task list options cannot be used with subcommands

Error message

task list options cannot be used with subcommands

What it means

`mise tasks` accepts either list options applied directly to an implicit `ls`, or a subcommand with its own arguments — but not both. When a subcommand other than Ls is given and the pre-subcommand `ls` options carry any options (`has_options()` true), run() bails because list options have no meaning for e.g. `mise tasks run`/`info`.

Solutions

Move list options after `ls`: use `mise tasks ls --json` instead of `mise tasks --json ls`-style pre-flags
Drop the list flags entirely when invoking a non-ls subcommand like `run`, `info`, or `deps`
If the subcommand supports its own output flags (e.g. `mise tasks run --json` if available), pass them after the subcommand, not before

Example fix

// before
mise tasks --json run build
// error: task list options cannot be used with subcommands
// after
mise tasks run build             # or: mise tasks ls --json

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

# pass list flags only to `ls`: mise tasks ls --json, never mise tasks --json <subcmd>

Prevention

Place list options after the `ls` subcommand, not before other subcommands
Don't prepend --json/--extended/--usage to `tasks run`/`tasks info`
Check `mise tasks --help` to see which flags belong to the implicit ls vs subcommands

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking something like `mise tasks --json run build` or `mise tasks --extended info mytask` — list flags (--json, --extended, --usage, --name-only, etc.) precede a non-ls subcommand.

Common situations: Users placing `--json` before the subcommand intending it to apply to the subcommand's output; scripted invocations that unconditionally prepend ls flags; confusion between `mise tasks ls --json` and `mise tasks run ...`.

Understand the failure class

Background: "mutually exclusive" flag errors: what "can't supply both nx and xx", "--raw is not compatible with -i" and "cannot be used with" mean, and how to fix them — this error's family across 29 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@533346cc37 (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/782ce21bd082d032. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/cli/tasks/mod.rs:61

            Self::Deps(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
            Self::Edit(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
            Self::Graph(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
            Self::Info(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
            Self::Ls(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
            Self::Run(cmd) => (*cmd).run().await,
            Self::Validate(cmd) => cmd.run().await,
        }
    }
}

impl Tasks {
    pub(crate) async fn run(self) -> Result<()> {
        let Self { command, task, ls } = self;
        let cmd = match command {
            Some(Commands::Ls(cmd)) => Commands::Ls(ls.merge(cmd)?),
            Some(cmd) => {
                if ls.has_options() {
                    bail!("task list options cannot be used with subcommands");
                }
                cmd
            }
            None => match task {
                Some(task) => {
                    if ls.has_non_json_options() {
                        bail!("task list options cannot be used with task info");
                    }
                    Commands::Info(info::TasksInfo {
                        task,
                        json: ls.json,
                    })
                }
                None => Commands::Ls(ls),
            },
        };

        cmd.run().await

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