perf: check whole UTF-8 strings without waiting for each block's result

valid_utf8_string() checks long strings 16 bytes at a time in vector_utf8_valid_blocks(), which left its loop at the first block with an error. Clang compiles "if (error) break; block += 16;" into a conditional select on the block pointer, so each block waited for the complete check of the block before: 28 cycles for 16 bytes on Apple M1. The errors of all blocks are now collected and tested once at the end. ASCII blocks are skipped in a loop of their own that needs none of the lookup tables, and from the first block that is not ASCII, eight blocks are checked without testing for ASCII in between, which was a mispredicted branch for text with a few non-ASCII characters. If any block had an error, the caller finds it one sequence at a time from the start of the string, as before from the block with the error. The check is used by the binary writers and readers with an error handler other than keep, and always by BON8. On Apple M1 (Apple Clang), it needs 0.27 instead of 1.78 cycles per byte for non-ASCII text, and to_msgpack() with error_handler_t::strict is 24 to 43 % faster for such text. With GCC 15 on x86-64, where the loop was not affected, the check itself is 13 to 35 % faster. A new test puts well-formed and ill-formed sequences at every offset of strings that are longer than eight blocks. Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
2026-11-10 16:31:28 +00:00 · 2026-11-10 10:07:56 +01:00
12 changed files with 3531 additions and 170 deletions
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: all amalgamate check-amalgamation check_build_options pretty install_astyle clean release update_hedley update_hedley_undef BUILD.bazel natvis macro_builder_check run_benchmarks pvs_studio serve_header reuse spdx
+.PHONY: all amalgamate check-amalgamation check_build_options pretty install_astyle clean ChangeLog.md release update_hedley update_hedley_undef BUILD.bazel natvis macro_builder_check run_benchmarks pvs_studio serve_header reuse spdx

 ##########################################################################
 # configuration
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ MACRO_SCOPE_HPP=include/nlohmann/detail/macro_scope.hpp
 all:
 	@echo "amalgamate - amalgamate files single_include/nlohmann/json{,_fwd,_literals,_view}.hpp from the include/nlohmann sources"
 	@echo "BUILD.bazel - regenerate the Bazel BUILD file from the include/nlohmann sources"
+	@echo "ChangeLog.md - generate ChangeLog file"
 	@echo "check-amalgamation - check whether sources have been amalgamated and BUILD.bazel is up to date"
 	@echo "check_build_options - check that the Meson build and the pkg-config files offer the options of the CMake target"
 	@echo "clean - remove built files"
@@ -174,6 +175,22 @@ check-amalgamation:
 BUILD.bazel:
 	cmake -P cmake/scripts/gen_bazel_build_file.cmake

+##########################################################################
+# ChangeLog
+##########################################################################
+
+# Create a ChangeLog based on the git log using the GitHub Changelog Generator
+# (<https://github.com/github-changelog-generator/github-changelog-generator>).
+
+# variable to control the diffs between the last released version and the current repository state
+NEXT_VERSION ?= "unreleased"
+
+ChangeLog.md:
+	github_changelog_generator -o ChangeLog.md --user nlohmann --project json --simple-list --release-url https://github.com/nlohmann/json/releases/tag/%s --future-release $(NEXT_VERSION)
+	$(SED) -i 's|https://github.com/nlohmann/json/releases/tag/HEAD|https://github.com/nlohmann/json/tree/HEAD|' ChangeLog.md
+	$(SED) -i '2i All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/).' ChangeLog.md
+
+
 ##########################################################################
 # Release files
 ##########################################################################
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
-<a href="https://github.com/nlohmann/json/releases">
-  <picture>
-    <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="docs/mkdocs/docs/images/json-dark.svg">
-    <img src="docs/mkdocs/docs/images/json-light.svg" alt="JSON for Modern C++: animated feature slideshow">
-  </picture>
-</a>
+[![JSON for Modern C++](docs/mkdocs/docs/images/json.gif)](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/releases)

 [![Build Status](https://ci.appveyor.com/api/projects/status/1acb366xfyg3qybk/branch/develop?svg=true)](https://ci.appveyor.com/project/nlohmann/json)
 [![Ubuntu](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/workflows/Ubuntu/badge.svg)](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/actions?query=workflow%3AUbuntu)
@@ -44,7 +39,6 @@
  - [Conversions to/from arbitrary types](#arbitrary-types-conversions)
  - [Specializing enum conversion](#specializing-enum-conversion)
  - [Binary formats (BSON, CBOR, MessagePack, UBJSON, BJData, and BON8)](#binary-formats-bson-cbor-messagepack-ubjson-bjdata-and-bon8)
-  - [Zero-copy views](#zero-copy-views)
 - [Customers](#customers)
 - [Ecosystem](#ecosystem)
 - [Supported compilers](#supported-compilers)
@@ -74,7 +68,7 @@ Other aspects were not so important to us:

 - **Memory efficiency**. Each JSON object has an overhead of one pointer (the maximal size of a union) and one enumeration element (1 byte). The default generalization uses the following C++ data types: `std::string` for strings, `int64_t`, `uint64_t` or `double` for numbers, `std::map` for objects, `std::vector` for arrays, and `bool` for Booleans. However, you can template the generalized class `basic_json` to your needs.

