v5.1.2: mise_dir now sets MISE_DATA_DIR; auto_update handles a locked mise binary

The mise_dir input now also sets where mise installs tools, so those tools end up in the cache. With auto_update: true, the action no longer crashes on Windows when the mise binary is still in use.

Fixed

• mise_dir now exports MISE_DATA_DIR. Before this release, mise_dir moved the mise binary and the cache path, but mise kept installing tools to ~/.local/share/mise. The saved cache didn't include the tools. On runners where ~/.local isn't writable, the step failed with EACCES: permission denied. When mise_dir is set, the action now exports MISE_DATA_DIR=<mise_dir>, so tools are installed into the directory that gets cached. If your workflow sets a different MISE_DATA_DIR, the mise_dir input overrides it. If mise_dir isn't set, nothing changes. mise's state directory (~/.local/state/mise) stays where it is. If that path also can't be written, set MISE_STATE_DIR yourself. (#672 by @jdx, fixes #668)

  - uses: jdx/mise-action@v5
    with:
      mise_dir: ${{ runner.tool_cache }}/mise/data

• auto_update no longer crashes when it can't replace mise.exe. On Windows, the step used to fail with a bare EPERM: operation not permitted, unlink '…\mise.exe' if another process was still using the binary. Now, if version isn't pinned and the existing binary passes verification against its recorded version, the action prints a warning and continues with that version. In any other case, the step fails with a message that says the file is in use and how to fix it. A pinned version never quietly keeps an older binary. (#665 by @jdx, fixes #664)

Documentation

• The README explains how to use mise's MISE_ENABLE_TOOLS setting as a job-level allowlist. Unlike install_args, the allowlist applies to the action's install and to later mise commands. If jobs use different allowlists, add the value to a custom cache_key. (#667 by @zeitlinger)
• The Rust cache section is updated for mise 2026.9.2 and later, where mise install repairs a restored toolchain instead of leaving rustfmt missing. Swatinem/rust-cache now works alongside mise-managed Rust. (#670 by @jdx)

Full Changelog: v5.1.1...v5.1.2