mise-cabal

A mise backend plugin that installs Haskell command-line tools from Hackage using cabal-install, the same way the built-in npm:, gem:, and cargo: backends install tools from their ecosystems.

mise use mise-cabal:pandoc-cli@latest
mise use mise-cabal:hlint@3.8
mise x mise-cabal:shellcheck -- --version

Each tool is referenced as mise-cabal:<hackage-package>@<version>.

Note: mise-cabal: here is the backend prefix provided by this plugin. It is not the same as the cabal binary tool (which you install separately, see below).

Requirements

We compile tools from source, so a working Haskell toolchain is needed:

• Cabal
• GHC

The easiest way is to let mise manage everything, in conjunction with the mise-ghcup plugin. Add to your mise.toml:

[tools]
"cabal" = "latest"
"ghcup" = "latest"
"mise-ghcup:ghc" = "latest"

[plugins]
"vfox:mise-ghcup" = "https://github.com/wasp-lang/mise-ghcup.git"

[settings]
experimental = true # Needed for using backend plugins like mise-ghcup and mise-cabal

Install the plugin

mise plugin install https://github.com/wasp-lang/mise-cabal

Usage

In your mise.toml file:

[plugins]
"vfox:mise-cabal" = "https://github.com/wasp-lang/mise-cabal.git"

[settings]
experimental = true # Needed for using backend plugins like mise-cabal

Then you can use it freely:

# List the versions available on Hackage
mise ls-remote mise-cabal:hlint

# Install a specific version
mise install mise-cabal:hlint@3.8

# Use it (in the current dir, or globally with -g)
mise use mise-cabal:hlint@latest

# Run it
mise x mise-cabal:hlint@latest -- --version

You can also add tools directly to a mise.toml:

[tools]
"mise-cabal:pandoc-cli" = "latest"
"mise-cabal:hlint" = "3.8"

How it works

• Listing (ls-remote) queries the Hackage JSON API and returns the published versions of the package.
• Installing sets CABAL_DIR to the tool version's own mise install directory and runs cabal install <package>-<version>. Because CABAL_DIR relocates cabal's whole home, the build store, package index, and binaries all live inside that directory.
• Data files (used by tools like pandoc and hlint) live in the store right next to the binary, so they resolve automatically. There is no copying out of the store and no need for embed_data_files.
• Running simply puts the tool's bin directory on PATH.

Limitations

• Compiles from source. First installs can be slow and require the Haskell toolchain. Each tool keeps its own CABAL_DIR, so the package index and build store are not shared across tools (more time and disk than a shared store, in exchange for fully self-contained, relocation-safe installs).
• Executables only. Library-only Hackage packages (no executable component) are not supported.

Development

This repo is itself a mise project. mise install provisions the dev tooling and the Haskell toolchain.

# Link this checkout as the `mise-cabal` backend for local testing
mise plugin link --force mise-cabal .

# Lint and format (stylua + lua-language-server + actionlint via hk)
mise run lint
mise run lint-fix

Enable pre-commit hooks (optional):

hk install

Debug a single operation:

mise --debug install mise-cabal:hello@latest

Files

• metadata.lua - plugin metadata (name, depends, notes)
• hooks/backend_list_versions.lua - lists Hackage versions
• hooks/backend_install.lua - builds and installs a package
• hooks/backend_exec_env.lua - puts the tool's bin dir on PATH
• lib/cabal.lua - runs a command with the tool's isolated CABAL_DIR
• mise.toml - dev tooling, Haskell toolchain, and tasks
• mise-tasks/test - end-to-end test task
• .github/workflows/ci.yml - CI on Linux, macOS, and Windows

Documentation

• Backend Plugin Development
• Lua modules reference
• Cabal user guide

License

MIT