diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/ByteCodeGen.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/ByteCodeGen.swift
index 5fb8e89c..3820f504 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/ByteCodeGen.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/ByteCodeGen.swift
@@ -43,9 +43,18 @@ extension Compiler {
 
 extension Compiler.ByteCodeGen {
   mutating func emitRoot(_ root: DSLTree.Node) throws -> MEProgram {
-    // The whole match (`.0` element of output) is equivalent to an implicit
-    // capture over the entire regex.
-    try emitNode(.capture(name: nil, reference: nil, root))
+    // If the whole regex is a matcher, then the whole-match value
+    // is the constructed value. Denote that the current value
+    // register is the processor's value output.
+    switch root {
+    case .matcher:
+      builder.denoteCurrentValueIsWholeMatchValue()
+    default:
+      break
+    }
+
+    try emitNode(root)
+
     builder.canOnlyMatchAtStart = root.canOnlyMatchAtStart()
     builder.buildAccept()
     return try builder.assemble()
@@ -149,8 +158,9 @@ fileprivate extension Compiler.ByteCodeGen {
       guard let i = n.value else {
         throw Unreachable("Expected a value")
       }
+      let cap = builder.captureRegister(forBackreference: i)
       builder.buildBackreference(
-        .init(i), isScalarMode: options.semanticLevel == .unicodeScalar)
+        cap, isScalarMode: options.semanticLevel == .unicodeScalar)
     case .named(let name):
       try builder.buildNamedReference(
         name, isScalarMode: options.semanticLevel == .unicodeScalar)
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MEBuilder.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MEBuilder.swift
index cd43dc76..c862cfae 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MEBuilder.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MEBuilder.swift
@@ -33,10 +33,18 @@ extension MEProgram {
 
     // Registers
     var nextIntRegister = IntRegister(0)
-    var nextCaptureRegister = CaptureRegister(0)
     var nextValueRegister = ValueRegister(0)
     var nextPositionRegister = PositionRegister(0)
 
+    // Set to non-nil when a value register holds the whole-match
+    // value (i.e. when a regex consists entirely of a custom matcher)
+    var wholeMatchValue: ValueRegister? = nil
+
+    // Note: Capture 0 (i.e. whole-match) is handled specially
+    // by the engine, so `n` here refers to the regex AST's `n+1`
+    // capture
+    var nextCaptureRegister = CaptureRegister(0)
+
     // Special addresses or instructions
     var failAddressToken: AddressToken? = nil
 
@@ -70,6 +78,24 @@ extension MEProgram.Builder {
       self.second = b
     }
   }
+
+  // Maps the AST's named capture offset to a capture register
+  func captureRegister(named name: String) throws -> CaptureRegister {
+    guard let index = captureList.indexOfCapture(named: name) else {
+      throw RegexCompilationError.uncapturedReference
+    }
+    return .init(index - 1)
+  }
+
+  // Map an AST's backreference number to a capture register
+  func captureRegister(forBackreference i: Int) -> CaptureRegister {
+    .init(i - 1)
+  }
+
+  mutating func denoteCurrentValueIsWholeMatchValue() {
+    assert(wholeMatchValue == nil)
+    wholeMatchValue = nextValueRegister
+  }
 }
 
 extension MEProgram.Builder {
@@ -337,10 +363,8 @@ extension MEProgram.Builder {
   }
 
   mutating func buildNamedReference(_ name: String, isScalarMode: Bool) throws {
-    guard let index = captureList.indexOfCapture(named: name) else {
-      throw RegexCompilationError.uncapturedReference
-    }
-    buildBackreference(.init(index), isScalarMode: isScalarMode)
+    let cap = try captureRegister(named: name)
+    buildBackreference(cap, isScalarMode: isScalarMode)
   }
 
   // TODO: Mutating because of fail address fixup, drop when
@@ -401,6 +425,7 @@ extension MEProgram.Builder {
     regInfo.transformFunctions = transformFunctions.count
     regInfo.matcherFunctions = matcherFunctions.count
     regInfo.captures = nextCaptureRegister.rawValue
+    regInfo.wholeMatchValue = wholeMatchValue?.rawValue
 
     return MEProgram(
       instructions: InstructionList(instructions),
@@ -514,8 +539,8 @@ extension MEProgram.Builder {
       assert(preexistingValue == nil)
     }
     if let name = name {
-      let index = captureList.indexOfCapture(named: name)
-      assert(index == nextCaptureRegister.rawValue)
+      let cap = try? captureRegister(named: name)
+      assert(cap == nextCaptureRegister)
     }
     assert(nextCaptureRegister.rawValue < captureList.captures.count)
     return nextCaptureRegister
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MECapture.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MECapture.swift
index 3dfda6b9..e18365d6 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MECapture.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/MECapture.swift
@@ -84,17 +84,3 @@ extension Processor {
     }
   }
 }
-
-struct MECaptureList {
-  var values: Array<Processor._StoredCapture>
-  var referencedCaptureOffsets: [ReferenceID: Int]
-
-  func latestUntyped(from input: String) -> Array<Substring?> {
-    values.map {
-      guard let range = $0.range else {
-        return nil
-      }
-      return input[range]
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Registers.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Registers.swift
index 43fb0b8d..eb600e97 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Registers.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Registers.swift
@@ -172,6 +172,10 @@ extension MEProgram {
     var positionStackAddresses = 0
     var savePointAddresses = 0
     var captures = 0
+
+    // The value register holding the whole-match value, if there
+    // is one
+    var wholeMatchValue: Int? = nil
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Structuralize.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Structuralize.swift
index df109083..d91d0f1a 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Structuralize.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Engine/Structuralize.swift
@@ -1,20 +1,36 @@
 internal import _RegexParser
 
