diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 3d608c90..b794d398 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -190,7 +190,6 @@ target_sources(ccls PRIVATE
   src/indexer.cc
   src/log.cc
   src/lsp.cc
-  src/match.cc
   src/message_handler.cc
   src/pipeline.cc
   src/platform_posix.cc
diff --git a/src/clang_complete.cc b/src/clang_complete.cc
index f725d98e..8bb23b1a 100644
--- a/src/clang_complete.cc
+++ b/src/clang_complete.cc
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 #include "clang_tu.hh"
 #include "filesystem.hh"
 #include "log.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
 
 #include <clang/Lex/PreprocessorOptions.h>
@@ -574,7 +573,7 @@ void CompletionManager::DiagnosticsUpdate(const std::string &path,
                                           int debounce) {
   static GroupMatch match(g_config->diagnostics.whitelist,
                           g_config->diagnostics.blacklist);
-  if (!match.IsMatch(path))
+  if (!match.Matches(path))
     return;
   int64_t now = chrono::duration_cast<chrono::milliseconds>(
     chrono::high_resolution_clock::now().time_since_epoch())
diff --git a/src/include_complete.cc b/src/include_complete.cc
index 0c17809e..a07d66d3 100644
--- a/src/include_complete.cc
+++ b/src/include_complete.cc
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 #include "include_complete.hh"
 
 #include "filesystem.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
 #include "project.hh"
 
@@ -150,7 +149,7 @@ void IncludeComplete::AddFile(const std::string &path) {
       ok = true;
   if (!ok)
     return;
-  if (match_ && !match_->IsMatch(path))
+  if (match_ && !match_->Matches(path))
     return;
 
   std::string trimmed_path = path;
@@ -167,7 +166,7 @@ void IncludeComplete::InsertIncludesFromDirectory(std::string directory,
                                                   bool use_angle_brackets) {
   directory = NormalizePath(directory);
   EnsureEndsInSlash(directory);
-  if (match_ && !match_->IsMatch(directory))
+  if (match_ && !match_->Matches(directory))
     return;
   bool include_cpp = directory.find("include/c++") != std::string::npos;
 
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@ void IncludeComplete::InsertIncludesFromDirectory(std::string directory,
             ok = true;
         if (!ok)
           return;
-        if (match_ && !match_->IsMatch(directory + path))
+        if (match_ && !match_->Matches(directory + path))
           return;
 
