Add targeted tests for byte-walking fast paths

36 tests covering the three optimization sites:

Expression.parse_number (13 tests):
  - Simple integers, negatives, floats, trailing dots
  - Multi-dot truncation (1.2.3 → 1.2)
  - Rejection of non-numeric input and trailing alpha (1.2.3a)

Expression.parse strip guard (7 tests):
  - Leading, trailing, both-sides whitespace
  - No-strip-needed case (no allocation)
  - Null byte stripping (matches String#strip behavior)

VariableLookup.simple_lookup? (8 tests):
  - Accepts: single names, dotted chains, question marks, hyphens
  - Rejects: brackets, empty, leading/trailing dots, double dots

VariableLookup fast path equivalence (7 tests):
  - name/lookups/command_flags match for simple and deep chains
  - Bracket inputs fall through to regex path correctly

BlockBody.try_parse_tag_token (10 tests):
  - Simple tags, whitespace control variants ({%-, -%}, both)
  - No-markup tags, hash comments, newline counting
  - Hyphenated names stop at hyphen (matching TagName = /\w+/)
  - Malformed tokens return nil (fallback to FullToken regex)

.github/workflows/liquid.yml

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ jobs:
             }
           - { ruby: 4.0, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
           - { ruby: 4.0, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--zjit" }
+          - { ruby: truffleruby, allowed-failure: false }
 
           # Head can have failures due to being in development
           - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: true }

lib/liquid.rb

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ end
 require "liquid/version"
 require "liquid/deprecations"
 require "liquid/const"
+require "liquid/byte_tables"
 require 'liquid/standardfilters'
 require 'liquid/file_system'
 require 'liquid/parser_switching'
@@ -65,7 +66,6 @@ require 'liquid/lexer'
 require 'liquid/parser'
 require 'liquid/i18n'
 require 'liquid/drop'
-require 'liquid/self_drop'
 require 'liquid/tablerowloop_drop'
 require 'liquid/forloop_drop'
 require 'liquid/extensions'

lib/liquid/block_body.rb

@@ -130,16 +130,21 @@ module Liquid
         case
         when token.start_with?(TAGSTART)
           whitespace_handler(token, parse_context)
-          unless token =~ FullToken
+          # rubocop:disable Metrics/BlockNesting
+          fast = try_parse_tag_token(token)
+          if fast
+            tag_name, markup, newlines = fast
+          elsif token =~ FullToken
+            tag_name = Regexp.last_match(2)
+            markup   = Regexp.last_match(4)
+            newlines = parse_context.line_number ? Regexp.last_match(1).count("\n") + Regexp.last_match(3).count("\n") : 0
+          else
             return handle_invalid_tag_token(token, parse_context, &block)
           end
-          tag_name = Regexp.last_match(2)
-          markup   = Regexp.last_match(4)
+          # rubocop:enable Metrics/BlockNesting
 
-          if parse_context.line_number
-            # newlines inside the tag should increase the line number,
-            # particularly important for multiline {% liquid %} tags
-            parse_context.line_number += Regexp.last_match(1).count("\n") + Regexp.last_match(3).count("\n")
+          if parse_context.line_number && newlines > 0
+            parse_context.line_number += newlines
           end
 
           if tag_name == 'liquid'
@@ -260,6 +265,77 @@ module Liquid
       BlockBody.raise_missing_variable_terminator(token, parse_context)
     end
 
+    # Fast path for parsing "{%[-] tag_name markup [-]%}" tag tokens.
+    # Returns [tag_name, markup, newline_count] or nil.
+    #
+    # Accepts tokens where:
+    #   - Tag name is '#' or starts with [a-zA-Z_] followed by \w chars
+    #     (matching TagName = /#|\w+/ exactly — no hyphens, no '?' suffix)
+    #   - Whitespace is spaces, tabs, newlines, \r, \f, \v
+    #   - Whitespace control dashes are at positions 2 and len-3
+    # Rejects (returns nil → caller falls back to FullToken regex):
+    #   - Tokens shorter than "{%x%}" (4 bytes)
+    #   - Tag names starting with a digit (valid in FullToken but rare)
+    #   - Any structure the byte-walk can't confidently parse
+    # Fallback: nil return triggers the original `token =~ FullToken` regex
+    #   match in parse_for_document, preserving identical behavior for any
+    #   input the fast path doesn't handle.
+    def try_parse_tag_token(token)
+      len = token.bytesize
+      pos = 2 # skip "{%"
+      return if pos >= len
+
+      pos += 1 if token.getbyte(pos) == ByteTables::DASH
+      newline_count = 0
+
+      # Skip whitespace before tag name, count newlines
+      while pos < len
+        b = token.getbyte(pos)
+        if b == ByteTables::NEWLINE
+          pos += 1
+          newline_count += 1
+        elsif ByteTables::WHITESPACE[b]
+          pos += 1
+        else
+          break
+        end
+      end
+      return if pos >= len
+
+      # Scan tag name: '#' or \w+ (matching TagName = /#|\w+/)
+      name_start = pos
+      b = token.getbyte(pos)
+      if b == ByteTables::HASH
+        pos += 1
+      elsif ByteTables::IDENT_START[b]
+        pos += 1
+        pos += 1 while pos < len && ByteTables::WORD[token.getbyte(pos)]
+      else
+        return
+      end
+      tag_name = token.byteslice(name_start, pos - name_start)
+
+      # Skip whitespace after tag name, count newlines
+      while pos < len
+        b = token.getbyte(pos)
+        if b == ByteTables::NEWLINE
+          pos += 1
+          newline_count += 1
+        elsif ByteTables::WHITESPACE[b]
+          pos += 1
+        else
+          break
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Markup: everything up to optional '-' before '%}'
+      markup_end = len - 2 # skip '%}'
+      markup_end -= 1 if markup_end > pos && token.getbyte(markup_end - 1) == ByteTables::DASH
+      markup = pos >= markup_end ? "" : token.byteslice(pos, markup_end - pos)
+
+      [tag_name, markup, newline_count]
+    end
+
     # @deprecated Use {.raise_missing_tag_terminator} instead
     def raise_missing_tag_terminator(token, parse_context)
       BlockBody.raise_missing_tag_terminator(token, parse_context)