- **Speed**. There are certainly [faster JSON libraries](https://github.com/miloyip/nativejson-benchmark#parsing-time) out there. However, if your goal is to speed up your development by adding JSON support with a single header, then this library is the way to go. If you know how to use a `std::vector` or `std::map`, you are already set. The [performance](https://json.nlohmann.me/features/performance/) page shows how to get the most out of the library.
+- **Speed**. There are certainly [faster JSON libraries](https://github.com/miloyip/nativejson-benchmark#parsing-time) out there. However, if your goal is to speed up your development by adding JSON support with a single header, then this library is the way to go. If you know how to use a `std::vector` or `std::map`, you are already set.

 See the [contribution guidelines](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/blob/develop/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md#please-dont) for more information.

@@ -1058,7 +1052,7 @@ struct less_than_32_serializer {
 Be **very** careful when reimplementing your serializer, you can stack overflow if you don't pay attention:

 ```cpp
-template <typename T, typename = void>
+template <typename T, void>
 struct bad_serializer
 {
    template <typename BasicJsonType>
@@ -1069,10 +1063,10 @@ struct bad_serializer
    }

    template <typename BasicJsonType>
-    static void from_json(const BasicJsonType& j, T& value) {
+    static void to_json(const BasicJsonType& j, T& value) {
      // this calls BasicJsonType::json_serializer<T>::from_json(j, value)
      // if BasicJsonType::json_serializer == bad_serializer ... oops!
-      value = j.template get<T>(); // oops!
+      value = j.get<T>(); // oops!
    }
 };
 ```
@@ -1775,7 +1769,7 @@ I deeply appreciate the help of the following people.
 330. [AniketDhemare](https://github.com/AniketDhemare) fixed a version in the documentation.
 331. [Philip Müller](https://github.com/philip-paul-mueller) fixed an example.
 332. [Leila Shcheglova](https://github.com/LeilaShcheglova) fixed a warning in a test.
-333. [Alex Prabhat Bara](https://github.com/alexprabhat99) fixed a function name in the documentation and avoided temporary `basic_json` values for CBOR and MessagePack object keys.
+333. [Alex Prabhat Bara](https://github.com/alexprabhat99) fixed a function name in the documentation.
 334. [laterlaugh](https://github.com/laterlaugh) fixed some typos.
 335. [Yuanhao Jia](https://github.com/MrJia1997) fixed the GDB pretty printer.
 336. [Fallen_Breath](https://github.com/Fallen-Breath) fixed an example for JSON Pointer.
@@ -1853,7 +1847,7 @@ I deeply appreciate the help of the following people.
 408. [Luke Banicevic](https://github.com/banaboi) fixed corrupt BSON output for lengths exceeding `INT32_MAX`, cleaned up the BSON writer, and improved the documentation.
 409. [Patrick Armstrong](https://github.com/Patrick10199) updated the CBOR references and the half-precision float assertions.
 410. [Yash Bavadiya](https://github.com/xevrion) added checks to all BSON reads.
-411. [hum4nBeing](https://github.com/hum4nBeing) and [AJ369ninja](https://github.com/AJ369ninja) fixed the overflow handling of high-precision numbers in UBJSON.
+411. [hum4nBeing](https://github.com/hum4nBeing) fixed the overflow handling of high-precision numbers in UBJSON.
 412. [tomatotomata](https://github.com/tomatotomata) added checks for reading CBOR tagged subtypes.
 413. [YingqiDuan](https://github.com/YingqiDuan) documented the BSON interoperability.
 414. [KBS](https://github.com/youdie006) documented the standards compliance and the strictness of `parse()` and `operator>>`.
@@ -1867,26 +1861,6 @@ I deeply appreciate the help of the following people.
 422. [Avionic Harshit](https://github.com/avionicharshit-byte) made `diff()` linear when an array shrinks.
 423. [Qatadaha Bin Matloob](https://github.com/qatcod) fixed comparisons between integers and floats and fixed unparsable BJData output.
 424. [Wu Shuwen](https://github.com/dajiaohuang) removed an unused include.
-425. [Alexander Lanin](https://github.com/AlexanderLanin) improved the error message of `get_to()` for `const` arguments.
-426. [satelliteprogrammer](https://github.com/satelliteprogrammer) added `merge_diff()` to create JSON Merge Patches (RFC 7396).
-427. [Jeremy Nimmer](https://github.com/jwnimmer-tri) removed `alwayslink` from the Bazel build.
-428. [Dadi Reddy Sai Praneeth Reddy](https://github.com/dsp0redy) made `to_msgpack()` throw when a size exceeds the MessagePack limit.
-429. [ayush-singh-0601](https://github.com/ayush-singh-0601) reduced the runtime of the test suite.
-430. [Kartikey Negi](https://github.com/ReturnKartikey) fixed the CBOR tag handling of tagged values that are not byte strings.
-431. [Michiel van Slobbe](https://github.com/mvanslobbe) sped up the parser by checking for the expected separator first.
-432. [Mohd Quamar Tyagi](https://github.com/Tyagiquamar) allowed SAX parsing of tagged CBOR.
-433. [fhgffy](https://github.com/fhgffy) rejected NUL bytes in UBJSON and BJData high-precision numbers and fixed a `-Wswitch-enum` warning.
-434. [Suyog Verma](https://github.com/commit-msuyog) used MSVC intrinsics for the 128-bit multiplication in the floating-point serialization.
-435. [Bas van Dijk](https://github.com/basdedas) fixed a TU-local exposure of `UTF8_ACCEPT` and `UTF8_REJECT` in C++20 modules.
-436. [Christoph Grüninger](https://github.com/gruenich) fixed a leak and a crash when an allocation throws during parsing.
-437. [Amelia Barnaby](https://github.com/ameliabarnabyhub) made serializing discarded values to binary formats throw instead of writing corrupt output.
-438. [Vesko Karaganev](https://github.com/veselink1) made the destructor use the provided allocator.
-439. [Michael Sam](https://github.com/michaelsam94) kept allocation failures from escaping the `noexcept` destructor.
-440. [Mihnea Magheru](https://github.com/sakuntalle) added a natvis visualizer for `detail::json_default_base`.
-441. [Joseph Demarest](https://github.com/JosephDemarest) rejected nested indefinite-length CBOR strings.
-442. [Afonso Januário](https://github.com/afonsojanu) made `std::hash<basic_json>` consistent with `operator==` for numbers.
-443. [Kartik Gupta](https://github.com/KartikeyG-world) limited the natvis namespace variants to two ABI tags.
-444. [manop55555](https://github.com/manop55555) reported a buffer over-read in `dump()` with large indentation values.

