docs(tasks): add bash array pattern for variadic args by jdx · Pull Request #7914 · jdx/mise

jdx · 2026-01-30T18:14:44Z

Summary

Documents how to properly convert variadic args (var=#true) to bash arrays using the pattern:

eval "files=($usage_files)"

This handles arguments with spaces correctly.

Changes

Added tip box in the Variadic Arguments section explaining the pattern
Added tip box after Example 4 in the migration guide showing the complete pattern

Example

# Convert to bash array:
eval "files=($usage_files)"

# Use as array:
for f in "${files[@]}"; do
  echo "Processing: $f"
done

This addresses the common issue discussed in #6766 where users struggle to handle variadic args with spaces in bash scripts.

Note

Low Risk
Low risk documentation-only change that adds usage guidance and examples; no runtime or behavior changes.

Overview
Documents a recommended Bash pattern for variadic task args (var=#true) that may include spaces, showing how to eval "files=($usage_files)" and then consume the resulting array safely.

Adds two new tip callouts: one in the Variadic Arguments section and another in the migration guide’s variadic example, both providing the same array-conversion snippet and usage examples.

^{Written by Cursor Bugbot for commit 905ebdf. This will update automatically on new commits. Configure here.}

Document how to properly convert variadic args to bash arrays using eval "arr=($usage_var)" pattern. This handles arguments with spaces correctly. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

gemini-code-assist · 2026-01-30T18:15:00Z

Summary of Changes

Hello @jdx, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request enhances the documentation for mise's task system by providing crucial guidance on handling variadic arguments in bash scripts. It introduces a recommended pattern using eval "files=($usage_files)" to correctly parse arguments that may contain spaces into bash arrays, thereby preventing common scripting issues and improving the reliability of task execution.

Highlights

Documentation Update: Added a new tip box in the "Variadic Arguments" section of the task-arguments.md documentation to explain how to properly convert variadic arguments into bash arrays, specifically addressing arguments that contain spaces.
Example Enhancement: Included a second tip box after "Example 4" in the migration guide within task-arguments.md, providing a complete example of the pattern for handling variadic arguments with spaces by converting them to bash arrays.

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Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR documents a recommended pattern for handling variadic task arguments that contain spaces in bash scripts, addressing a common user pain point discussed in issue #6766.

Changes:

Added documentation for the eval "files=($usage_files)" pattern to convert variadic args to bash arrays
Included examples showing proper array usage with "${files[@]}"

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Copilot · 2026-01-30T18:15:14Z

+
+```bash
+# Convert to bash array:
+eval "files=($usage_files)"


Using eval with user-provided input is a security risk. If $usage_files contains malicious code, it will be executed. Consider documenting safer alternatives like mapfile or readarray, or at minimum add a security warning about validating input before using eval.

Suggested change

eval "files=($usage_files)"

files=($usage_files)

Copilot · 2026-01-30T18:15:14Z

+[tasks.process]
+usage = 'arg "<files>" var=#true'
+run = '''
+eval "files=($usage_files)"


Using eval with user-provided input is a security risk. If $usage_files contains malicious code, it will be executed. Consider documenting safer alternatives like mapfile or readarray, or at minimum add a security warning about validating input before using eval.

Suggested change

eval "files=($usage_files)"

# Safely read the usage_files into a Bash array without using eval

mapfile -t files <<< "$usage_files"

gemini-code-assist

Code Review

This pull request significantly enhances the documentation for handling variadic arguments in mise tasks, particularly addressing the common challenge of arguments containing spaces in bash scripts. The added tip boxes provide clear and practical examples, which will be very helpful for users. The use of eval for parsing shell-escaped strings into bash arrays is an idiomatic solution for this problem, and the examples demonstrate its application effectively.

gemini-code-assist · 2026-01-30T18:16:35Z

+
+```bash
+# Convert to bash array:
+eval "files=($usage_files)"


The eval command is powerful and can be a security risk if the $usage_files variable were to contain untrusted or malicious input, as eval executes arbitrary shell commands. While this pattern is a common and often necessary way to parse shell-escaped strings into arrays in bash, it's generally good practice to include a small cautionary note about the potential risks of eval when dealing with potentially untrusted input, or to emphasize that usage_files should always be from a trusted source.

gemini-code-assist · 2026-01-30T18:16:35Z

+[tasks.process]
+usage = 'arg "<files>" var=#true'
+run = '''
+eval "files=($usage_files)"


Similar to the previous tip, the eval command used here carries potential security risks if $usage_files could be manipulated by untrusted input. It's crucial to ensure that the source of usage_files is always trusted when employing eval in scripts.