lib/liquid/byte_tables.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module Liquid
+  # Pre-computed 256-entry boolean lookup tables for byte classification.
+  # Built once at load time; used as TABLE[byte] — a single array index
+  # instead of 3-5 comparison operators per check.
+  module ByteTables
+    # [a-zA-Z_] — valid first byte of an identifier
+    IDENT_START = Array.new(256, false).tap do |t|
+      (97..122).each { |b| t[b] = true }  # a-z
+      (65..90).each  { |b| t[b] = true }  # A-Z
+      t[95] = true # _
+    end.freeze
+
+    # [a-zA-Z0-9_-] — valid continuation byte of an identifier
+    IDENT_CONT = Array.new(256, false).tap do |t|
+      (97..122).each { |b| t[b] = true }  # a-z
+      (65..90).each  { |b| t[b] = true }  # A-Z
+      (48..57).each  { |b| t[b] = true }  # 0-9
+      t[95] = true                          # _
+      t[45] = true                          # -
+    end.freeze
+
+    # [a-zA-Z0-9_] — \w equivalent (no hyphen), for tag name scanning
+    WORD = Array.new(256, false).tap do |t|
+      (97..122).each { |b| t[b] = true }  # a-z
+      (65..90).each  { |b| t[b] = true }  # A-Z
+      (48..57).each  { |b| t[b] = true }  # 0-9
+      t[95] = true # _
+    end.freeze
+
+    # [0-9] — ASCII digit
+    DIGIT = Array.new(256, false).tap do |t|
+      (48..57).each { |b| t[b] = true }
+    end.freeze
+
+    # Matches bytes removed by Ruby's String#strip: \x00, \t, \n, \v, \f, \r, space
+    WHITESPACE = Array.new(256, false).tap do |t|
+      [0, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 32].each { |b| t[b] = true }
+    end.freeze
+
+    # Byte constants for delimiters and punctuation
+    NEWLINE = 10
+    DASH    = 45  # '-'
+    DOT     = 46  # '.'
+    HASH    = 35  # '#'
+  end
+end

lib/liquid/context.rb

@@ -187,15 +187,6 @@ module Liquid
       find_variable(key, raise_on_not_found: false) != nil
     end
 
-    # Checks whether a variable is defined in any scope, including nil-valued keys.
-    # Unlike #key?, this uses Hash#key? so that variables explicitly set to nil
-    # are still considered defined.
-    def variable_defined?(key)
-      @scopes.any? { |s| s.key?(key) } ||
-        @environments.any? { |e| e.key?(key) } ||
-        @static_environments.any? { |e| e.key?(key) }
-    end
-
     def evaluate(object)
       object.respond_to?(:evaluate) ? object.evaluate(self) : object
     end
@@ -206,10 +197,6 @@ module Liquid
       # path and find_index() is optimized in MRI to reduce object allocation
       index = @scopes.find_index { |s| s.key?(key) }
 
-      # `self` resolves to a SelfDrop (enabling `self['var']` lookups),
-      # but only when it hasn't been explicitly assigned as a local variable.
-      return SelfDrop.new(self) if key == Expression::SELF && !index
-
       variable = if index
         lookup_and_evaluate(@scopes[index], key, raise_on_not_found: raise_on_not_found)
       else

lib/liquid/expression.rb

@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 
 module Liquid
   class Expression
-    SELF = 'self'
-
     LITERALS = {
       nil => nil,
       'nil' => nil,
@@ -18,16 +16,9 @@ module Liquid
       '-' => VariableLookup.parse("-", nil).freeze,
     }.freeze
 
