jdx/mise · error

--source can only be used with one target

Error message

--source can only be used with one target

What it means

The `--source` flag for `mise dotfiles add` specifies where to link a target from, and only makes sense for exactly one target. validate() bails when `--source` is given together with zero or multiple targets, since the single source cannot be applied unambiguously to several targets.

Solutions

  1. Run one `mise dotfiles add --source <path> <single-target>` per file.
  2. If linking multiple files from a directory, add each target separately with its own --source.
  3. Omit --source if you intended to track files in place (track mode infers no source).

Example fix

// before
$ mise dotfiles add --source ~/dotfiles/zshrc ~/.zshrc ~/.bashrc

// after
$ mise dotfiles add --source ~/dotfiles/zshrc ~/.zshrc
$ mise dotfiles add --source ~/dotfiles/bashrc ~/.bashrc
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# guard: --source requires exactly one target
if [ -n "$SOURCE" ] && [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
  echo "--source works with exactly one target" >&2; exit 2
fi

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running `mise dotfiles add --source <path> <t1> <t2>` (multiple targets) or `mise dotfiles add --source <path> --changed` (no targets) — source.is_some() && targets.len() != 1 in validate().

Common situations: Trying to batch-link several dotfiles from one source path in a single command; scripting a loop that accumulates multiple targets while keeping a single --source flag.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@533346cc37 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/050f45c60679baf8. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/cli/dotfiles/add.rs:104

    pub(super) prompt_secrets: bool,
}

impl DotfilesAdd {
    /// Validate and capture the requested targets as one transactional update.
    pub(crate) async fn run(self) -> Result<()> {
        let mode = self.validate()?;
        OperationScope::wrap("bootstrap dotfiles add", self.dry_run, self.run_inner(mode)).await
    }

    fn validate(&self) -> Result<FileMode> {
        if self.changed && !self.targets.is_empty() {
            bail!("--changed does not accept target arguments");
        }
        if !self.changed && self.targets.is_empty() {
            bail!("at least one target or --changed is required");
        }
        if self.source.is_some() && self.targets.len() != 1 {
            bail!("--source can only be used with one target");
        }
        match self.mode.as_deref() {
            Some("track") => bail!(
                "`--mode track` tracks a file where it is and takes no source; use `mise dot track <path>`"
            ),
            Some(mode) => {
                FileMode::parse(mode).ok_or_else(|| eyre::eyre!("unknown dotfile mode: {mode}"))
            }
            None => Ok(system::files::default_mode()),
        }
    }

    async fn run_inner(mut self, mode: FileMode) -> Result<()> {
        let config = Config::get().await?;
        let secrets = system::secrets::resolve(&config, self.prompt_secrets)?;
        let managed = system::files::files_from_config(&config)?;
        if self.changed {
            for req in &managed {

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