jdx/mise · error · eyre::Report

{}: formula has no stable source URL

Error message

{}: formula has no stable source URL

What it means

When no bottle exists for the host and mise would build a formula from source, check_buildable first validates the formula's API metadata so dry-run and real runs fail identically before any work. A formula with no stable source URL — head-only formulae — cannot be built, so it is rejected with this error.

Source

Thrown at src/system/packages/brew/source.rs:64

}

/// why `has_bottle` is false, for log/dry-run output
pub fn missing_bottle_reason(formula: &Formula) -> String {
    match formula.bottle_files() {
        Some(files) if !files.is_empty() => {
            let mut tags: Vec<String> = files.keys().cloned().collect();
            tags.sort();
            format!("bottles exist only for: {}", tags.join(", "))
        }
        _ => "source-only formula, no bottles".to_string(),
    }
}

/// Reject early what the source builder cannot handle, with the reason —
/// checked before any work happens so dry-run and real runs fail alike.
pub fn check_buildable(formula: &Formula) -> Result<()> {
    let Some(src) = formula.stable_url() else {
        bail!("{}: formula has no stable source URL", formula.name);
    };
    if let Some(using) = &src.using {
        bail!(
            "{}: source uses the {using:?} download strategy, which mise cannot build from \
             (and no bottle exists for this machine)",
            formula.name,
        );
    }
    if src.checksum.is_none() {
        bail!("{}: source archive has no sha256 in the API", formula.name);
    }
    // the formula .rb must be pinned to the API snapshot's commit and
    // verifiable — evaluating a newer/unverified formula against older
    // source metadata would build the wrong thing
    if formula.ruby_source_path.is_none() {
        bail!("{}: API metadata has no ruby_source_path", formula.name);
    }
    if formula.tap_git_head.is_none() {

View on GitHub (pinned to 9dcfcaa0dc)

Solutions

1. Install the tool with native Homebrew, which supports head-only formulae (`brew install --HEAD`)
2. Pick an alternative formula or version that ships stable sources or a bottle for your platform
3. Build and install the tool manually outside mise if you need exactly that head version

# check the formula shape before relying on a source build
mise exec -- brew info <formula> 2>/dev/null | grep -q 'stable' || echo "head-only formula — mise cannot build it; use native brew or another formula"

When it happens

Trigger: check_buildable runs on a formula whose stable_url() returns None; this path is reached because the host tag had no matching bottle (see the sibling hint listing which tags do have bottles).

Common situations: Installing niche head-only formulae; formulae whose bottles exist only for other platforms/architectures; deprecated formulae whose stable spec was dropped upstream.

Related errors

• {}: API metadata has no ruby_source_path
• {}: API metadata has no tap_git_head
• {}: API metadata has no formula checksum
• {}: source uses the {using:?} download strategy, which mise
• {}: source archive has no sha256 in the API

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@9dcfcaa0dc (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9412306b7ed076d2. Report an issue: GitHub.