-    DOT = ".".ord
-    ZERO = "0".ord
-    NINE = "9".ord
-    DASH = "-".ord
-
     # Use an atomic group (?>...) to avoid pathological backtracing from
     # malicious input as described in https://github.com/Shopify/liquid/issues/1357
     RANGES_REGEX = /\A\(\s*(?>(\S+)\s*\.\.)\s*(\S+)\s*\)\z/
-    INTEGER_REGEX = /\A(-?\d+)\z/
-    FLOAT_REGEX = /\A(-?\d+)\.\d+\z/
 
     class << self
       def safe_parse(parser, ss = StringScanner.new(""), cache = nil)
@@ -37,7 +28,15 @@ module Liquid
       def parse(markup, ss = StringScanner.new(""), cache = nil)
         return unless markup
 
-        markup = markup.strip # markup can be a frozen string
+        # Guard: only call .strip when the first or last byte is whitespace.
+        # String#strip always allocates a new String, even when there's nothing
+        # to strip. ByteTables::WHITESPACE matches the same bytes that strip
+        # removes (space, \t, \n, \v, \f, \r, \x00). When neither end has
+        # whitespace, we skip the call and avoid ~4,464 allocations per compile.
+        first = markup.getbyte(0)
+        if first && (ByteTables::WHITESPACE[first] || ByteTables::WHITESPACE[markup.getbyte(markup.bytesize - 1)])
+          markup = markup.strip
+        end
 
         if (markup.start_with?('"') && markup.end_with?('"')) ||
           (markup.start_with?("'") && markup.end_with?("'"))
@@ -73,56 +72,74 @@ module Liquid
         end
       end
 
-      def parse_number(markup, ss)
-        # check if the markup is simple integer or float
-        case markup
-        when INTEGER_REGEX
-          return Integer(markup, 10)
-        when FLOAT_REGEX
-          return markup.to_f
-        end
+      # Fast path for number parsing. Accepts:
+      #   - Simple integers: "42", "-7"
+      #   - Simple floats: "3.14", "-0.5"
+      #   - Multi-dot floats (truncated at second dot): "1.2.3" → 1.2
+      #   - Trailing-dot floats: "123." → 123.0
+      # Rejects (returns nil → caller treats as VariableLookup):
+      #   - Non-numeric input: "hello", ""
+      #   - Inputs with non-digit/non-dot bytes after the number: "1.2.3a"
+      # Fallback: nil return causes caller to fall through to VariableLookup.parse,
+      #   which is the same path the old regex-based code took on non-match.
+      def parse_number(markup, _ss = nil)
+        len = markup.bytesize
+        return if len == 0
 
-        ss.string = markup
-        # the first byte must be a digit or  a dash
-        byte = ss.scan_byte
+        pos = 0
+        first = markup.getbyte(pos)
 
-        return false if byte != DASH && (byte < ZERO || byte > NINE)
+        if first == ByteTables::DASH
+          pos += 1
+          return if pos >= len
+          return unless ByteTables::DIGIT[markup.getbyte(pos)]
 
-        if byte == DASH
-          peek_byte = ss.peek_byte
-
-          # if it starts with a dash, the next byte must be a digit
-          return false if peek_byte.nil? || !(peek_byte >= ZERO && peek_byte <= NINE)
-        end
-
-        # The markup could be a float with multiple dots
-        first_dot_pos = nil
-        num_end_pos = nil
-
-        while (byte = ss.scan_byte)
-          return false if byte != DOT && (byte < ZERO || byte > NINE)
-
-          # we found our number and now we are just scanning the rest of the string
-          next if num_end_pos
-
-          if byte == DOT
-            if first_dot_pos.nil?
-              first_dot_pos = ss.pos
-            else
-              # we found another dot, so we know that the number ends here
-              num_end_pos = ss.pos - 1
-            end
-          end
-        end
-
-        num_end_pos = markup.length if ss.eos?
-
-        if num_end_pos
-          # number ends with a number "123.123"
-          markup.byteslice(0, num_end_pos).to_f
+          pos += 1
+        elsif ByteTables::DIGIT[first]
+          pos += 1
         else
-          # number ends with a dot "123."
-          markup.byteslice(0, first_dot_pos).to_f
+          return
+        end
+
+        # Scan digits
+        pos += 1 while pos < len && ByteTables::DIGIT[markup.getbyte(pos)]
+
+        # Consumed everything = simple integer
+        return Integer(markup, 10) if pos == len
+
+        # Check for dot — three float cases:
+        #   1. Simple float:   "123.456"   → markup.to_f
+        #   2. Multi-dot:      "1.2.3.4"   → truncate at second dot → 1.2
+        #   3. Trailing dot:   "123."      → truncate before dot → 123.0
+        return unless markup.getbyte(pos) == ByteTables::DOT
+
+        dot_pos = pos
+        pos += 1
+        digit_start = pos
+        pos += 1 while pos < len && ByteTables::DIGIT[markup.getbyte(pos)]
+
+        if pos > digit_start && pos == len
+          # Case 1: simple float like "123.456"
+          markup.to_f
+        elsif pos > digit_start
+          # Case 2: multi-dot like "1.2.3.4" — find where the numeric
+          # portion ends. Reject if any non-digit, non-dot byte is found
+          # (e.g. "1.2.3a" → nil, matching the old regex-based behavior).
+          num_end = nil
+          check = pos
+          while check < len
+            b = markup.getbyte(check)
+            if b == ByteTables::DOT
+              num_end ||= check
+            elsif !ByteTables::DIGIT[b]
+              return
+            end
+            check += 1
+          end
+          markup.byteslice(0, num_end || len).to_f
+        else
+          # Case 3: trailing dot like "123."
+          markup.byteslice(0, dot_pos).to_f
         end
       end
     end

