asdf

asdf command [plugin] [version]

asdf is a universal version manager supporting multiple languages and tools through plugins. It provides a single interface for managing versions of Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, and dozens of other tools.Versions are recorded in a .tool-versions file, which can live in your home directory (global default) or any project directory (per-project override).Note: the 0.16 release rewrote asdf in Go and removed the separate global and local commands, replacing both with set. Older 0.15.x and earlier installs still use asdf global and asdf local.

plugin add name

Install plugin

List installed plugins

Install specific version

Remove version

Write the version to a .tool-versions file (0.16+). Defaults to the current directory; -u targets the home directory (global), -p the nearest parent directory. Replaces the old global/local commands.

Set global default (removed in 0.16; use set -u).

Set project version (removed in 0.16; use set).

List installed versions

List all available versions

Show the newest stable version available

Show current versions

Show the path to the executable that would run

Rebuild shims

~/.asdfrc

User configuration file for asdf settings like legacy version file support.

Per-project file specifying tool versions. Placed in the project root directory.

Global default tool versions used when no project-level file is found.

Requires plugins for each tool. Shell initialization needed (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc). Shims may need rebuilding after installing new executables.

asdf was created by @HashNuke around 2014 to provide a single version manager replacing language-specific tools like nvm, rbenv, and pyenv. Originally a Bash/shim project, it was rewritten in Go for the 0.16 release in early 2025.

nvm(1), rbenv(1), pyenv(1), mise(1), direnv(1)

Source code · Homepage