Clarifies that readarray/mapfile are alternatives in bash 4.0+, but macOS ships with bash 3.2 by default which doesn't include them. The eval pattern works with all bash versions. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

readarray/mapfile don't understand shell quoting, so they wouldn't work with the current format regardless of bash version. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

github-actions · 2026-01-30T18:38:45Z

Hyperfine Performance

`mise x -- echo`

Command	Mean [ms]	Min [ms]	Max [ms]	Relative
`mise-2026.1.9 x -- echo`	15.7 ± 0.3	15.0	17.1	1.00
`mise x -- echo`	15.9 ± 0.4	14.8	18.7	1.02 ± 0.04

`mise env`

Command	Mean [ms]	Min [ms]	Max [ms]	Relative
`mise-2026.1.9 env`	15.3 ± 0.4	14.5	19.6	1.00
`mise env`	15.7 ± 0.6	14.5	19.7	1.02 ± 0.05

`mise hook-env`

Command	Mean [ms]	Min [ms]	Max [ms]	Relative
`mise-2026.1.9 hook-env`	15.5 ± 0.4	14.4	17.0	1.00
`mise hook-env`	16.1 ± 0.4	15.1	17.6	1.04 ± 0.04

`mise ls`

Command	Mean [ms]	Min [ms]	Max [ms]	Relative
`mise-2026.1.9 ls`	13.9 ± 0.3	13.0	15.0	1.00
`mise ls`	15.0 ± 0.5	14.0	16.8	1.08 ± 0.04

`xtasks/test/perf`

Command	mise-2026.1.9	mise	Variance
install (cached)	81ms	84ms	-3%
ls (cached)	54ms	57ms	-5%
bin-paths (cached)	56ms	58ms	-3%
task-ls (cached)	232ms	⚠️ 461ms	-49%

⚠️ Warning: task-ls cached performance variance is -49%

@jdx

### 🐛 Bug Fixes - **(task)** resolve monorepo task includes relative to config file directory by @jdx in [#7917](#7917) - disable autocrlf on git clone to fix WSL issues by @jdx in [#7916](#7916) ### 📚 Documentation - **(tasks)** add bash array pattern for variadic args by @jdx in [#7914](#7914)

## Summary Documents how to properly convert variadic args (`var=#true`) to bash arrays using the pattern: ```bash eval "files=($usage_files)" ``` This handles arguments with spaces correctly. ## Changes - Added tip box in the Variadic Arguments section explaining the pattern - Added tip box after Example 4 in the migration guide showing the complete pattern ## Example ```bash # Convert to bash array: eval "files=($usage_files)" # Use as array: for f in "${files[@]}"; do echo "Processing: $f" done ``` This addresses the common issue discussed in jdx#6766 where users struggle to handle variadic args with spaces in bash scripts. Related: - jdx#6766 - jdx/usage#189 - jdx/usage#480 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)  --- > [!NOTE] > **Low Risk** > Low risk documentation-only change that adds usage guidance and examples; no runtime or behavior changes. > > **Overview** > Documents a recommended Bash pattern for variadic task args (`var=#true`) that may include spaces, showing how to `eval "files=($usage_files)"` and then consume the resulting array safely. > > Adds two new *tip* callouts: one in the `Variadic Arguments` section and another in the migration guide’s variadic example, both providing the same array-conversion snippet and usage examples. > > <sup>Written by [Cursor Bugbot](https://cursor.com/dashboard?tab=bugbot) for commit 905ebdf. This will update automatically on new commits. Configure [here](https://cursor.com/dashboard?tab=bugbot).</sup>  --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

@jdx

### 🐛 Bug Fixes - **(task)** resolve monorepo task includes relative to config file directory by @jdx in [jdx#7917](jdx#7917) - disable autocrlf on git clone to fix WSL issues by @jdx in [jdx#7916](jdx#7916) ### 📚 Documentation - **(tasks)** add bash array pattern for variadic args by @jdx in [jdx#7914](jdx#7914)

docs(tasks): add bash array pattern for variadic args

8ec559a

Document how to properly convert variadic args to bash arrays using eval "arr=($usage_var)" pattern. This handles arguments with spaces correctly. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings January 30, 2026 18:14

Copilot AI reviewed Jan 30, 2026

View reviewed changes

jdx mentioned this pull request Jan 30, 2026

alternative var=true joining jdx/usage#189

Closed

gemini-code-assist Bot reviewed Jan 30, 2026

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jdx and others added 2 commits January 30, 2026 12:19

docs(task): remove incorrect note about readarray/mapfile

905ebdf

readarray/mapfile don't understand shell quoting, so they wouldn't work with the current format regardless of bash version. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

jdx merged commit 95cc03f into main Jan 30, 2026
36 checks passed

jdx deleted the docs/bash-array-pattern branch January 30, 2026 18:41

mise-en-dev mentioned this pull request Jan 30, 2026

chore: release 2026.1.12 #7915

Merged

BrewTestBot mentioned this pull request Jan 31, 2026

mise 2026.1.12 Homebrew/homebrew-core#265302

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docs(tasks): add bash array pattern for variadic args - #7914

docs(tasks): add bash array pattern for variadic args#7914
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jdx commented Jan 30, 2026 •

edited by cursor Bot

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	eval "files=($usage_files)"
	# Safely read the usage_files into a Bash array without using eval
	mapfile -t files <<< "$usage_files"

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jdx commented Jan 30, 2026 • edited by cursor Bot Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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jdx commented Jan 30, 2026 •

edited by cursor Bot

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