Setting Up Python on macOS with mise

An alternative approach using mise - a polyglot version manager that handles Python, Node.js, and 50+ other tools.

Why mise?

• One tool replaces pyenv, nvm, rbenv, etc.
• Fast - written in Rust
• Simple config - single .mise.toml file per project
• Backwards compatible - reads .python-version, .nvmrc, etc.

Prerequisites

• macOS with Homebrew installed
• zsh (default on modern macOS)

Step 1: Install mise

Step 2: Configure Your Shell

Add to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(mise activate zsh)"

Restart your terminal or run:

Step 3: Install Python

# See available versions
mise ls-remote python

# Install and set as global default
mise use --global python@3.11

# Or install a specific patch version
mise use --global python@3.11.11

Step 4: Install Poetry

curl -sSL https://install.python-poetry.org | python3 -

Add to your PATH in ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Step 5: Install pipx (Optional)

For global CLI tools:

brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath

Per-Project Configuration

Create .mise.toml in your project root:

Or for multiple tools:

[tools]
python = "3.11"
node = "20"

[env]
PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE = "1"

mise automatically activates when you cd into the directory.

Common Commands

# List installed versions
mise list

# Install a specific version
mise install python@3.12.9

# Set global default
mise use --global python@3.11

# Set project-local version (creates .mise.toml)
mise use python@3.12

# See what's active
mise current

# Upgrade mise itself
mise self-update

Migrating from pyenv

mise reads .python-version files, so existing projects work immediately.

To fully migrate:

1. Install mise
2. Install your Python versions via mise
3. Remove pyenv from your shell config
4. (Optional) Delete ~/.pyenv

Verification

# mise is managing Python
which python
# Should show: ~/.local/share/mise/installs/python/3.11.11/bin/python

# Correct version
python --version

# See all managed tools
mise list

Project Workflow

New Project

mkdir my-project && cd my-project
mise use python@3.11
poetry init
poetry add requests

Existing Project

cd existing-project
mise install        # Installs versions from .mise.toml or .python-version
poetry install

Comparison: mise vs pyenv

Summary

mise simplifies your setup by consolidating version management into a single, fast tool.