diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 268a45c5a..4ac7269e0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         os:
           - ubuntu-latest
-        # 1.65 is the MSRV
-        rust-version: ["1.65", stable]
+        rust-version: ["1.66", stable]
       fail-fast: false
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index cd89b5fa8..f752e5df6 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -60,6 +60,21 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.48.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bit-set"
+version = "0.5.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0700ddab506f33b20a03b13996eccd309a48e5ff77d0d95926aa0210fb4e95f1"
+dependencies = [
+ "bit-vec",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "bit-vec"
+version = "0.6.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "349f9b6a179ed607305526ca489b34ad0a41aed5f7980fa90eb03160b69598fb"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "camino"
 version = "1.1.6"
@@ -118,8 +133,8 @@ name = "datatest-stable"
 version = "0.2.6"
 dependencies = [
  "camino",
+ "fancy-regex",
  "libtest-mimic",
- "regex",
  "walkdir",
 ]
 
@@ -132,6 +147,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "rustversion",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "fancy-regex"
+version = "0.13.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "531e46835a22af56d1e3b66f04844bed63158bc094a628bec1d321d9b4c44bf2"
+dependencies = [
+ "bit-set",
+ "regex-automata",
+ "regex-syntax",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "heck"
 version = "0.4.1"
@@ -213,18 +239,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "regex"
-version = "1.10.4"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "c117dbdfde9c8308975b6a18d71f3f385c89461f7b3fb054288ecf2a2058ba4c"
-dependencies = [
- "aho-corasick",
- "memchr",
- "regex-automata",
- "regex-syntax",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "regex-automata"
 version = "0.4.6"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 10bd25854..4df086fa4 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,12 +9,12 @@ readme = "README.md"
 edition = "2021"
 categories = ["development-tools::testing"]
 keywords = ["datatest", "data-driven-tests", "test-harness"]
-rust-version = "1.65"
+rust-version = "1.66"
 
 [dependencies]
 camino = "1.1.6"
+fancy-regex = "0.13.0"
 libtest-mimic = "0.7.2"
-regex = "1.10.4"
 walkdir = "2.5.0"
 
 [[test]]
diff --git a/src/runner.rs b/src/runner.rs
index ad1417d9f..1582cf0bb 100644
--- a/src/runner.rs
+++ b/src/runner.rs
@@ -52,13 +52,20 @@ impl Requirements {
     /// Scans all files in a given directory, finds matching ones and generates a test descriptor
     /// for each of them.
     fn expand(&self) -> Vec<Trial> {
-        let re = regex::Regex::new(&self.pattern)
+        let re = fancy_regex::Regex::new(&self.pattern)
             .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("invalid regular expression: '{}'", self.pattern));
 
         let tests: Vec<_> = utils::iterate_directory(&self.root)
             .filter_map(|path_res| {
                 let path = path_res.expect("error while iterating directory");
-                if re.is_match(path.as_str()) {
+                if re.is_match(path.as_str()).unwrap_or_else(|error| {
+                    panic!(
+                        "error matching pattern '{}' against path '{}' : {}",
+                        self.pattern,
+                        path.as_str(),
+                        error
+                    )
+                }) {
                     let testfn = self.test;
                     let name = utils::derive_test_name(&self.root, &path, &self.test_name);
                     Some(Trial::test(name, move || {
diff --git a/tests/example.rs b/tests/example.rs
index d814faaac..13ff47f18 100644
--- a/tests/example.rs
+++ b/tests/example.rs
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ fn test_artifact_utf8(path: &Utf8Path) -> Result<()> {
 datatest_stable::harness!(
     test_artifact,
     "tests/files",
-    r"^.*/*",
+    r"^.*(?<!\.skip)\.txt$", // this regex pattern skips .skip.txt files
     test_artifact_utf8,
     "tests/files",
-    r"^.*/*",
+    r"^.*\.txt$", // this regexpattern matches all files
 );
diff --git a/tests/files/a b/tests/files/a.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/files/a
rename to tests/files/a.txt
diff --git a/tests/files/b b/tests/files/b.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/files/b
rename to tests/files/b.txt
diff --git a/tests/files/c.skip.txt b/tests/files/c.skip.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eab004c32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/files/c.skip.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+baz foo