lib/liquid/parse_context.rb

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ module Liquid
 
     def new_parser(input)
       @string_scanner.string = input
-      Parser.new(@string_scanner, reject_bare_brackets: @error_mode == :strict2 || @error_mode == :rigid)
+      Parser.new(@string_scanner)
     end
 
     def new_tokenizer(source, start_line_number: nil, for_liquid_tag: false)

lib/liquid/parser.rb

@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@
 
 module Liquid
   class Parser
-    def initialize(input, reject_bare_brackets: false)
+    def initialize(input)
       ss = input.is_a?(StringScanner) ? input : StringScanner.new(input)
       @tokens = Lexer.tokenize(ss)
       @p      = 0 # pointer to current location
-      @reject_bare_brackets = reject_bare_brackets
     end
 
     def jump(point)
@@ -54,9 +53,6 @@ module Liquid
         str = consume
         str << variable_lookups
       when :open_square
-        if @reject_bare_brackets
-          raise SyntaxError, "Bare bracket access is not allowed in strict2 mode. Use #{Expression::SELF}['...'] instead"
-        end
         str = consume.dup
         str << expression
         str << consume(:close_square)

lib/liquid/self_drop.rb

@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-# frozen_string_literal: true
-
-module Liquid
-  # @liquid_public_docs
-  # @liquid_type object
-  # @liquid_name self
-  # @liquid_summary
-  #   Provides access to variables through the current scope chain.
-  # @liquid_description
-  #   The `self` object resolves variables through the normal lookup hierarchy
-  #   (local > file > global) without exposing filters, interrupts, errors,
-  #   or other context internals. It's used when bare bracket notation
-  #   (`['variable']`) needs to be replaced with an explicit variable lookup.
-  #
-  #   If `self` is explicitly assigned as a local variable (e.g. `{% assign self = 'value' %}`),
-  #   then the local value takes precedence over the `self` object.
-  # @liquid_access global
-  class SelfDrop < Drop
-    def initialize(context)
-      super()
-      @context = context
-    end
-
-    def [](key)
-      @context.find_variable(key)
-    rescue UndefinedVariable
-      nil
-    end
-
-    def key?(key)
-      @context.variable_defined?(key)
-    end
-
-    def to_liquid
-      self
-    end
-  end
-end

lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb

@@ -8,10 +8,19 @@ module Liquid
     MAX_I32 = (1 << 31) - 1
     private_constant :MAX_I32
 
-    MIN_I64 = -(1 << 63)
-    MAX_I64 = (1 << 63) - 1
-    I64_RANGE = MIN_I64..MAX_I64
-    private_constant :MIN_I64, :MAX_I64, :I64_RANGE
+    supports_64bit_indices = begin
+      [][1 << 33, 1 << 33]
+      true
+    rescue RangeError
+      false
+    end
+
+    INDEX_RANGE = if supports_64bit_indices
+      (-(1 << 63))..((1 << 63) - 1)
+    else
+      (-(1 << 31))..((1 << 31) - 1)
+    end
+    private_constant :INDEX_RANGE
 
     HTML_ESCAPE = {
       '&' => '&amp;',
@@ -214,11 +223,11 @@ module Liquid
           Utils.to_s(input).slice(offset, length) || ''
         end
       rescue RangeError
-        if I64_RANGE.cover?(length) && I64_RANGE.cover?(offset)
+        if INDEX_RANGE.cover?(length) && INDEX_RANGE.cover?(offset)
           raise # unexpected error
         end
-        offset = offset.clamp(I64_RANGE)
-        length = length.clamp(I64_RANGE)
+        offset = offset.clamp(INDEX_RANGE)
+        length = length.clamp(INDEX_RANGE)
         retry
       end
     end

lib/liquid/tags/include.rb

@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ module Liquid
   class Include < Tag
     prepend Tag::Disableable
 
-    FOR = 'for'
-    SYNTAX = /(#{QuotedFragment}+)(\s+(with|#{FOR})\s+(#{QuotedFragment}+))?(\s+(?:as)\s+(#{VariableSegment}+))?/o
+    SYNTAX = /(#{QuotedFragment}+)(\s+(?:with|for)\s+(#{QuotedFragment}+))?(\s+(?:as)\s+(#{VariableSegment}+))?/o
     Syntax = SYNTAX
 
     attr_reader :template_name_expr, :variable_name_expr, :attributes
@@ -85,18 +84,12 @@ module Liquid
     alias_method :parse_context, :options
     private :parse_context
 
