improvement(utils): finish the escapeRegExp sweep and share the metacharacter class

Replaces the nine inline copies of the escape body the name-based sweep missed,
folds the catalog cursor comparator into compareStrings, and gives linear-regex
its metacharacter test from the same source the escaper uses.

Author: waleedlatif1

.claude/rules/global.md

@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@ Use shared helpers from `@sim/utils` instead of writing inline implementations:
 - `structuredClone(value)` — built-in deep clone, no import needed. Never write `JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj))`
 - `omit(obj, keys)` from `@sim/utils/object` — remove keys from object
 - `filterUndefined(obj)` from `@sim/utils/object` — strip undefined-valued keys. Never write `Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(obj).filter(([, v]) => v !== undefined))`
+- `isRecordLike(value)` from `@sim/utils/object` — indexable-object guard. Never redeclare `typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)`
 - `truncate(str, maxLength, suffix?)` from `@sim/utils/string` — safe string truncation with ellipsis
 - `escapeRegExp(value)` from `@sim/utils/string` — escape regex metacharacters. Never inline `replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')`
 - `compareStrings(left, right)` from `@sim/utils/string` — code-unit string comparator for hashes, fingerprints, and values compared across processes. Never `localeCompare` there
-- `isRecordLike(value)` from `@sim/utils/object` — indexable-object guard. Never redeclare `typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)`
 - `backoffWithJitter(attempt, retryAfterMs, options?)` from `@sim/utils/retry` — exponential backoff with jitter
 - `parseRetryAfter(header)` from `@sim/utils/retry` — parse HTTP `Retry-After` header to milliseconds
 

.cursor/rules/global.mdc

@@ -54,7 +54,10 @@ Use shared helpers from `@sim/utils` instead of writing inline implementations:
 - `structuredClone(value)` — built-in deep clone, no import needed. Never write `JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj))`
 - `omit(obj, keys)` from `@sim/utils/object` — remove keys from object
 - `filterUndefined(obj)` from `@sim/utils/object` — strip undefined-valued keys. Never write `Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(obj).filter(([, v]) => v !== undefined))`
+- `isRecordLike(value)` from `@sim/utils/object` — indexable-object guard. Never redeclare `typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)`
 - `truncate(str, maxLength, suffix?)` from `@sim/utils/string` — safe string truncation with ellipsis
+- `escapeRegExp(value)` from `@sim/utils/string` — escape regex metacharacters. Never inline `replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')`
+- `compareStrings(left, right)` from `@sim/utils/string` — code-unit string comparator for hashes, fingerprints, and values compared across processes. Never `localeCompare` there
 - `backoffWithJitter(attempt, retryAfterMs, options?)` from `@sim/utils/retry` — exponential backoff with jitter
 - `parseRetryAfter(header)` from `@sim/utils/retry` — parse HTTP `Retry-After` header to milliseconds
 

CLAUDE.md

@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ You are a professional software engineer. All code must follow best practices: a
   - `getErrorMessage(e, fallback?)` from `@sim/utils/errors` — extract message string from unknown caught value; never write `e instanceof Error ? e.message : 'fallback'`
   - `structuredClone(value)` — built-in deep clone; never `JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(...))`
   - `omit(obj, keys)` / `filterUndefined(obj)` from `@sim/utils/object` — object trimming; never `Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(...).filter(...))`
+  - `isRecordLike(value)` from `@sim/utils/object` — never redeclare `typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)`
   - `truncate(str, maxLength, suffix?)` from `@sim/utils/string` — never inline slice + ellipsis
   - `escapeRegExp(value)` from `@sim/utils/string` — never inline `replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')`
   - `compareStrings(left, right)` from `@sim/utils/string` — code-unit ordering for hashes, fingerprints, and cross-process comparisons; never `localeCompare` there
-  - `isRecordLike(value)` from `@sim/utils/object` — never redeclare `typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)`
   - `backoffWithJitter(attempt, retryAfterMs, options?)` / `parseRetryAfter(header)` from `@sim/utils/retry` — shared retry pacing; never reimplement exponential backoff inline
 - **Deployment flags in the browser**: client code inside a workspace, organization, or standalone settings surface reads `hosted`, `billingEnabled`, `chatEnabled`, and the enterprise feature set through `useDeploymentShape()` (components) or `getDeploymentShape()` (block conditions, stores, helpers) from `@/lib/core/config/deployment-shape`, never `isHosted`/`isBillingEnabled`/... from `env-flags`. The constants freeze at module init from the root layout's `NEXT_PUBLIC_*` transport, which Next's bare 404 shell and `global-error` never emit; the reader is seeded from the server-resolved workspace host context, organization layout, or standalone settings layout instead. Server code keeps reading `env-flags`
 - **Package Manager**: Use `bun` and `bunx`, not `npm` and `npx`

apps/desktop/src/main/local-filesystem.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
 } from '@sim/desktop-bridge/local-filesystem-limits'
 import { generateId } from '@sim/utils/id'
 import { isRecordLike } from '@sim/utils/object'
+import { escapeRegExp } from '@sim/utils/string'
 import { app, dialog, shell } from 'electron'
 import micromatch from 'micromatch'
 import safeRegex from 'safe-regex2'
@@ -1114,7 +1115,7 @@ export class LocalFilesystemService {
       regex =
         rawPattern !== undefined
           ? new RegExp(expression, ignoreCase ? 'i' : '')
-          : new RegExp(expression.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&'), ignoreCase ? 'i' : '')
+          : new RegExp(escapeRegExp(expression), ignoreCase ? 'i' : '')
     } catch {
       // An empty result set would tell the model the string appears nowhere in
       // the user's files — a factual claim it will act on, when in truth the

apps/sim/app/(landing)/comparisons/[provider]/page.test.tsx

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ vi.mock('@/app/(landing)/comparisons/components/comparison-cards', () => ({
   ComparisonCards: () => null,
 }))
 
