diff --git a/src/builtin_string.cpp b/src/builtin_string.cpp
index 0915e4911..ca9a1b52b 100644
--- a/src/builtin_string.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin_string.cpp
@@ -196,6 +196,8 @@ static int handle_flag_1(wchar_t **argv, parser_t &parser, io_streams_t &streams
             opts->escape_style = STRING_STYLE_URL;
         } else if (wcscmp(w.woptarg, L"var") == 0) {
             opts->escape_style = STRING_STYLE_VAR;
+        } else if (wcscmp(w.woptarg, L"pcre2") == 0) {
+            opts->escape_style = STRING_STYLE_PCRE2;
         } else {
             string_error(streams, _(L"%ls: Invalid escape style '%ls'\n"), cmd, w.woptarg);
             return STATUS_INVALID_ARGS;
diff --git a/src/common.cpp b/src/common.cpp
index 7160ef978..59a1e77e9 100644
--- a/src/common.cpp
+++ b/src/common.cpp
@@ -1096,6 +1096,42 @@ static void escape_string_script(const wchar_t *orig_in, size_t in_len, wcstring
     }
 }
 
+/// Escapes a string for use in a regex string. Not safe for use with `eval` as only
+/// characters reserved by PCRE2 are escaped, i.e. it relies on fish's automatic escaping
+/// of subshell output in subsequent concatenation or for use as an argument.
+/// \param in is the raw string to be searched for literally when substituted in a PCRE2 expression.
+static wcstring escape_string_pcre2(const wcstring &in) {
+    wcstring out;
+    out.reserve(in.size() * 1.3); // a wild guess
+
+    for (auto c : in) {
+        switch (c) {
+            case L'.':
+            case L'^':
+            case L'$':
+            case L'*':
+            case L'+':
+            case L'(':
+            case L')':
+            case L'?':
+            case L'[':
+            case L'{':
+            case L'}':
+            case L'\\':
+            case L'|':
+            // these two only *need* to be escaped within a character class, and technically it makes
+            // no sense to ever use process substitution output to compose a character class, but...
+            case L'-':
+            case L']':
+                out.push_back('\\');
+            default:
+                out.push_back(c);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return out;
+}
+
 wcstring escape_string(const wchar_t *in, escape_flags_t flags, escape_string_style_t style) {
     wcstring result;
 
@@ -1112,6 +1148,10 @@ wcstring escape_string(const wchar_t *in, escape_flags_t flags, escape_string_st
             escape_string_var(in, result);
             break;
         }
+        case STRING_STYLE_PCRE2: {
+            result = escape_string_pcre2(in);
+            break;
+        }
     }
 
     return result;
@@ -1133,6 +1173,10 @@ wcstring escape_string(const wcstring &in, escape_flags_t flags, escape_string_s
             escape_string_var(in, result);
             break;
         }
+        case STRING_STYLE_PCRE2: {
+            result = escape_string_pcre2(in);
+            break;
+        }
     }
 
     return result;
@@ -1617,6 +1661,11 @@ bool unescape_string(const wchar_t *input, wcstring *output, unescape_flags_t es
             success = unescape_string_var(input, output);
             break;
         }
+        case STRING_STYLE_PCRE2: {
+            // unescaping PCRE2 is not needed/supported, the PCRE2 engine is responsible for that
+            success = false;
+            break;
+        }
     }
     if (!success) output->clear();
     return success;
@@ -1638,6 +1687,11 @@ bool unescape_string(const wcstring &input, wcstring *output, unescape_flags_t e
             success = unescape_string_var(input.c_str(), output);
             break;
         }
+        case STRING_STYLE_PCRE2: {
+            // unescaping PCRE2 is not needed/supported, the PCRE2 engine is responsible for that
+            success = false;
+            break;
+        }
     }
     if (!success) output->clear();
     return success;
diff --git a/src/common.h b/src/common.h
index 4e3b61ca2..da354be9e 100644
--- a/src/common.h
+++ b/src/common.h
@@ -118,7 +118,12 @@ static_assert(false, "Neither NAME_MAX nor MAXNAMELEN is defined!");
 #endif
 #endif
 
-enum escape_string_style_t { STRING_STYLE_SCRIPT, STRING_STYLE_URL, STRING_STYLE_VAR };
+enum escape_string_style_t {
+    STRING_STYLE_SCRIPT,
+    STRING_STYLE_URL,
+    STRING_STYLE_VAR,
+    STRING_STYLE_PCRE2,
+};
 