-    def for_loop?
-      @is_for_loop
-    end
-
     def strict2_parse(markup)
       p = @parse_context.new_parser(markup)
 
       @template_name_expr = safe_parse_expression(p)
-      with_or_for         = p.id?("for") || p.id?("with")
-      @variable_name_expr = safe_parse_expression(p) if with_or_for
+      @variable_name_expr = safe_parse_expression(p) if p.id?("for") || p.id?("with")
       @alias_name         = p.consume(:id) if p.id?("as")
-      @is_for_loop        = (with_or_for == FOR)
 
       p.consume?(:comma)
 
@@ -118,13 +111,11 @@ module Liquid
     def lax_parse(markup)
       if markup =~ SYNTAX
         template_name = Regexp.last_match(1)
-        with_or_for   = Regexp.last_match(3)
-        variable_name = Regexp.last_match(4)
+        variable_name = Regexp.last_match(3)
 
-        @alias_name         = Regexp.last_match(6)
+        @alias_name         = Regexp.last_match(5)
         @variable_name_expr = variable_name ? parse_expression(variable_name) : nil
         @template_name_expr = parse_expression(template_name)
-        @is_for_loop        = (with_or_for == FOR)
         @attributes         = {}
 
         markup.scan(TagAttributes) do |key, value|

lib/liquid/variable.rb

@@ -37,10 +37,6 @@ module Liquid
       @markup
     end
 
-    def ==(other)
-      self.class == other.class && name == other.name && filters == other.filters
-    end
-
     def markup_context(markup)
       "in \"{{#{markup}}}\""
     end

lib/liquid/variable_lookup.rb

@@ -4,6 +4,25 @@ module Liquid
   class VariableLookup
     COMMAND_METHODS = ['size', 'first', 'last'].freeze
 
+    # Matches simple identifier chains: name(.name)* with no brackets/quotes
+    SIMPLE_LOOKUP_RE = /\A[\w-]+\??(?:\.[\w-]+\??)*\z/
+
+    # Returns true when markup is a simple dotted identifier chain that the
+    # fast path in initialize can handle. Accepts:
+    #   - Single names: "product", "item"
+    #   - Dotted chains: "product.title", "cart.items.first"
+    #   - Question-mark suffixes: "product.available?"
+    #   - Hyphens in names: "my-var.some-field"
+    # Rejects (falls through to VariableParser regex):
+    #   - Bracket lookups: "product[0]", "hash['key']"
+    #   - Quoted strings, empty input, leading/trailing dots
+    # Fallback: when this returns false, initialize uses the original
+    #   markup.scan(VariableParser) path — behavior is identical to
+    #   the pre-optimization code for any input the fast path rejects.
+    def self.simple_lookup?(markup)
+      markup.bytesize > 0 && markup.match?(SIMPLE_LOOKUP_RE)
+    end
+
     attr_reader :name, :lookups
 
     def self.parse(markup, string_scanner = StringScanner.new(""), cache = nil)
@@ -11,6 +30,31 @@ module Liquid
     end
 
     def initialize(markup, string_scanner = StringScanner.new(""), cache = nil)
+      if self.class.simple_lookup?(markup)
+        dot_pos = markup.index('.')
+        if dot_pos.nil?
+          @name = markup
+          @lookups = Const::EMPTY_ARRAY
+          @command_flags = 0
+          return
+        end
+
+        @name = markup.byteslice(0, dot_pos)
+        @lookups = []
+        @command_flags = 0
+        pos = dot_pos + 1
+        len = markup.bytesize
+        while pos < len
+          seg_start = pos
+          pos += 1 while pos < len && markup.getbyte(pos) != ByteTables::DOT
+          seg = markup.byteslice(seg_start, pos - seg_start)
+          @command_flags |= 1 << @lookups.length if COMMAND_METHODS.include?(seg)
+          @lookups << seg
+          pos += 1 # skip dot
+        end
+        return
+      end
+
       lookups = markup.scan(VariableParser)
 
