diff --git a/Taskfile.yml b/Taskfile.yml
index 1a9f32f..620737c 100644
--- a/Taskfile.yml
+++ b/Taskfile.yml
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ tasks:
         ignore_error: false
       - cmd: ./{{.BINARY}} check --branch feat/x testdata/workflow_vars.yml
         ignore_error: false
+      - cmd: ./{{.BINARY}} check testdata/workflow_escape.yml
+        ignore_error: false
       - cmd: ./{{.BINARY}} check testdata/variable_refs.yml
         ignore_error: false
       - cmd: ./{{.BINARY}} check testdata/variable_refs_included.yml
diff --git a/internal/model/parser.go b/internal/model/parser.go
index 8ea3f7b..10ca1cb 100644
--- a/internal/model/parser.go
+++ b/internal/model/parser.go
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ func Parse(path string) (*Pipeline, error) {
 
 // ParseBytes parses YAML from an in-memory byte slice.
 func ParseBytes(data []byte) (*Pipeline, error) {
+	data = sanitizeYAMLEscapes(data)
+
 	// First pass: parse into a yaml.Node document to extract job keys with
 	// their exact source line numbers (key nodes carry the line, value nodes
 	// carry the body we decode into Job / map[string]any).
@@ -75,3 +77,63 @@ func ParseBytes(data []byte) (*Pipeline, error) {
 
 	return p, nil
 }
+
+// sanitizeYAMLEscapes rewrites double-quoted YAML strings, replacing the \/
+// escape sequence (unrecognised by gopkg.in/yaml.v3) with \\/ so that the
+// parser produces a literal backslash+slash — preserving regex patterns like
+// /^us\// that appear in GitLab CI if: expressions.
+func sanitizeYAMLEscapes(data []byte) []byte {
+	type state int
+	const (
+		stOutside state = iota
+		stSingleQ
+		stDoubleQ
+		stEscape
+	)
+
+	out := make([]byte, 0, len(data))
+	s := stOutside
+
+	for i := 0; i < len(data); i++ {
+		b := data[i]
+		switch s {
+		case stOutside:
+			out = append(out, b)
+			switch b {
+			case '"':
+				s = stDoubleQ
+			case '\'':
+				s = stSingleQ
+			}
+		case stSingleQ:
+			out = append(out, b)
+			if b == '\'' {
+				if i+1 < len(data) && data[i+1] == '\'' {
+					// '' inside a single-quoted string is an escaped single-quote
+					out = append(out, data[i+1])
+					i++
+				} else {
+					s = stOutside
+				}
+			}
+		case stDoubleQ:
+			out = append(out, b)
+			switch b {
+			case '\\':
+				s = stEscape
+			case '"':
+				s = stOutside
+			}
+		case stEscape:
+			if b == '/' {
+				// \/ is not recognised by yaml.v3; rewrite as \\/ which
+				// the parser resolves to a literal backslash + slash.
+				out = append(out, '\\', '/')
+			} else {
+				out = append(out, b)
+			}
+			s = stDoubleQ
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
diff --git a/testdata/workflow_escape.yml b/testdata/workflow_escape.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd9ea31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testdata/workflow_escape.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+---
+# workflow_vars.yml
+# Exercises workflow:rules:variables: injection.
+# The matching workflow rule sets DEPLOY_TARGET; job rules use it.
+#
+# Expected behaviour per context:
+#   (no context)       → all jobs active (no context evaluation)
+#   --branch main      → deploy-prod active, deploy-staging skipped
+#   --branch develop   → deploy-prod skipped, deploy-staging active
+#   --branch feat/x    → deploy-prod skipped, deploy-staging skipped (manual)
+
+stages:
+  - build
+  - deploy
+
+variables:
+  DEPLOY_TARGET:
+    value: ""
+    description: "Deployment target — set by workflow rules"
+
+workflow:
+  rules:
+    - if: "
+        $WORKFLOW = 'gitflow' &&
+        $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == /(push|web)/ && 
+        $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH =~ /^us\//
+        "
+      variables:
+        DEPLOY_TARGET: production
+        BUILD: true
+        TEST: true        
+    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "develop"'
+      variables:
+        DEPLOY_TARGET: staging
+    - when: always
+
+build:
+  stage: build
+  script: make build
+  rules:
+    - when: always
+
+deploy-prod:
+  stage: deploy
+  script: make deploy ENV=production
+  rules:
+    - if: '$DEPLOY_TARGET == "production"'
+      when: on_success
+    - when: never
+
+deploy-staging:
+  stage: deploy
+  script: make deploy ENV=staging
+  rules:
+    - if: '$DEPLOY_TARGET == "staging"'
+      when: on_success
+    - when: never