diff --git a/src/commands.cc b/src/commands.cc
index 3a0251a4..dd6d9878 100644
--- a/src/commands.cc
+++ b/src/commands.cc
@@ -591,9 +591,10 @@ const CommandDesc add_hook_cmd = {
     },
     [](const ParametersParser& parser, Context& context)
     {
-        // copy so that the lambda gets a copy as well
-        Regex regex(parser[2].begin(), parser[2].end());
-        String command = parser[3];
+        Regex regex(parser[2].begin(), parser[2].end(),
+                    Regex::optimize | Regex::nosubs | Regex::ECMAScript);
+        const String& command = parser[3];
+
         auto hook_func = [=](StringView param, Context& context) {
             if (context.user_hooks_support().is_disabled())
                 return;
diff --git a/src/file.cc b/src/file.cc
index ec409df8..268cd47d 100644
--- a/src/file.cc
+++ b/src/file.cc
@@ -56,19 +56,11 @@ String parse_filename(StringView filename)
 
 std::pair<StringView, StringView> split_path(StringView path)
 {
-    StringView dir, file = path;
-    ByteCount dir_end = -1;
-    for (ByteCount i = 0; i < path.length(); ++i)
-    {
-        if (path[i] == '/')
-            dir_end = i;
-    }
-    if (dir_end != -1)
-    {
-        dir = path.substr(0, dir_end + 1);
-        file = path.substr(dir_end + 1);
-    }
-    return { dir, file };
+    auto it = find(reversed(path), '/');
+    if (it == path.rend())
+        return { {}, path };
+    const char* slash = it.base()-1;
+    return { {path.begin(), slash}, {slash+1, path.end()} };
 }
 
 String real_path(StringView filename)
diff --git a/src/file.hh b/src/file.hh
index 8fc4eac0..0515c89a 100644
--- a/src/file.hh
+++ b/src/file.hh
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ String parse_filename(StringView filename);
 String real_path(StringView filename);
 String compact_path(StringView filename);
 
+// returns pair { directory, filename }
+std::pair<StringView, StringView> split_path(StringView path);
+
 String get_kak_binary_path();
 
 String read_fd(int fd);
diff --git a/src/shell_manager.cc b/src/shell_manager.cc
index 6b82ba91..1c614455 100644
--- a/src/shell_manager.cc
+++ b/src/shell_manager.cc
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@ ShellManager::ShellManager()
     if (path)
         new_path = path + ":"_str;
 
-    String kak_path = get_kak_binary_path();
-    StringView kak_dir{kak_path.begin(), find(reversed(kak_path), '/').base()-1};
-    new_path += kak_dir;
+    new_path += split_path(get_kak_binary_path()).first;
     setenv("PATH", new_path.c_str(), 1);
 }