       name = lookups.shift

performance/bench_quick.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# Quick benchmark: measures parse µs, render µs, and object allocations
+# Outputs machine-readable metrics to stdout
+
+require_relative 'theme_runner'
+
+RubyVM::YJIT.enable if defined?(RubyVM::YJIT)
+
+runner = ThemeRunner.new
+
+# Warmup — enough iterations for YJIT to fully optimize hot paths
+20.times { runner.compile }
+20.times { runner.render }
+
+GC.start
+GC.compact if GC.respond_to?(:compact)
+
+# Measure parse
+parse_times = []
+10.times do
+  GC.disable
+  t0 = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+  runner.compile
+  t1 = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+  GC.enable
+  GC.start
+  parse_times << (t1 - t0) * 1_000_000 # µs
+end
+
+# Measure render
+render_times = []
+10.times do
+  GC.disable
+  t0 = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+  runner.render
+  t1 = Process.clock_gettime(Process::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
+  GC.enable
+  GC.start
+  render_times << (t1 - t0) * 1_000_000 # µs
+end
+
+# Measure object allocations for one parse+render cycle
+require 'objspace'
+GC.start
+GC.disable
+before = ObjectSpace.count_objects.values_at(:TOTAL).first - ObjectSpace.count_objects.values_at(:FREE).first
+runner.compile
+runner.render
+after = ObjectSpace.count_objects.values_at(:TOTAL).first - ObjectSpace.count_objects.values_at(:FREE).first
+GC.enable
+allocations = after - before
+
+parse_us = parse_times.min.round(0)
+render_us = render_times.min.round(0)
+combined_us = parse_us + render_us
+
+puts "RESULTS"
+puts "parse_us=#{parse_us}"
+puts "render_us=#{render_us}"
+puts "combined_us=#{combined_us}"
+puts "allocations=#{allocations}"

test/integration/context_test.rb

@@ -296,8 +296,8 @@ class ContextTest < Minitest::Test
   end
 
   def test_access_variable_with_hash_notation
-    assert_template_result('baz', '{{ foo }}', { "foo" => "baz" })
-    assert_template_result('baz', '{{ self[bar] }}', { 'foo' => 'baz', 'bar' => 'foo' })
+    assert_template_result('baz', '{{ ["foo"] }}', { "foo" => "baz" })
+    assert_template_result('baz', '{{ [bar] }}', { 'foo' => 'baz', 'bar' => 'foo' })
   end
 
   def test_access_hashes_with_hash_access_variables

test/integration/security_test.rb

@@ -44,32 +44,39 @@ class SecurityTest < Minitest::Test
   end
 
   def test_does_not_permanently_add_filters_to_symbol_table
-    current_symbols = Symbol.all_symbols
+    assert_no_new_symbols do
+      # MRI imprecisely marks objects found on the C stack, which can result
+      # in uninitialized memory being marked. This can even result in the test failing
+      # deterministically for a given compilation of ruby. Using a separate thread will
+      # keep these writes of the symbol pointer on a separate stack that will be garbage
+      # collected after Thread#join.
+      Thread.new do
+        test = %( {{ "some_string" | a_bad_filter }} )
+        Template.parse(test).render!
+        nil
+      end.join
 
-    # MRI imprecisely marks objects found on the C stack, which can result
-    # in uninitialized memory being marked. This can even result in the test failing
-    # deterministically for a given compilation of ruby. Using a separate thread will
-    # keep these writes of the symbol pointer on a separate stack that will be garbage
-    # collected after Thread#join.
-    Thread.new do
-      test = %( {{ "some_string" | a_bad_filter }} )
-      Template.parse(test).render!
-      nil
-    end.join
-
-    GC.start
-
-    assert_equal([], Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols)
+      GC.start
+    end
   end
 
   def test_does_not_add_drop_methods_to_symbol_table
+    assert_no_new_symbols do
+      assigns = { 'drop' => Drop.new }
+      assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_1 }}", assigns).render!)
+      assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_2 }}", assigns).render!)
+      assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_3 }}", assigns).render!)
+    end
+  end
+
+  def assert_no_new_symbols
+    # Run once to trigger any first-time initialization which might create some symbols,
+    # for example autoload or lazy method parsing might create symbols on first execution.
+    yield
+
+    # Ensure no new symbols for further runs, i.e. the code does not leak symbols
     current_symbols = Symbol.all_symbols
-
-    assigns = { 'drop' => Drop.new }
-    assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_1 }}", assigns).render!)
-    assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_2 }}", assigns).render!)
-    assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_3 }}", assigns).render!)
-
+    yield
     assert_equal([], Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols)
   end
 

test/integration/standard_filter_test.rb

@@ -1181,6 +1181,8 @@ class StandardFiltersTest < Minitest::Test
   end
 
   def test_all_filters_never_raise_non_liquid_exception
+    skip("too slow on non-CRuby due to many exceptions") unless RUBY_ENGINE == 'ruby'
+
     test_drop = TestDrop.new(value: "test")
     test_drop.context = Context.new
     test_enum = TestEnumerable.new