 // Flags for unescape_string functions.
 enum {
diff --git a/src/fish_tests.cpp b/src/fish_tests.cpp
index 77e646b7f..4ee81280d 100644
--- a/src/fish_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/fish_tests.cpp
@@ -4349,6 +4349,33 @@ static void test_wcstring_tok() {
     }
 }
 
+static void test_pcre2_escape() {
+    say(L"Testing escaping strings as pcre2 literals");
+    // plain text should not be needlessly escaped
+    auto input = L"hello world!";
+    auto escaped = escape_string(input, 0, STRING_STYLE_PCRE2);
+    if (escaped != input) {
+        err(L"Input string %ls unnecessarily PCRE2 escaped as %ls", input, escaped.c_str());
+    }
+
+    // all the following are intended to be ultimately matched literally - even if they don't look
+    // like that's the intent - so we escape them.
+    const wchar_t * tests[][2] = {
+        L".ext", L"\\.ext",
+        L"{word}", L"\\{word\\}",
+        L"hola-mundo", L"hola\\-mundo",
+        L"$17.42 is your total?", L"\\$17\\.42 is your total\\?",
+        L"not really escaped\\?", L"not really escaped\\\\\\?",
+    };
+
+    for (auto &test : tests) {
+        auto escaped = escape_string(test[0], 0, STRING_STYLE_PCRE2);
+        if (escaped != test[1]) {
+            err(L"pcre2_escape error: pcre2_escape(%ls) -> %ls, expected %ls", test[0], escaped.c_str(), test[1]);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 int builtin_string(parser_t &parser, io_streams_t &streams, wchar_t **argv);
 static void run_one_string_test(const wchar_t *const *argv, int expected_rc,
                                 const wchar_t *expected_out) {
@@ -4961,6 +4988,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     if (should_test_function("utf8")) test_utf8();
     if (should_test_function("feature_flags")) test_feature_flags();
     if (should_test_function("escape_sequences")) test_escape_sequences();
+    if (should_test_function("pcre2_escape")) test_pcre2_escape();
     if (should_test_function("lru")) test_lru();
     if (should_test_function("expand")) test_expand();
     if (should_test_function("fuzzy_match")) test_fuzzy_match();
diff --git a/tests/string.err b/tests/string.err
index b016d450d..0b2106c73 100644
--- a/tests/string.err
+++ b/tests/string.err
@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@
 ####################
 # string escape with multibyte chars
 
+####################
+# string escape for literal pcre2 searching
+
 ####################
 # set x (string unescape (echo \x07 | string escape))
 
@@ -182,7 +185,7 @@ string match: ^
 ####################
 # string invalidarg
 string: Subcommand 'invalidarg' is not valid
-Standard input (line 205): 
+Standard input (line 211): 
 string invalidarg; and echo "unexpected exit 0"
 ^
 
@@ -267,7 +270,7 @@ string repeat: Expected argument
 ####################
 # string repeat -l fakearg 2>&1
 string repeat: Unknown option '-l'
-Standard input (line 281): 
+Standard input (line 287): 
 string repeat -l fakearg
 ^
 
diff --git a/tests/string.in b/tests/string.in
index fc6be1bbf..2b4b955fb 100644
--- a/tests/string.in
+++ b/tests/string.in
@@ -101,6 +101,12 @@ string escape --style=var 中
 string escape --style=var aöb | string unescape --style=var
 string escape --style=var 中 | string unescape --style=var
 
+# test regex escaping
+logmsg 'string escape for literal pcre2 searching'
+string escape --style=pcre2 ".ext"
+string escape --style=pcre2 "bonjour, amigo"
+string escape --style=pcre2 "^this is a literal string"
+
 # The following tests verify that we can correctly unescape the same strings
 # we tested escaping above.
 
diff --git a/tests/string.out b/tests/string.out
index a10e6010d..a8a8ecf2f 100644
--- a/tests/string.out
+++ b/tests/string.out
@@ -140,6 +140,12 @@ _E4_B8_AD_
 aöb
 中
 
+####################
+# string escape for literal pcre2 searching
+\.ext
+bonjour, amigo
+\^this is a literal string
+
 ####################
 # set x (string unescape (echo \x07 | string escape))
 success