         CompletionCandidate candidate;
diff --git a/src/indexer.cc b/src/indexer.cc
index bc10732f..94286959 100644
--- a/src/indexer.cc
+++ b/src/indexer.cc
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 #include "clang_complete.hh"
 #include "clang_tu.hh"
 #include "log.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
 #include "serializer.hh"
@@ -85,7 +84,7 @@ struct IndexParam {
   bool UseMultiVersion(const FileEntry &FE) {
     auto it = UID2multi.try_emplace(FE.getUniqueID());
     if (it.second)
-      it.first->second = multiVersionMatcher->IsMatch(PathFromFileEntry(FE));
+      it.first->second = multiVersionMatcher->Matches(PathFromFileEntry(FE));
     return it.first->second;
   }
 };
diff --git a/src/match.cc b/src/match.cc
deleted file mode 100644
index 07b75d08..00000000
--- a/src/match.cc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,65 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright 2017-2018 ccls Authors
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-
-#include "match.hh"
-
-#include "message_handler.hh"
-#include "pipeline.hh"
-
-namespace ccls {
-std::optional<Matcher> Matcher::Create(const std::string &search) {
-  try {
-    Matcher m;
-    m.regex_string = search;
-    m.regex = std::regex(search, std::regex_constants::ECMAScript |
-                                     std::regex_constants::icase |
-                                     std::regex_constants::optimize
-                         // std::regex_constants::nosubs
-    );
-    return m;
-  } catch (const std::exception &e) {
-    ShowMessageParam params;
-    params.type = MessageType::Error;
-    params.message =
-        "failed to parse EMCAScript regex " + search + " : " + e.what();
-    pipeline::Notify(window_showMessage, params);
-    return std::nullopt;
-  }
-}
-
-bool Matcher::IsMatch(const std::string &value) const {
-  // std::smatch match;
-  // return std::regex_match(value, match, regex);
-  return std::regex_search(value, regex, std::regex_constants::match_any);
-}
-
-GroupMatch::GroupMatch(const std::vector<std::string> &whitelist,
-                       const std::vector<std::string> &blacklist) {
-  for (const std::string &entry : whitelist) {
-    std::optional<Matcher> m = Matcher::Create(entry);
-    if (m)
-      this->whitelist.push_back(*m);
-  }
-  for (const std::string &entry : blacklist) {
-    std::optional<Matcher> m = Matcher::Create(entry);
-    if (m)
-      this->blacklist.push_back(*m);
-  }
-}
-
-bool GroupMatch::IsMatch(const std::string &value,
-                         std::string *match_failure_reason) const {
-  for (const Matcher &m : whitelist)
-    if (m.IsMatch(value))
-      return true;
-
-  for (const Matcher &m : blacklist)
-    if (m.IsMatch(value)) {
-      if (match_failure_reason)
-        *match_failure_reason = "blacklist \"" + m.regex_string + "\"";
-      return false;
-    }
-
-  return true;
-}
-} // namespace ccls
diff --git a/src/match.hh b/src/match.hh
deleted file mode 100644
index e2d205c1..00000000
--- a/src/match.hh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright 2017-2018 ccls Authors
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-
-#pragma once
-
-#include <optional>
-
-#include <regex>
-#include <string>
-#include <vector>
-
-namespace ccls {
-struct Matcher {
-  static std::optional<Matcher> Create(const std::string &search);
-
-  bool IsMatch(const std::string &value) const;
-
-  std::string regex_string;
-  std::regex regex;
-};
-
-// Check multiple |Matcher| instances at the same time.
-struct GroupMatch {
-  GroupMatch(const std::vector<std::string> &whitelist,
-             const std::vector<std::string> &blacklist);
-
-  bool IsMatch(const std::string &value,
-               std::string *match_failure_reason = nullptr) const;
-
-  std::vector<Matcher> whitelist;
-  std::vector<Matcher> blacklist;
-};
-} // namespace ccls
diff --git a/src/message_handler.cc b/src/message_handler.cc
index 48bd432d..4c093f4a 100644
--- a/src/message_handler.cc
+++ b/src/message_handler.cc
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 #include "message_handler.hh"
 
 #include "log.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "project.hh"
 #include "query_utils.hh"
@@ -263,7 +262,7 @@ void EmitSemanticHighlight(DB *db, WorkingFile *wfile, QueryFile &file) {
                           g_config->highlight.blacklist);
   assert(file.def);
   if (wfile->buffer_content.size() > g_config->highlight.largeFileSize ||
-      !match.IsMatch(file.def->path))
+      !match.Matches(file.def->path))
     return;
 
   // Group symbols together.
diff --git a/src/messages/ccls_reload.cc b/src/messages/ccls_reload.cc
index 944f9a06..13db9bf8 100644
--- a/src/messages/ccls_reload.cc
+++ b/src/messages/ccls_reload.cc
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 #include "clang_complete.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "message_handler.hh"
 #include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "project.hh"
diff --git a/src/pipeline.cc b/src/pipeline.cc
index 0ef0af0e..0aeaa8d6 100644
--- a/src/pipeline.cc
+++ b/src/pipeline.cc
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 #include "include_complete.hh"
 #include "log.hh"
 #include "lsp.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "message_handler.hh"
 #include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
@@ -187,7 +186,7 @@ bool Indexer_Parse(CompletionManager *completion, WorkingFiles *wfiles,
     return false;
   }
 
-  if (!matcher.IsMatch(request.path)) {
+  if (!matcher.Matches(request.path)) {
     LOG_IF_S(INFO, loud) << "skip " << request.path;
     return false;
   }
@@ -309,7 +308,7 @@ bool Indexer_Parse(CompletionManager *completion, WorkingFiles *wfiles,
 