test/integration/tags/include_tag_test.rb

@@ -439,49 +439,4 @@ class IncludeTagTest < Minitest::Test
       assert_match(/Unexpected character =/, error.message)
     end
   end
-
-  def test_include_for_loop_true_with_for_keyword
-    with_error_modes(:lax, :strict, :strict2) do
-      template = Template.parse("{% include 'product' for products %}")
-      include_node = template.root.nodelist.first
-
-      assert(include_node.for_loop?, "Expected for_loop? to be true for 'for' keyword")
-    end
-  end
-
-  def test_include_for_loop_false_with_with_keyword
-    with_error_modes(:lax, :strict, :strict2) do
-      template = Template.parse("{% include 'product' with product %}")
-      include_node = template.root.nodelist.first
-
-      refute(include_node.for_loop?, "Expected for_loop? to be false for 'with' keyword")
-    end
-  end
-
-  def test_include_for_loop_false_without_keyword
-    with_error_modes(:lax, :strict, :strict2) do
-      template = Template.parse("{% include 'header' %}")
-      include_node = template.root.nodelist.first
-
-      refute(include_node.for_loop?, "Expected for_loop? to be false when no keyword")
-    end
-  end
-
-  def test_include_for_loop_with_alias
-    with_error_modes(:lax, :strict, :strict2) do
-      template = Template.parse("{% include 'product' for products as item %}")
-      include_node = template.root.nodelist.first
-
-      assert(include_node.for_loop?, "Expected for_loop? to be true for 'for' with alias")
-    end
-  end
-
-  def test_include_with_keyword_and_alias
-    with_error_modes(:lax, :strict, :strict2) do
-      template = Template.parse("{% include 'product' with products[0] as item %}")
-      include_node = template.root.nodelist.first
-
-      refute(include_node.for_loop?, "Expected for_loop? to be false for 'with' with alias")
-    end
-  end
 end # IncludeTagTest

test/integration/variable_test.rb

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class VariableTest < Minitest::Test
 
   def test_expression_with_whitespace_in_square_brackets
     assert_template_result('result', "{{ a[ 'b' ] }}", { 'a' => { 'b' => 'result' } })
-    assert_template_result('result', "{{ a[ self[ 'b' ] ] }}", { 'b' => 'c', 'a' => { 'c' => 'result' } })
+    assert_template_result('result', "{{ a[ [ 'b' ] ] }}", { 'b' => 'c', 'a' => { 'c' => 'result' } })
   end
 
   def test_ignore_unknown
@@ -135,17 +135,17 @@ class VariableTest < Minitest::Test
   end
 
   def test_dynamic_find_var
-    assert_template_result('bar', '{{ self[key] }}', { 'key' => 'foo', 'foo' => 'bar' })
+    assert_template_result('bar', '{{ [key] }}', { 'key' => 'foo', 'foo' => 'bar' })
   end
 
   def test_raw_value_variable
-    assert_template_result('bar', '{{ self[key] }}', { 'key' => 'foo', 'foo' => 'bar' })
+    assert_template_result('bar', '{{ [key] }}', { 'key' => 'foo', 'foo' => 'bar' })
   end
 
   def test_dynamic_find_var_with_drop
     assert_template_result(
       'bar',
-      '{{ self[list[settings.zero]] }}',
+      '{{ [list[settings.zero]] }}',
       {
         'list' => ['foo'],
         'settings' => SettingsDrop.new("zero" => 0),
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ class VariableTest < Minitest::Test
 
     assert_template_result(
       'foo',
-      '{{ self[list[settings.zero]["foo"]] }}',
+      '{{ [list[settings.zero]["foo"]] }}',
       {
         'list' => [{ 'foo' => 'bar' }],
         'settings' => SettingsDrop.new("zero" => 0),

