diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/expr-records.ts b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/expr-records.ts
index af4bb092f..58f1297b3 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/expr-records.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/backend/llvm/expr-records.ts
@@ -195,9 +195,31 @@ function emitReplaceWith(
   return host.own({ name: t, type: e.type });
 }
 
+/** Substitutions whose result owns its text: once the runtime call returns,
+ * no operand is read again. */
+function releasesInputsOnReturn(method: string): boolean {
+  return method === "replace" || method === "replaceAll";
+}
+
 export function emitRegexIntrinsic(
   host: LlvmEmitterContext,
   e: IrExpr & { kind: "regexIntrinsic" },
+): LlValue {
+  if (!releasesInputsOnReturn(e.method)) return emitRegexOperation(host, e);
+  // The operands' temps (the subject of a chained substitution, a computed
+  // replacement) are released when the call returns rather than at the
+  // end of the statement, so a chain of substitutions holds at most its
+  // current subject and result.
+  host.frames.push([]);
+  const out = emitRegexOperation(host, e);
+  host.toFrame(out);
+  host.releaseTemps(host.frames.pop()!);
+  return host.own(out);
+}
+
+function emitRegexOperation(
+  host: LlvmEmitterContext,
+  e: IrExpr & { kind: "regexIntrinsic" },
 ): LlValue {
   const B = host.B;
   const method = e.method;
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/regex-replace-lifetimes.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/regex-replace-lifetimes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0c60a9e5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/regex-replace-lifetimes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import { mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { compile } from "../src/index.js";
+
+async function emitLlvm(source: string): Promise<string> {
+  const dir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "scriptc-regex-replace-"));
+  try {
+    const entry = join(dir, "main.ts");
+    const outPath = join(dir, "main.ll");
+    await writeFile(entry, source);
+    const result = await compile(entry, { outDir: dir, outPath, outputKind: "llvm" });
+    expect(result.ok, JSON.stringify(result.diagnostics)).toBe(true);
+    return await readFile(outPath, "utf8");
+  } finally {
+    await rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+function functionBody(llvm: string, name: string): string[] {
+  const start = llvm.split("\n").findIndex((l) => l.startsWith("define") && l.includes(name));
+  expect(start).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+  const lines = llvm.split("\n").slice(start);
+  return lines.slice(0, lines.indexOf("}"));
+}
+
+test("a chain of substitutions releases each intermediate result when the next one returns", async () => {
+  const llvm = await emitLlvm(`
+function chain(s: string): number {
+  return s
+    .replace(/a[bc]/g, "<1>")
+    .replace(/b[cd]/g, "<2>")
+    .replace(/c[de]/g, "<3>")
+    .replaceAll(/<[^>]*>/g, "|").length;
+}
+console.log(chain(process.argv[2] ?? "abcabc"));
+`);
+  const body = functionBody(llvm, "chain");
+  const calls = body
+    .map((line, index) => ({ line, index }))
+    .filter(({ line }) => /call ptr @scr_regex_replace(_all|_with)?\(/.test(line));
+  expect(calls).toHaveLength(4);
+  const results = calls.map(({ line }) => /^\s*(%[\w.]+) = call/.exec(line)![1]!);
+  // Each intermediate result is released after the call that consumes it
+  // and before the next substitution starts.
+  for (let k = 0; k < 3; k++) {
+    const release = body.findIndex(
+      (line, index) =>
+        index > calls[k + 1]!.index &&
+        line.includes("release") &&
+        line.includes(`(ptr ${results[k]})`),
+    );
+    expect(release, `release of ${results[k]}`).toBeGreaterThan(calls[k + 1]!.index);
+    if (k + 2 < calls.length) expect(release).toBeLessThan(calls[k + 2]!.index);
+  }
+});