-extension CaptureList {
-  @available(SwiftStdlib 5.7, *)
-  func createElements(
-    _ list: MECaptureList
+@available(SwiftStdlib 5.7, *)
+extension Executor {
+  static func createExistentialElements(
+    _ program: MEProgram,
+    matchRange: Range<String.Index>,
+    storedCaptures: [Processor._StoredCapture],
+    wholeMatchValue: Any?
   ) -> [AnyRegexOutput.ElementRepresentation] {
-    assert(list.values.count == captures.count)
-    
+    let capList = program.captureList
+    let capOffsets = program.referencedCaptureOffsets
+
+    // Formal captures include the entire match
+    assert(storedCaptures.count + 1 == capList.captures.count)
+
     var result = [AnyRegexOutput.ElementRepresentation]()
-    
-    for (i, (cap, meStored)) in zip(captures, list.values).enumerated() {
+    result.reserveCapacity(1 + capList.captures.count)
+    result.append(
+      AnyRegexOutput.ElementRepresentation(
+        optionalDepth: 0,
+        content: (matchRange, wholeMatchValue),
+        visibleInTypedOutput: capList.captures[0].visibleInTypedOutput)
+      )
+
+    for (i, (cap, meStored)) in zip(
+      capList.captures.dropFirst(), storedCaptures
+    ).enumerated() {
       let element = AnyRegexOutput.ElementRepresentation(
         optionalDepth: cap.optionalDepth,
         content: meStored.deconstructed,
         name: cap.name,
-        referenceID: list.referencedCaptureOffsets.first { $1 == i }?.key,
+        referenceID: capOffsets.first { $1 == i }?.key,
         visibleInTypedOutput: cap.visibleInTypedOutput
       )
       
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Executor.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Executor.swift
index 6befcdbc..46c03eb1 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Executor.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Executor.swift
@@ -190,15 +190,22 @@ extension Executor {
     guard let endIdx = try cpu.run() else {
       return nil
     }
-    let capList = MECaptureList(
-      values: cpu.storedCaptures,
-      referencedCaptureOffsets: program.referencedCaptureOffsets)
-
     let range = startPosition..<endIdx
-    let caps = program.captureList.createElements(capList)
+
+    let wholeMatchValue: Any?
+    if let val = program.registerInfo.wholeMatchValue {
+      wholeMatchValue = cpu.registers.values[val]
+    } else {
+      wholeMatchValue = nil
+    }
+    let aroElements = Executor.createExistentialElements(
+      program,
+      matchRange: startPosition..<endIdx,
+      storedCaptures: cpu.storedCaptures,
+      wholeMatchValue: wholeMatchValue)
 
     let anyRegexOutput = AnyRegexOutput(
-      input: cpu.input, elements: caps)
+      input: cpu.input, elements: aroElements)
     return .init(anyRegexOutput: anyRegexOutput, range: range)
   }}
 
diff --git a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Regex/Match.swift b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Regex/Match.swift
index b4cecead..3ade1f2f 100644
--- a/Sources/_StringProcessing/Regex/Match.swift
+++ b/Sources/_StringProcessing/Regex/Match.swift
@@ -40,7 +40,10 @@ extension Regex.Match {
     let typeErasedMatch = anyRegexOutput.existentialOutput(
       from: anyRegexOutput.input
     )
-    return typeErasedMatch as! Output
+    guard let output = typeErasedMatch as? Output else {
+      fatalError("Internal error: existential cast failed")
+    }
+    return output
   }
 
   /// Accesses a capture by its name or number.
diff --git a/Tests/RegexBuilderTests/CustomTests.swift b/Tests/RegexBuilderTests/CustomTests.swift
index 848ef462..348a1c29 100644
--- a/Tests/RegexBuilderTests/CustomTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/RegexBuilderTests/CustomTests.swift
@@ -518,6 +518,38 @@ class CustomRegexComponentTests: XCTestCase {
       ("x10x", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
       ("30", 30, nil)
     )
+    customTest(
+      Regex {
+        Optionally {
+          IntParser()
+        }
+      },
+      ("zzz", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("x10x", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("30", "30", nil)
+    )
+    customTest(
+      Regex {
+        Regex {
+          IntParser()
+        }
+      },
+      ("zzz", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("x10x", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("30", 30, nil)
+    )
+    customTest(
+      Regex {
+        Regex {
+          IntParser()
+        }
+        "x"
+      },
+      ("zzz", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("x10x", nil, IntParser.ParseError()),
+      ("30", nil, nil),
+      ("30x", "30x", nil)
+    )
 
     customTest(
       Regex {