test/unit/fast_path_unit_test.rb

@@ -0,0 +1,256 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'test_helper'
+
+# Tests for the byte-walking fast paths introduced in the ByteTables optimization.
+# Each fast path is tested for equivalence with the original regex-based code path
+# it replaces, covering accepted inputs, rejected inputs, and boundary cases.
+class FastPathUnitTest < Minitest::Test
+  # ── Expression.parse_number ────────────────────────────────────────
+  # Fast path: byte-walk with ByteTables::DIGIT
+  # Replaces: INTEGER_REGEX, FLOAT_REGEX, StringScanner loop
+
+  def test_parse_number_simple_integers
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("42"))
+    assert_equal(0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("0"))
+    assert_equal(999, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("999"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_negative_integers
+    assert_equal(-7, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-7"))
+    assert_equal(-0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-0"))
+    assert_equal(-123, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-123"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_simple_floats
+    assert_equal(3.14, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("3.14"))
+    assert_equal(0.5, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("0.5"))
+    assert_equal(-0.5, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-0.5"))
+    assert_equal(100.0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("100.0"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_trailing_dot
+    # "123." → 123.0 (truncate before dot)
+    assert_equal(123.0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("123."))
+    assert_equal(0.0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("0."))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_multi_dot_floats
+    # "1.2.3" → 1.2 (truncate at second dot)
+    assert_equal(1.2, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("1.2.3"))
+    assert_equal(1.2, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("1.2.3.4"))
+    assert_equal(0.0, Liquid::Expression.parse_number("0.0.0"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_rejects_non_numeric
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("hello"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number(""))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("abc123"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number(".5"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-.5"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_rejects_trailing_alpha_after_multi_dot
+    # "1.2.3a" must be nil, not 1.2 — these are not valid numbers
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("1.2.3a"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("1.2.3.4a"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("1.2.34a"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-1.2.3a"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_number_rejects_bare_dash
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-"))
+    assert_nil(Liquid::Expression.parse_number("-a"))
+  end
+
+  # ── Expression.parse strip guard ───────────────────────────────────
+  # Fast path: skip String#strip when no leading/trailing whitespace
+  # Must produce identical results to unconditional .strip
+
+  def test_parse_strips_leading_whitespace
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("  42"))
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("\t42"))
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("\n42"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_strips_trailing_whitespace
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("42  "))
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("42\t"))
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("42\n"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_strips_both_sides
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("  42  "))
+    assert_equal("hello", Liquid::Expression.parse("  'hello'  "))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_no_strip_needed
+    assert_equal(42, Liquid::Expression.parse("42"))
+    assert_equal("hello", Liquid::Expression.parse("'hello'"))
+    assert_equal(true, Liquid::Expression.parse("true"))
+  end
+
+  def test_parse_strips_null_bytes
+    # String#strip removes \x00 — the WHITESPACE table must match
+    assert_equal(true, Liquid::Expression.parse("\x00true"))
+    assert_equal(true, Liquid::Expression.parse("true\x00"))
+  end
+
+  # ── VariableLookup.simple_lookup? ──────────────────────────────────
+  # Fast path: regex gate for simple a.b.c chains
+  # Must accept only inputs the byte-walk can handle correctly
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_accepts_single_names
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("product"))
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("x"))
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("_private"))
+  end
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_accepts_dotted_chains
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("product.title"))
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("a.b.c.d"))
+  end
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_accepts_question_marks
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("product.available?"))
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("empty?"))
+  end
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_accepts_hyphens
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("my-var"))
+    assert(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("my-var.some-field"))
+  end
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_rejects_brackets
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("product[0]"))
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("hash['key']"))
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("[0]"))
+  end
+
+  def test_simple_lookup_rejects_empty_and_malformed
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?(""))
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?(".leading"))
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("trailing."))
+    refute(Liquid::VariableLookup.simple_lookup?("a..b"))
+  end
+
+  # ── VariableLookup fast path equivalence ───────────────────────────
+  # The fast path must produce identical name, lookups, and command_flags
+  # to the original VariableParser regex path
+
+  def test_fast_path_simple_name
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("product")
+    assert_equal("product", vl.name)
+    assert_equal([], vl.lookups)
+  end
+
+  def test_fast_path_dotted_chain
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("product.title")
+    assert_equal("product", vl.name)
+    assert_equal(["title"], vl.lookups)
+  end
+
+  def test_fast_path_deep_chain
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("a.b.c.d")
+    assert_equal("a", vl.name)
+    assert_equal(["b", "c", "d"], vl.lookups)
+  end
+
+  def test_fast_path_command_methods
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("items.size")
+    assert_equal("items", vl.name)
+    assert_equal(["size"], vl.lookups)
+    assert(vl.lookup_command?(0))
+
+    vl2 = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("items.first")
+    assert(vl2.lookup_command?(0))
+
+    vl3 = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("items.last")
+    assert(vl3.lookup_command?(0))
+  end
+
+  def test_fast_path_non_command_lookups
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("product.title")
+    refute(vl.lookup_command?(0))
+  end
+
+  def test_fast_path_question_mark
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("product.available?")
+    assert_equal("product", vl.name)
+    assert_equal(["available?"], vl.lookups)
+  end
+
+  def test_bracket_lookup_falls_to_regex_path
+    vl = Liquid::VariableLookup.new("product[0]")
+    assert_equal("product", vl.name)
+    assert_equal([0], vl.lookups)
+  end
+
+  # ── BlockBody.try_parse_tag_token ──────────────────────────────────
+  # Fast path: byte-walk tag tokens instead of FullToken regex
+  # Must produce identical [tag_name, markup, newline_count] or nil
+
+  def test_tag_token_simple
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% if x %}")
+    assert_equal(["if", "x ", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_whitespace_control_leading
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{%- if x %}")
+    assert_equal(["if", "x ", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_whitespace_control_trailing
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% if x -%}")
+    assert_equal(["if", "x ", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_whitespace_control_both
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{%- if x -%}")
+    assert_equal(["if", "x ", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_no_markup
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% endif %}")
+    assert_equal(["endif", "", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_hash_comment
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% # this is a comment %}")
+    assert_equal(["#", "this is a comment ", 0], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_with_newlines
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% \n if \n x %}")
+    assert_equal(["if", "x ", 2], result)
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_hyphenated_name_stops_at_hyphen
+    # TagName = /\w+/ does not include hyphens
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% my-tag markup %}")
+    assert_equal("my", result[0])
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_complex_markup
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    result = body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% for item in collection reversed %}")
+    assert_equal("for", result[0])
+    assert_equal("item in collection reversed ", result[1])
+  end
+
+  def test_tag_token_malformed_returns_nil
+    body = Liquid::BlockBody.new
+    # Token too short
+    assert_nil(body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{%"))
+    # No valid tag name start (digit)
+    assert_nil(body.send(:try_parse_tag_token, "{% 123 %}"))
+  end
+end