.NET

The core .NET plugin installs .NET SDKs using Microsoft's official install script. All SDK versions are installed side-by-side under a shared DOTNET_ROOT directory, matching .NET's native multi-version model. This means dotnet --list-sdks shows every version you've installed through mise.

Unlike most tools, the SDKs don't live inside ~/.local/share/mise/installs because they share a common root. mise symlinks its tracking path to DOTNET_ROOT and puts that shared installation on PATH. The .NET SDK resolver then chooses an SDK, using global.json when present. Without it, .NET normally uses the highest installed SDK; a mise version declaration alone does not isolate SDK selection in shared mode.

::: info This plugin manages the .NET SDK itself. To install .NET global tools (e.g., dotnet-ef), use the dotnet backend with dotnet:ToolName syntax. :::

Usage

Install the latest SDK for the current project and inspect the shared installation:

mise use dotnet@latest
mise exec -- dotnet --list-sdks
mise exec -- dotnet --version

Use mise use -g dotnet@latest for a personal default. To install another SDK without replacing the project's version request, use mise install:

mise install [email protected]
mise exec -- dotnet --list-sdks

For a project that must build with a particular SDK, configure global.json below, or enable isolated mode before installation.

global.json support

Enable discovery so mise installs the SDK declared by the project, preserving any other tools already enabled for idiomatic files:

mise settings add idiomatic_version_file_enable_tools dotnet

For example, this file requests an exact SDK and disables .NET's roll-forward behavior:

{
  "sdk": {
    "version": "8.0.400",
    "rollForward": "disable"
  }
}

Run mise install, then mise exec -- dotnet --version from the project. mise reads sdk.version to install the requested SDK. .NET itself interprets rollForward and other SDK selection policy; see Microsoft's global.json reference. Do not keep a conflicting dotnet version in mise.toml if global.json is the project's version source.

Isolated Mode

By default, all SDK versions share a single DOTNET_ROOT directory. This matches .NET's native side-by-side model and means dotnet --list-sdks shows every installed version.

If you prefer the traditional mise approach where each version gets its own directory, enable isolated mode:

mise settings set dotnet.isolated=true

Choose this mode before installing the versions you need. Changing the setting alone does not move existing shared installations into isolated directories.

In isolated mode each SDK version is installed under ~/.local/share/mise/installs/dotnet/<version>/, just like most other mise-managed tools. dotnet --list-sdks will only report the currently active version.

Runtime-only Installs

By default, mise installs the full .NET SDK. If you only need to run .NET applications, without building them or the overhead of the SDK, install just the runtime with the runtime inline option:

mise use "dotnet[runtime=dotnet]@8.0.14"
mise exec -- dotnet --list-runtimes

Valid runtime values

Example: mix SDK and runtime

You can install a full SDK for development alongside a runtime for a production-like environment:

[tools]
dotnet = ["9", { version = "8.0.14", runtime = "dotnet" }]

::: warning

• Version numbers are runtime versions, not SDK versions. For example, 8.0.14 refers to .NET Runtime 8.0.14, not SDK 8.0.14. Check the .NET release notes for available runtime versions.
• Runtime-only installs do not include the SDK build tools. Commands like dotnet build and dotnet publish will not be available, and dotnet --version will not report an SDK version.

:::

::: tip Only exact runtime versions are supported (e.g., dotnet[runtime=dotnet]@8.0.14). Channel syntax like @8 is not currently supported for runtime installs, as it resolves against SDK versions rather than runtime versions. :::

Tool Options

The following tool-options are available for the dotnet backend. These options go in the [tools] section in mise.toml.

install_env

Set environment variables for the .NET install script and install-time verification commands:

[tools]
dotnet = { version = "latest", install_env = { DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT = "1" } }

Environment Variables

The plugin sets the following environment variables:

Settings