+import { escapeRegExp } from '@sim/utils/string'
 import type { Prose } from '@/lib/compare/data'
 import { dustProfile } from '@/lib/compare/data'
 import ComparisonProviderPage from '@/app/(landing)/comparisons/[provider]/page'
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ function countMatches(markup: string, pattern: RegExp): number {
  * against the wrong anchor.
  */
 function anchorWrapping(markup: string, text: string): string {
-  const escaped = text.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+  const escaped = escapeRegExp(text)
   return markup.match(new RegExp(`<a [^>]*>${escaped}</a>`))?.[0] ?? ''
 }
 

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/components/search-highlight/search-highlight.tsx

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { escapeRegExp } from '@sim/utils/string'
+
 interface SearchHighlightProps {
   text: string
   searchQuery: string
@@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ export function SearchHighlight({ text, searchQuery, className = '' }: SearchHig
     .trim()
     .split(/\s+/)
     .filter((term) => term.length > 0)
-    .map((term) => term.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&'))
+    .map(escapeRegExp)
 
   if (searchTerms.length === 0) {
     return <span className={className}>{text}</span>

apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/components/panel/components/editor/components/sub-block/components/tool-input/components/code-editor/code-editor.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   highlight,
   languages,
 } from '@sim/emcn'
+import { escapeRegExp } from '@sim/utils/string'
 import Editor from 'react-simple-code-editor'
 import type { SchemaParameter } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/components/custom-tool-editor/custom-tool-schema'
 import {
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ export function CodeEditor({
 
     if (schemaParameters.length > 0) {
       schemaParameters.forEach((param) => {
-        const escapedName = param.name.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+        const escapedName = escapeRegExp(param.name)
         const paramRegex = new RegExp(`\\b(${escapedName})\\b`, 'g')
         processedCode = processedCode.replace(paramRegex, (match) => {
           const placeholder = `__PARAM_${placeholders.length}__`

apps/sim/ee/scim/lib/protocol/normalize.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { isRecordLike } from '@sim/utils/object'
+
 /**
  * Tolerances for what identity providers actually send, as distinct from what
  * RFC 7644 describes.

apps/sim/lib/catalog/application/catalog-page.ts

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { compareStrings } from '@sim/utils/string'
 import type { V2SortOrder } from '@/lib/api/contracts/v2/shared'
 import { OrchestrationError } from '@/lib/core/orchestration/types'
 
@@ -33,29 +34,14 @@ export function matchesCatalogSearch(
   return fields.some((field) => field?.toLowerCase().includes(term))
 }
 
-/**
- * Orders two strings by UTF-16 code unit, deliberately not by `localeCompare`.
- *
- * A bare `localeCompare` reads the process's default locale and ICU data, so two
- * app instances started with different `LANG` values order the same set
- * differently — and an offset cursor minted on one then names a different row on
- * the other, silently skipping or repeating entries. Code-unit order is the same
- * everywhere, which is the property a cursor needs; catalog ids and names are
- * ASCII, so nothing human-visible changes.
- */
-function compareCodeUnits(left: string, right: string): number {
-  if (left < right) return -1
-  if (left > right) return 1
-  return 0
-}
-
 /**
  * Sorts a copy by one string field, breaking ties on `id`.
  *
  * The tie-break is what makes an offset cursor sound: two entries comparing
  * equal on the sort field must still hold a fixed order, or the position a
  * cursor names moves between requests. `id` is unique across every catalog, so
- * it fully orders each one.
+ * it fully orders each one. {@link compareStrings} keeps that order identical on
+ * every instance; a `localeCompare` here would not.
  */
 export function sortCatalogEntries<T extends { id: string }>(
   entries: readonly T[],
@@ -64,9 +50,9 @@ export function sortCatalogEntries<T extends { id: string }>(
 ): T[] {
   const direction = sortOrder === 'desc' ? -1 : 1
   return [...entries].sort((left, right) => {
-    const compared = compareCodeUnits(select(left), select(right))
+    const compared = compareStrings(select(left), select(right))
     if (compared !== 0) return compared * direction
-    return compareCodeUnits(left.id, right.id) * direction
+    return compareStrings(left.id, right.id) * direction
   })
 }
 

apps/sim/lib/chunkers/structured-data-chunker.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
+import { escapeRegExp } from '@sim/utils/string'
 import { ChunkBudget } from '@/lib/chunkers/chunk-budget'
 import type { Chunk, StructuredDataOptions } from '@/lib/chunkers/types'
 import {
@@ -252,7 +253,7 @@ export class StructuredDataChunker {
 
     const delimiters = [',', '\t', '|']
     for (const delimiter of delimiters) {
-      const escaped = delimiter.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+      const escaped = escapeRegExp(delimiter)
       const counts = lines.map((line) => (line.match(new RegExp(escaped, 'g')) || []).length)
       const avgCount = counts.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0) / counts.length