diff --git a/HellionChat/Configuration.cs b/HellionChat/Configuration.cs
index ae7a9b8..06683a4 100755
--- a/HellionChat/Configuration.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Configuration.cs
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 using System.Collections;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
 using Dalamud;
 using Dalamud.Bindings.ImGui;
 using Dalamud.Configuration;
 using Dalamud.Game.ClientState.Keys;
 using Dalamud.Game.Text.SeStringHandling.Payloads;
 using Dalamud.Interface.FontIdentifier;
+using HellionChat._Helpers;
 using HellionChat.Code;
 using HellionChat.GameFunctions.Types;
 using HellionChat.Resources;
@@ -459,6 +462,10 @@ public class Tab
     public bool EnableNotificationSound;
     public uint NotificationSoundId = 1;
 
+    // UI-8: optional regex applied on top of the channel filter. Null or
+    // empty means no filter, today's behaviour unchanged.
+    public string? MessageRegex;
+
     [NonSerialized]
     public uint Unread;
 
@@ -512,11 +519,32 @@ public class Tab
     [NonSerialized]
     internal float _cardHoverAlpha;
 
+    // UI-8: compiled-regex cache. Recompiled only when MessageRegex changes;
+    // _compiledRegexKey is the validation key (mirrors the _cachedTint* keys).
+    [NonSerialized]
+    private Regex? _compiledRegex;
+
+    [NonSerialized]
+    private string? _compiledRegexKey;
+
     public bool Matches(Message message)
     {
         if (!message.Matches(SelectedChannels, ExtraChatAll, ExtraChatChannels))
             return false;
 
+        // UI-8: optional regex content filter, AND-constraint after the channel
+        // check. An empty pattern or an invalid one (cached regex is null) lets
+        // every message through, so existing tabs behave unchanged.
+        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(MessageRegex))
+        {
+            var text = string.Join(
+                "",
+                message.Content.OfType<TextChunk>().Select(c => c.Content)
+            );
+            if (!RegexRouteMatcher.IsMatch(GetCompiledRegex(), text))
+                return false;
+        }
+
         // Temp tabs are bound to a single conversation partner — other tells
         // matching the channel filter must not land here.
         if (IsTempTab && TellTarget?.IsSet() == true)
@@ -525,6 +553,20 @@ public class Tab
         return true;
     }
 
+    // UI-8: lazily compiles MessageRegex and caches the result. Recompiles only
+    // when the pattern string changed (validation-key pattern, same idea as the
+    // _cachedTint* caches). An invalid pattern caches a null regex.
+    private Regex? GetCompiledRegex()
+    {
+        if (_compiledRegexKey != MessageRegex)
+        {
+            (_compiledRegex, _) = RegexRouteMatcher.Compile(MessageRegex);
+            _compiledRegexKey = MessageRegex;
+        }
+
+        return _compiledRegex;
+    }
+
     public void AddMessage(Message message, bool unread = true)
     {
         Messages.AddPrune(message, MessageManager.MessageDisplayLimit);
@@ -579,6 +621,7 @@ public class Tab
             TellTarget = TellTarget.Clone(),
             EnableNotificationSound = EnableNotificationSound,
             NotificationSoundId = NotificationSoundId,
+            MessageRegex = MessageRegex,
             IsGreeted = IsGreeted,
         };
     }
diff --git a/HellionChat/Ui/SettingsTabs/Tabs.cs b/HellionChat/Ui/SettingsTabs/Tabs.cs
index 865c5a6..08816c9 100755
--- a/HellionChat/Ui/SettingsTabs/Tabs.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Ui/SettingsTabs/Tabs.cs
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 using Dalamud.Bindings.ImGui;
 using Dalamud.Game.ClientState.Objects.SubKinds;
 using Dalamud.Interface;
+using Dalamud.Interface.Colors;
 using Dalamud.Interface.Utility.Raii;
 using FFXIVClientStructs.FFXIV.Client.UI;
+using HellionChat._Helpers;
 using HellionChat.Code;
 using HellionChat.Resources;
 using HellionChat.Util;
@@ -238,6 +240,25 @@ internal sealed class Tabs : ISettingsTab
                     }
                 }
             }
+            // UI-8: optional regex filter for this tab.
+            var regexBuffer = tab.MessageRegex ?? string.Empty;
+            if (ImGui.InputText($"{HellionStrings.Settings_Tabs_MessageRegex_Name}##regex-{i}", ref regexBuffer, 256))
+                tab.MessageRegex = string.IsNullOrEmpty(regexBuffer) ? null : regexBuffer;
+            ImGuiUtil.HelpMarker(HellionStrings.Settings_Tabs_MessageRegex_Description);
+
+            // Validity feedback: the settings window is not a hot path, so a
+            // per-frame Compile is fine. An invalid pattern shows a red line and
+            // the tab behaves as if no regex were set.
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(tab.MessageRegex))
+            {
+                var (_, regexError) = RegexRouteMatcher.Compile(tab.MessageRegex);
+                if (regexError is not null)
+                    ImGui.TextColored(
+                        ImGuiColors.DalamudRed,
+                        string.Format(HellionStrings.Settings_Tabs_MessageRegex_Invalid, regexError)
+                    );
+            }
+
             ImGui.Checkbox(Language.Options_Tabs_PopOut, ref tab.PopOut);
             if (tab.PopOut)
             {
diff --git a/HellionChat/_Helpers/RegexRouteMatcher.cs b/HellionChat/_Helpers/RegexRouteMatcher.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1555793
--- /dev/null
+++ b/HellionChat/_Helpers/RegexRouteMatcher.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+using System;
+using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
+
+namespace HellionChat._Helpers;
+
+// UI-8 pure decision helper for the optional per-tab regex filter. Compiling a
+// user pattern can throw (invalid syntax) and matching a pathological pattern
+// can hang (catastrophic backtracking), so both are contained here. Kept free
+// of Dalamud types so the Build Suite can test compile/match/timeout in
+// isolation.
+// TEST-MIRROR: ../../../Hellion Build test/Ui/RegexRouteMatcherTests.cs
+public static class RegexRouteMatcher
+{
+    // A match must never block the message-routing hot path. 100ms is far
+    // beyond any sane pattern yet short enough that a runaway pattern fails
+    // fast instead of freezing the chat.
+    public static readonly TimeSpan MatchTimeout = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(100);
+
+    // Compiles a user pattern. Null/empty pattern -> (null, null): "no filter".
+    // Invalid pattern -> (null, errorMessage): the tab then behaves as if no
+    // regex were set (see IsMatch).
+    public static (Regex? Regex, string? Error) Compile(string? pattern)
+    {
+        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(pattern))
+            return (null, null);
+
+        try
+        {
+            var regex = new Regex(pattern, RegexOptions.IgnoreCase, MatchTimeout);
+            return (regex, null);
+        }
+        catch (ArgumentException ex)
+        {
+            return (null, ex.Message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Runs the filter. A null regex (no filter, or an invalid pattern) returns
+    // true so nothing is filtered out. A timeout on a pathological pattern is
+    // treated as "no match" rather than a crash.
+    public static bool IsMatch(Regex? regex, string text)
+    {
+        if (regex is null)
+            return true;
+
+        try
+        {
+            return regex.IsMatch(text);
+        }
+        catch (RegexMatchTimeoutException)
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+}