   for (std::unique_ptr<IndexFile> &curr : indexes) {
     std::string path = curr->path;
-    if (!matcher.IsMatch(path)) {
+    if (!matcher.Matches(path)) {
       LOG_IF_S(INFO, loud) << "skip index for " << path;
       continue;
     }
diff --git a/src/project.cc b/src/project.cc
index ab09c1b5..f1496418 100644
--- a/src/project.cc
+++ b/src/project.cc
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 #include "clang_tu.hh" // llvm::vfs
 #include "filesystem.hh"
 #include "log.hh"
-#include "match.hh"
 #include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
 #include "serializers/json.hh"
@@ -485,8 +484,8 @@ void Project::Index(WorkingFiles *wfiles, RequestId id) {
       int i = 0;
       for (const Project::Entry &entry : folder.entries) {
         std::string reason;
-        if (match.IsMatch(entry.filename, &reason) &&
-            match_i.IsMatch(entry.filename, &reason)) {
+        if (match.Matches(entry.filename, &reason) &&
+            match_i.Matches(entry.filename, &reason)) {
           bool interactive =
               wfiles->GetFileByFilename(entry.filename) != nullptr;
           pipeline::Index(
diff --git a/src/utils.cc b/src/utils.cc
index 369d5bb3..6dc288b1 100644
--- a/src/utils.cc
+++ b/src/utils.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 #include "utils.hh"
 
 #include "log.hh"
+#include "message_handler.hh"
+#include "pipeline.hh"
 #include "platform.hh"
 
 #include <siphash.h>
@@ -18,10 +20,67 @@ using namespace llvm;
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <functional>
+#include <regex>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unordered_map>
 
 namespace ccls {
+struct Matcher::Impl {
+  std::regex regex;
+};
+
+Matcher::Matcher(const std::string &pattern)
+    : impl(std::make_unique<Impl>()), pattern(pattern) {
+  impl->regex = std::regex(pattern, std::regex_constants::ECMAScript |
+                                        std::regex_constants::icase |
+                                        std::regex_constants::optimize);
+}
+
+Matcher::~Matcher() {}
+
+bool Matcher::Matches(const std::string &text) const {
+  return std::regex_search(text, impl->regex, std::regex_constants::match_any);
+}
+
+GroupMatch::GroupMatch(const std::vector<std::string> &whitelist,
+                       const std::vector<std::string> &blacklist) {
+  auto err = [](const std::string &pattern, const char *what) {
+    ShowMessageParam params;
+    params.type = MessageType::Error;
+    params.message =
+        "failed to parse EMCAScript regex " + pattern + " : " + what;
+    pipeline::Notify(window_showMessage, params);
+  };
+  for (const std::string &pattern : whitelist) {
+    try {
+      this->whitelist.emplace_back(pattern);
+    } catch (const std::exception &e) {
+      err(pattern, e.what());
+    }
+  }
+  for (const std::string &pattern : blacklist) {
+    try {
+      this->blacklist.emplace_back(pattern);
+    } catch (const std::exception &e) {
+      err(pattern, e.what());
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+bool GroupMatch::Matches(const std::string &text,
+                         std::string *blacklist_pattern) const {
+  for (const Matcher &m : whitelist)
+    if (m.Matches(text))
+      return true;
+  for (const Matcher &m : blacklist)
+    if (m.Matches(text)) {
+      if (blacklist_pattern)
+        *blacklist_pattern = m.pattern;
+      return false;
+    }
+  return true;
+}
+
 uint64_t HashUsr(llvm::StringRef s) {
   union {
     uint64_t ret;
diff --git a/src/utils.hh b/src/utils.hh
index db4e9493..3a5cdbd1 100644
--- a/src/utils.hh
+++ b/src/utils.hh
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <string_view>
 
 #include <iterator>
+#include <memory>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
@@ -15,6 +16,26 @@ class StringRef;
 }
 
 namespace ccls {
+struct Matcher {
+  struct Impl;
+  std::unique_ptr<Impl> impl;
+  std::string pattern;
+
+  Matcher(const std::string &pattern); // throw
+  Matcher(Matcher&&) = default;
+  ~Matcher();
+  bool Matches(const std::string &text) const;
+};
+
+struct GroupMatch {
+  std::vector<Matcher> whitelist, blacklist;
+
+  GroupMatch(const std::vector<std::string> &whitelist,
+             const std::vector<std::string> &blacklist);
+  bool Matches(const std::string &text,
+               std::string *blacklist_pattern = nullptr) const;
+};
+
 uint64_t HashUsr(llvm::StringRef s);
 
 std::string LowerPathIfInsensitive(const std::string &path);