jdx/mise · error

"{path_raw}".{id}: unknown line position '{other}' (expected

Error message

"{path_raw}".{id}: unknown line position '{other}' (expected "append" or "prepend"), ignoring entry

What it means

The `position` field of a line-based edit entry accepts only "append" (default) or "prepend". resolve_entry raises this error and ignores the entry when any other string is supplied, since no other line placement mode exists.

Source

Thrown at src/system/edits.rs:360

                source,
                template,
                comment,
            }
        }
        (false, Some(line)) => {
            // a "line" is matched against the file's individual lines, so an
            // embedded newline could never converge — use a block for
            // multi-line content
            if line.contains('\n') {
                bail!(
                    "\"{path_raw}\".{id}: line may not contain a newline; use a block for multi-line content, ignoring entry"
                )
            }
            let position = match entry.position.as_deref() {
                None | Some("append") => LinePosition::Append,
                Some("prepend") => LinePosition::Prepend,
                Some(other) => {
                    bail!(
                        "\"{path_raw}\".{id}: unknown line position '{other}' (expected \"append\" or \"prepend\"), ignoring entry"
                    )
                }
            };
            EditOp::Line {
                line: line.clone(),
                position,
            }
        }
    };
    Ok(EditRequest {
        path_raw: path_raw.to_string(),
        path,
        id,
        op,
        base: base.to_path_buf(),
        config_path: config_path.to_path_buf(),
        origin,

View on GitHub (pinned to afd2eddd3a)

Solutions

1. Change the value to exactly "append" or "prepend".
2. Remove the position field to use the default (append).
3. Remember matching is case-sensitive: "Append" is invalid.

Example fix

// before
[[dotfiles]]
id = "path-line"
path = "~/.zshrc"
line = "export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH"
position = "end"

// after
[[dotfiles]]
id = "path-line"
path = "~/.zshrc"
line = "export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH"
position = "append"

if let Some(pos) = entry.position.as_deref() {
    assert!(matches!(pos, "append" | "prepend"), "entry {}: position must be append or prepend", entry.id);
}

When it happens

Trigger: A [dotfiles] line entry sets `position = "end"`, `position = "start"`, `position = "after"`, `position = "APPEND"` (case-sensitive), or any value other than the exact strings "append" or "prepend".

Common situations: Guessing at position vocabulary from other tools; casing mistakes; using "after"/"before" assuming relative-to-match semantics.

Understand the failure class

Background: Invalid enum value errors: "Unknown type", "Invalid scope", "must be one of" — when a string is not on the library's allowed list — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

• dotfiles: {key} could not be tracked: {reason}
• [dotfiles]."{req.target_raw}": mode symlink-each requires a
• invalid compose dependency '{value}': supported kinds are pa
• "{path_raw}".{id}: block/source and line are mutually exclus
• "{path_raw}".{id}: no recognized operation (block, source, o

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@afd2eddd3a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/170657679e6c0713. Report an issue: GitHub.