mise/Q/What's the difference between mise unuse, mise uninstall, and mise cache clear?

• What's the difference between mise/unuse, mise/uninstall, and mise/cache/clear? card

  • My Answer

    • Command	Primary effect	Config [tools]	Installed binaries	Cache
      mise/unuse	remove config and binary	✓	✓	✗
      mise/uninstall	remove binary	✗	✓	✗
      mise/cache/clear	remove build cache	✗	✗	✓

    • Cache clear does not uninstall, but Symlinked mise/Backends may need mise/install after a full clear.

      • My Questions

        • TODO which backends use symlinks into the build cache?
        • TODO are symlinks here related to mise/Shims at all?
        • TODO explain what "symlinked backends" means here
      • fix the other flashcard about how to uninstall all commands in mise

  • AI Answer

    • Short answer: they operate on three different layers. mise/unuse removes a tool from config and usually prunes the install too; mise/uninstall deletes installed versions on disk without touching config; mise/cache/clear wipes mise's download/build cache without editing config.
    • mise/unuse — removes TOOL@VERSION entries from mise.toml (or global / env-specific config with flags). Aliases: mise rm, mise remove. By default it also prunes the installed copy when no other config still references that version; pass --no-prune to drop the config line but keep the binary. This is the usual way to stop tracking a tool in a project or globally. mise unuse
    • mise/uninstall — deletes installed version trees from disk only. Docs: “This only removes the installed version, it does not modify mise.toml.” After uninstall, mise ls can still show the tool from config until you run mise install again or remove it with mise/unuse. Use when you want to reclaim disk space but keep the pin in config, or before reinstalling a broken copy. mise uninstall
    • mise/cache/clear — deletes cache files (all plugins by default, or pass node python to scope). Alias: mise cache c. Does not edit config or directly run unuse/uninstall semantics. After a full clear you may need mise install for tools still listed in config; some backends symlink installs into the cache, so clearing cache can leave broken installs until reinstall. See mise/Q/How do I clear the installed mise tools? and mise/cache/prune for lighter cleanup. mise cache clear
    • Quick comparison
      • Config [tools]: unuse ✓ · uninstall ✗ · cache clear ✗
      • Installed tool binaries: unuse ✓ (default prune) · uninstall ✓ · cache clear ✗ (may require reinstall after cache issues)
      • Download/build cache: unuse ✗ · uninstall ✗ · cache clear ✓
    • Pick one: stop using a tool in this config → mise unuse; keep config but drop binaries → mise uninstall; fix stale downloads or cache corruption → mise cache clear. See also mise/Q/How do I remove a mise tool?.