Looks to be the same issue as #319, which was closed b/c they were using the alias in .tool-versions instead of via asdf install.

I can replicate this issue with both methods.

Figured it out: resolve_version_query in the install script requires node-build in order to resolve an alias, but node-build isn't installed/updated until after resolve_version_query is called.

Filing a PR to fix

Ran into this today. Are there any updates on merging this fix?

We changed the way aliases work on #348, now you need to explicitly opt-in with dynamic ranges on legacy version files (.tool-versions and .nvmrc). The .tool-versions file doesn't support non-deterministic versions, and supporting it on .tool-versions is not a feature we are seeking to implement at the moment.

To enable it, you need to provide an ASDF_NODEJS_LEGACY_FILE_DYNAMIC_STRATEGY environment variable choosing between the latest_available and latest_installed strategies, you can read more about it in the appropriate section on the README of the project. To make this choice permanent you can export said variable from your shell rc file like so:

export ASDF_NODEJS_LEGACY_FILE_DYNAMIC_STRATEGY=latest_installed
# OR
export ASDF_NODEJS_LEGACY_FILE_DYNAMIC_STRATEGY=latest_available

Please update the plugin by running asdf plugin-update nodejs. If a new issue arises with the new implementation please open a new issue.