jdx/mise · error

expected value of to be a , got

Error message

expected value of {} to be a {}, got: {}

What it means

This is the `parse_error!` macro from src/toml.rs, used when a value in a mise.toml-style config file fails a type assertion (e.g. a string found where a table/array was expected). It renders a colored error naming the key, the expected type, and the offending value, then bails via eyre. It exists to give users a consistent, friendly message for malformed config values.

Solutions

1. Fix the value in the config file to match the expected type shown in the message (e.g. change `tools = "node@20"` to `[tools]\nnode = "20"`).
2. Check the docs for the specific key's expected shape (table, array, bool, etc.).
3. Validate the TOML file with a schema validator or `mise` config check if available.
4. Pin down whether another mise.toml in the hierarchy (system/global/project) contains the bad value.

Example fix

// before
[env]
NODE_ENV = "production"
# but written as:
env = "NODE_ENV=production"
// after
[env]
NODE_ENV = "production"

if let Some(tbl) = value.as_table() { /* proceed */ } else { eprintln!("key '{}' must be a table, got: {:?}", key, value); return; }

fn as_table<'a>(v: &'a toml::Value, key: &str) -> Option<&'a toml::value::Table> { v.as_table().filter(|_| true).or_else(|| { eprintln!("config key '{}' must be a table", key); None }) }

match parse_config() { Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("expected value of") => { /* fall back to defaults, log which key */ }, Err(e) => return Err(e), Ok(c) => c }

When it happens

Trigger: Any call site that invokes `parse_error!(key, val, expected_type)` after a type-check on a deserialized TOML value fails — e.g. `let Some(t) = v.as_table() else { parse_error!(key, v, "table") }`.

Common situations: Hand-editing mise.toml and writing a string where a table is needed (e.g. `[tools]` vs `tools = "node"`), copy-pasting config between tools, or a schema change in a newer mise version making an old value shape invalid.

Related errors

• additional_artifacts must be an array in lockfile
• backend must be a string or table
• expected `run` to be a string or array of strings
• [history] exclude in
• [history] in is not a table

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@533346cc37 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/15c3fd1dd7425dc5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/toml.rs:8

use std::collections::HashSet;

#[macro_export]
macro_rules! parse_error {
    ($key:expr, $val:expr, $t:expr) => {{
        use eyre::bail;

        bail!(
            r#"expected value of {} to be a {}, got: {}"#,
            $crate::ui::style::eyellow($key),
            $crate::ui::style::ecyan($t),
            $crate::ui::style::eblue($val.to_string().trim()),
        )
    }};
}

pub(crate) fn dedup_toml_array(array: &toml_edit::Array) -> toml_edit::Array {
    let mut seen = HashSet::new();
    let mut deduped = toml_edit::Array::new();
    for item in array.iter() {
        if seen.insert(item.as_str()) {
            deduped.push(item.clone());
        }
    }
    deduped
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 533346cc37)