Registry
The registry maps short tool names such as jq or aws-cli to the backends that install them, so mise use jq works without a full backend identifier. Search the tool list below, or ask the mise you have installed.
The registry lives in registry/ in the mise repository, and each mise release bundles a copy of it. A tool without a shorthand can still be installed by its backend identifier, such as github:owner/repo, if the backend supports that project's release layout or package format.
Inspect a shorthand
mise registry # every shorthand and its backends, preferred first
mise registry aws-cli # aqua:aws/aws-cli asdf:MetricMike/asdf-awscli
mise search jq # fuzzy-match names and show descriptions
mise tool aws-cli # the backend and options mise uses for this toolmise registry lists aliases as their own rows, and mise registry --json --security adds the signature and provenance checks of each tool's backends. mise search prints each match with its description. Run mise use with no arguments to pick a tool interactively.
Options a shorthand sets
A shorthand can set backend options as well as a backend. aws-cli installs through aqua:aws/aws-cli with symlink_bins = true. If you write aqua:aws/aws-cli yourself, that option is not applied and the installation differs. mise tool aws-cli shows the options a shorthand applies.
Which backend a shorthand uses
mise uses the first backend in the shorthand's list that is enabled, supports your platform and covers the requested version. A backend can declare a min_version and an exclusive max_version. hk's packslip backend starts at 1.58.1, so hk@1.58.1 and later install with packslip while older versions use aqua. A lock entry, an installed plugin, a [tool_alias] or a MISE_BACKENDS_<TOOL> environment variable can override that choice. Run mise tool <name> to see the backend mise uses, and see how backend selection works for the full order.
Floating registries
By default, mise uses the mise and aqua registry snapshots that were tested and bundled with its release. If your system package manager ships mise updates slowly, you can use current registry data without replacing mise:
mise settings set registry_floating trueWith registry_floating on, mise fetches the shorthand registry published with the latest mise release and the current official aqua registry. The bundled snapshots remain the fallback when a remote registry cannot be loaded. Fast and offline commands never refresh the mise registry; they use the cached copy or the bundled snapshot. The mise registry is cached for registry_cache_ttl and the aqua registry for aqua.registry_cache_ttl. mise cache clear makes mise download both again the next time it is online.
A floating registry can contain changes made after your mise version was tested, which is why it is off by default. Updating mise is still the better choice when an updated package is available.
Adding a tool to the registry
The registry is curated: new shorthands are for widely used tools, and some backends are preferred over others. Read Adding tools to the registry before you submit one. You do not need a shorthand to use a tool; write its backend identifier instead, such as github:owner/repo or cargo:name.
Tools
Badges next to a backend show the signature or provenance checks mise performs, in addition to checksums, when it installs through that backend:
| Badge | Check |
|---|---|
| packslip | A signed release manifest, verified against the project's pinned signer |
| attestations, SLSA, cosign, minisign | aqua verification that the bundled aqua registry configures for at least one version of the package |
aqua badges come from registry metadata, so a check may apply only to some versions or platforms. Other backends, such as github:, detect what a release publishes at install time and are not badged here. When mise-versions.jdx.dev tracks a tool, its details link opens the tool's page there, with its versions and the security information mise reports. On the command line, mise tool <name> reports the checks for the backend mise would use, while mise registry --json --security merges the checks of every backend registered for a tool.