jdx/mise · error

relative path syntax '{}' is not supported, use '//{}' or ':

Error message

relative path syntax '{}' is not supported, use '//{}' or ':task' for current directory

What it means

During task-name expansion for monorepos, mise rejects strings that mix '/' and ':' without starting with '//' (absolute monorepo path) or ':' (colon pattern). Such strings look like an attempted relative monorepo path, e.g. `packages/web:build`, which is ambiguous — mise demands either `//packages/web:build` (absolute from monorepo root) or `:build` (current package).

Source

Thrown at src/task/task_load_context.rs:193

///
/// # Returns
/// * `Ok(String)` - The expanded task pattern (e.g., "//project:build")
/// * `Err` - If monorepo is not configured or current directory is outside monorepo root
pub fn expand_colon_task_syntax(
    task: &str,
    config: &crate::config::Config,
) -> eyre::Result<String> {
    // Skip expansion for absolute monorepo paths or explicit global tasks
    if task.starts_with("//") || task.starts_with("::") || is_workspace_project_task(task) {
        return Ok(task.to_string());
    }

    // Check if this is a colon pattern or a bare name
    let is_colon_pattern = task.starts_with(':');

    // Reject patterns that look like monorepo paths with wrong syntax (have / and : but don't start with // or :)
    if !is_colon_pattern && task.contains('/') && task.contains(':') {
        bail!(
            "relative path syntax '{}' is not supported, use '//{}' or ':task' for current directory",
            task,
            task
        );
    }

    // Get the monorepo root config file.
    let monorepo_root = config
        .config_files
        .values()
        .find(|cf| cf.monorepo_root() == Some(true))
        .and_then(|cf| cf.project_root());

    // If not in monorepo context, only expand if it's a colon pattern (error), otherwise return as-is
    if monorepo_root.is_none() {
        if is_colon_pattern {
            bail!("Cannot use :task syntax without a monorepo root");
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 9dcfcaa0dc)

Solutions

1. Use the absolute monorepo syntax: `mise //packages/web:build`.
2. Use the current-directory shorthand `:build` if the task is in the nearest enclosing package.
3. Use a bare task name `build` and let mise resolve/fuzzy-match it across the monorepo.
4. Check your monorepo root config has `monorepo = true`-style settings ([monorepo] table / monorepo_root) so scopes resolve as expected.

Example fix

# before
$ mise run packages/web:build
error: relative path syntax 'packages/web:build' is not supported

# after
$ mise run //packages/web:build
# or, from inside packages/web:
$ mise run :build

# reject mixed / and : without // or : prefix before invoking mise
case "$1" in
 //*|:*) ;;
 *:/*|*/*:*) echo "bad task path syntax; use //$1 or a :task" >&2; exit 1;;
esac
mise "$@"

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `mise run packages/web:build` or `mise packages/web:build` while task expansion is active (a monorepo root config exists). The guard fires before any scoping because the string has both separators but no recognized prefix.

Common situations: Migrating from another task runner's path syntax (nx, bazel-like `pkg:target`); assuming relative workspace paths work; copy-pasting task names from docs of other tools.

Related errors

• Cannot use :task syntax without a monorepo root
• Cannot use :task syntax outside of monorepo root directory
• Monorepo task paths (like `//path:task` or `:task`) require
• Cannot use :task syntax without a current working directory
• unknown workspace project {id:?}

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@9dcfcaa0dc (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c1e192e076af015e. Report an issue: GitHub.