dotfile {target} cannot declare both source and content

Error message

dotfile {target} cannot declare both source and content

What it means

A dotfile entry may provision its content either from a file in the dotfiles root (`source`) or from an inline string (`content`), never both. Supplying both is ambiguous — there is no defined precedence — so preflight validation rejects the entry.

Source

Thrown at src/system/files.rs:615

                }
                let mode = match mode.as_deref() {
                    Some(value) => FileMode::parse(value).ok_or_else(|| {
                        eyre::eyre!("unknown dotfile mode {value:?} for {target}")
                    })?,
                    None => default_mode(),
                };
                if mode == FileMode::Track
                    && (source.is_some()
                        || content.is_some()
                        || manifest.is_some()
                        || exclude.is_some())
                {
                    bail!(
                        "tracked file {target} cannot declare source, content, manifest, or exclude"
                    );
                }
                if source.is_some() && content.is_some() {
                    bail!("dotfile {target} cannot declare both source and content");
                }
                if mode != FileMode::Track && source.is_none() && content.is_none() {
                    implied_source(&resolve_target_arg(&target))?;
                }
                if let Some(manifest) = manifest
                    && (FileManifest::parse(&manifest).is_none()
                        || !matches!(mode, FileMode::Copy | FileMode::SymlinkEach))
                {
                    bail!("invalid manifest {manifest:?} for dotfile {target}");
                }
                for pattern in exclude.into_iter().flatten() {
                    glob::Pattern::new(&pattern)?;
                }
            }
        }
    }
    Ok(())
}

View on GitHub (pinned to afd2eddd3a)

Solutions

Delete either the `source` or the `content` key, keeping the one you intend to use.
If you want inline text with the ability to fall back to a file, move the inline text into a file in the dotfiles root and reference it via `source`.
Search all mise config files for duplicate declarations of the same target and consolidate them.

Example fix

// before
[dotfiles."~/.gitconfig"]
source = "gitconfig"
content = "[user]\n  name = x"

// after
[dotfiles."~/.gitconfig"]
source = "gitconfig"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

function assertNotBothSourceAndContent(entry, target) {
  if (entry.source != null && entry.content != null)
    throw new Error(`${target}: cannot declare both source and content`);
}

Try / catch

try {
  applyDotfiles();
} catch (e) {
  if (/cannot declare both source and content/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Keep exactly one of source or content for the named target');
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

Search all config layers (global + local + env) for duplicate targets before merging
Adopt a convention: inline content for tiny files, source for everything else
Review dotfile diffs for both keys appearing in one table

When it happens

Trigger: Declaring `[dotfiles."~/..."]` with both `source = "..."` and `content = "..."` set in the same table.

Common situations: Merging two config files that each provisioned the same target differently, incrementally editing an entry from inline to sourced content, or copy-pasting a full example over an existing entry without removing the old key.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@afd2eddd3a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/26b81651a41eb4d5. Report an issue: GitHub.