under any such scope — i.e. you are outside the monorepo directory tree — the ':' pattern cannot be expanded and mise errors. Bare names silently pass through for global matching.

Source

Thrown at src/task/task_load_context.rs:247

                .collect();
            cwd.ancestors()
                .find(|a| *a == monorepo_root || roots.iter().any(|r| r == a))
                .unwrap_or(cwd)
        } else {
            cwd
        };
        if let Some(scope) = monorepo_scope(&monorepo_root, scope_dir) {
            // For bare task names, only expand if we're actually in the monorepo
            // For colon patterns, always expand (and error if outside monorepo)

            if is_colon_pattern {
                Ok(format!("{scope}{task}"))
            } else {
                Ok(format!("{scope}:{task}"))
            }
        } else {
            if is_colon_pattern {
                bail!("Cannot use :task syntax outside of monorepo root directory");
            }
            // Bare name outside monorepo - return as-is for global matching
            Ok(task.to_string())
        }
    } else {
        if is_colon_pattern {
            bail!("Cannot use :task syntax without a current working directory");
        }
        Ok(task.to_string())
    }
}

#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
    use super::*;

    #[test]
    fn test_monorepo_scope() {

View on GitHub (pinned to 9dcfcaa0dc)

Solutions

1. cd into a directory under the monorepo root (ideally inside the target package) and rerun.
2. Use the absolute form `mise //pkg:build` which does not depend on cwd scoping.
3. Use the bare task name `mise build` for global matching.
4. If the monorepo root was mis-detected, check MISE_CONFIG_FILE / MISE_GLOBAL_CONFIG_FILE env overrides.

Example fix

# before (cwd=/tmp)
$ mise :build
error: Cannot use :task syntax outside of monorepo root directory

# after
$ cd /repo/packages/web && mise :build
# or
$ mise //packages/web:build

# ensure cwd is inside the repo before :task
pwd | grep -q "^$REPO_ROOT" || { echo 'run from inside the monorepo' >&2; exit 1; }
mise :build

When it happens

Trigger: Running `mise :build` with cwd outside the monorepo root directory (e.g. the monorepo root is /repo but cwd is /other, or cwd is in a directory excluded from config_roots); invoking from a scratch/tmp directory while a monorepo-root config is still in scope (e.g. via MISE_CONFIG_FILE or global config).

Common situations: cd-ing elsewhere then running mise with the monorepo config still attached via env vars; monorepo root detected from a config in a parent of HOME-like paths; scripts that compute cwd incorrectly.

Related errors

• relative path syntax '{}' is not supported, use '//{}' or ':
• Cannot use :task syntax without a monorepo root
• Cannot use :task syntax without a current working directory
• Monorepo task paths (like `//path:task` or `:task`) require
• no tasks defined in {}. Are you in a project directory?

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@9dcfcaa0dc (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/abf220daf6714a9c. Report an issue: GitHub.