`mise lock --upgrade` cannot be combined with tool arguments

Error message

`mise lock --upgrade` cannot be combined with tool arguments

What it means

`mise lock` has two mutually exclusive modes: updating lockfiles for explicitly given tools, or --upgrade which re-locks everything. Passing tool arguments together with --upgrade is contradictory, so mise bails immediately before doing any work.

Source

Thrown at src/cli/lock.rs:281

fn classify_lock_result(
    resolution_error: Option<String>,
    error_is_fatal: bool,
    applied: bool,
) -> (LockTaskStatus, Option<String>) {
    if let Some(error) = resolution_error.filter(|_| error_is_fatal) {
        (LockTaskStatus::Failed, Some(error))
    } else if applied {
        (LockTaskStatus::Updated, None)
    } else {
        (LockTaskStatus::Unresolved, None)
    }
}

impl Lock {
    pub(crate) async fn run(self) -> Result<()> {
        if self.upgrade && !self.tool.is_empty() {
            bail!("`mise lock --upgrade` cannot be combined with tool arguments");
        }
        let settings = Settings::get();
        let config = Config::get().await?;
        if !self.dry_run && !self.upgrade {
            lockfile::migrate_monorepo_lockfiles(&config, self.upgrade)?;
        }
        let before_date = self.get_before_date()?;
        let lock_resolve_options = ResolveOptions {
            before_date,
            filter_installed_versions_by_release_date: true,
            latest_versions: self.bump,
            use_locked_version: !self.bump,
            // Lock moving channels to their current concrete value without making
            // ordinary `latest` requests ignore an installed concrete version.
            resolve_rolling_channels: true,
            ..Default::default()
        };
        let monorepo_union = if !self.global && config.monorepo_lockfile_root().is_some() {

View on GitHub (pinned to afd2eddd3a)

Solutions

Drop --upgrade to lock only the named tools: `mise lock node python`.
Drop the tool arguments to upgrade every tool in the lockfile: `mise lock --upgrade`.
Run both if needed: `mise lock --upgrade` followed by targeted `mise lock <tool>` calls.

Example fix

// before
mise lock --upgrade node
// after (choose one)
mise lock node        # lock only node
# or
mise lock --upgrade   # upgrade all locked tools

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# shell: pick one mode before running
if [ "$MODE" = upgrade ]; then mise lock --upgrade; else mise lock "$@"; fi

Prevention

Remember --upgrade is global: it never takes tool arguments.
For targeted relocks, omit --upgrade and list tools explicitly.
Wrap lock invocations in scripts that enforce the flag combination.

When it happens

Trigger: Running `mise lock --upgrade <tool>` (e.g. `mise lock --upgrade node`) — self.upgrade is true while self.tool is non-empty.

Common situations: Users assuming --upgrade scopes to the named tools the way other mise commands accept tool arguments; scripted aliases combining flags; misreading --upgrade as "upgrade these tools" rather than "upgrade all locked tools".

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@afd2eddd3a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/dff54da7219661c9. Report an issue: GitHub.