diff --git a/src/compiletest/common.rs b/src/compiletest/common.rs
index a7f693da6cc..1c629e5a5fd 100644
--- a/src/compiletest/common.rs
+++ b/src/compiletest/common.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2012-2013 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// Copyright 2012-2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
 // file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
 // http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
 //
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ pub struct Config {
     // Only run tests that match this filter
     pub filter: Option<Regex>,
 
+    // Precompiled regex for finding expected errors in cfail
+    pub cfail_regex: Regex,
+
     // Write out a parseable log of tests that were run
     pub logfile: Option<Path>,
 
@@ -144,5 +147,4 @@ pub struct Config {
 
     // Explain what's going on
     pub verbose: bool
-
 }
diff --git a/src/compiletest/compiletest.rs b/src/compiletest/compiletest.rs
index 3fb354a7867..db9cf358a9b 100644
--- a/src/compiletest/compiletest.rs
+++ b/src/compiletest/compiletest.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2012 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// Copyright 2012-2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
 // file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
 // http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
 //
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ use getopts::{optopt, optflag, reqopt};
 use common::Config;
 use common::{Pretty, DebugInfoGdb, Codegen};
 use util::logv;
+use regex::Regex;
 
 pub mod procsrv;
 pub mod util;
@@ -147,6 +148,7 @@ pub fn parse_config(args: Vec<StrBuf> ) -> Config {
                                        .as_slice()).expect("invalid mode"),
         run_ignored: matches.opt_present("ignored"),
         filter: filter,
+        cfail_regex: Regex::new(errors::EXPECTED_PATTERN).unwrap(),
         logfile: matches.opt_str("logfile").map(|s| Path::new(s)),
         save_metrics: matches.opt_str("save-metrics").map(|s| Path::new(s)),
         ratchet_metrics:
diff --git a/src/compiletest/errors.rs b/src/compiletest/errors.rs
index 4e65115caa2..408206b16e9 100644
--- a/src/compiletest/errors.rs
+++ b/src/compiletest/errors.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2012 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// Copyright 2012-2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
 // file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
 // http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
 //
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // except according to those terms.
 
 use std::io::{BufferedReader, File};
+use regex::Regex;
 
 pub struct ExpectedError {
     pub line: uint,
@@ -16,61 +17,28 @@ pub struct ExpectedError {
     pub msg: StrBuf,
 }
 
+pub static EXPECTED_PATTERN : &'static str = r"//~(?P<adjusts>\^*)\s*(?P<kind>\S*)\s*(?P<msg>.*)";
+
 // Load any test directives embedded in the file
-pub fn load_errors(testfile: &Path) -> Vec<ExpectedError> {
-
-    let mut error_patterns = Vec::new();
+pub fn load_errors(re: &Regex, testfile: &Path) -> Vec<ExpectedError> {
     let mut rdr = BufferedReader::new(File::open(testfile).unwrap());
-    let mut line_num = 1u;
-    for ln in rdr.lines() {
-        error_patterns.push_all_move(parse_expected(line_num,
-                                                    ln.unwrap().to_strbuf()));
-        line_num += 1u;
-    }
-    return error_patterns;
+
+    rdr.lines().enumerate().filter_map(|(line_no, ln)| {
+        parse_expected(line_no + 1, ln.unwrap(), re)
+    }).collect()
 }
 
-fn parse_expected(line_num: uint, line: StrBuf) -> Vec<ExpectedError> {
-    let line = line.as_slice().trim().to_strbuf();
-    let error_tag = "//~".to_strbuf();
-    let mut idx;
-    match line.as_slice().find_str(error_tag.as_slice()) {
-      None => return Vec::new(),
-      Some(nn) => { idx = (nn as uint) + error_tag.len(); }
-    }
+fn parse_expected(line_num: uint, line: &str, re: &Regex) -> Option<ExpectedError> {
+    re.captures(line).and_then(|caps| {
+        let adjusts = caps.name("adjusts").len();
+        let kind = caps.name("kind").to_ascii().to_lower().into_str().to_strbuf();
+        let msg = caps.name("msg").trim().to_strbuf();
 
-    // "//~^^^ kind msg" denotes a message expected
-    // three lines above current line:
-    let mut adjust_line = 0u;
-    let len = line.len();
-    while idx < len && line.as_slice()[idx] == ('^' as u8) {
-        adjust_line += 1u;
-        idx += 1u;
-    }
-
-    // Extract kind:
-    while idx < len && line.as_slice()[idx] == (' ' as u8) {
-        idx += 1u;
-    }
-    let start_kind = idx;
-    while idx < len && line.as_slice()[idx] != (' ' as u8) {
-        idx += 1u;
-    }
-
-    let kind = line.as_slice().slice(start_kind, idx);
-    let kind = kind.to_ascii().to_lower().into_str().to_strbuf();
-
-    // Extract msg:
-    while idx < len && line.as_slice()[idx] == (' ' as u8) {
-        idx += 1u;
-    }
-    let msg = line.as_slice().slice(idx, len).to_strbuf();
-
-    debug!("line={} kind={} msg={}", line_num - adjust_line, kind, msg);
-
-    return vec!(ExpectedError{
-        line: line_num - adjust_line,
-        kind: kind,
-        msg: msg,
-    });
+        debug!("line={} kind={} msg={}", line_num, kind, msg);
+        Some(ExpectedError {
+            line: line_num - adjusts,
+            kind: kind,
+            msg: msg,
+        })
+    })
 }
diff --git a/src/compiletest/runtest.rs b/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
index cd00a949bf8..8c2b34ff35d 100644
--- a/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
+++ b/src/compiletest/runtest.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2012-2013 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
+// Copyright 2012-2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT
 // file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at
 // http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT.
 //
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ fn run_cfail_test(config: &Config, props: &TestProps, testfile: &Path) {
 
     check_correct_failure_status(&proc_res);
 
-    let expected_errors = errors::load_errors(testfile);
+    let expected_errors = errors::load_errors(&config.cfail_regex, testfile);
     if !expected_errors.is_empty() {
         if !props.error_patterns.is_empty() {
             fatal("both error pattern and expected errors \