 Thanks a lot for helping out! Please [let me know](mailto:mail@nlohmann.me) if I forgot someone.

@@ -1909,6 +1883,7 @@ The library itself consists of a single header file licensed under the MIT licen
 - [**cpplint**](https://github.com/cpplint/cpplint) for style checks
 - [**doctest**](https://github.com/doctest/doctest) for the unit tests
 - [**Flawfinder**](https://dwheeler.com/flawfinder/) for static analysis
+- [**GitHub Changelog Generator**](https://github.com/github-changelog-generator/github-changelog-generator) to generate the [ChangeLog](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/blob/develop/ChangeLog.md)
 - [**Google Benchmark**](https://github.com/google/benchmark) to implement the benchmarks
 - [**Hedley**](https://nemequ.github.io/hedley/) to avoid re-inventing several compiler-agnostic feature macros
 - [**include-what-you-use**](https://include-what-you-use.org) to check the included headers
@@ -1975,7 +1950,7 @@ For more information, see [JSON With Commas and Comments (JWCC)](https://nigelta

 By default, the library does not preserve the **insertion order of object elements**. This is standards-compliant, as the [JSON standard](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8259.html) defines objects as "an unordered collection of zero or more name/value pairs".

-If you do want to preserve the insertion order, you can try the type [`nlohmann::ordered_json`](https://json.nlohmann.me/api/ordered_json/). Alternatively, you can use a more sophisticated ordered map like [`tsl::ordered_map`](https://github.com/Tessil/ordered-map) ([integration](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/546#issuecomment-304447518)) or [`nlohmann::fifo_map`](https://github.com/nlohmann/fifo_map) ([integration](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/485#issuecomment-333652309)).
+If you do want to preserve the insertion order, you can try the type [`nlohmann::ordered_json`](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/2179). Alternatively, you can use a more sophisticated ordered map like [`tsl::ordered_map`](https://github.com/Tessil/ordered-map) ([integration](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/546#issuecomment-304447518)) or [`nlohmann::fifo_map`](https://github.com/nlohmann/fifo_map) ([integration](https://github.com/nlohmann/json/issues/485#issuecomment-333652309)).

 See the [**documentation on object order**](https://json.nlohmann.me/features/object_order/) for more information.

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # hashes must list every dependency, so this file was generated with
 #   uv pip compile requirements.in --generate-hashes --python-version 3.14 \
 #       --python-platform x86_64-manylinux_2_39 --no-header --no-annotate
-# from a requirements.in containing only "semgrep==1.184.0". Dependabot keeps it current.
+# from a requirements.in containing only "semgrep==1.168.0". Dependabot keeps it current.
 annotated-types==0.8.0 \
    --hash=sha256:13b2beaad985e05e2d6407ee4c4f35590b11f8d693a258a561055cac8f64cab7 \
    --hash=sha256:f072f4d804ea359e4eaf198b1af7a8b0943881a87f31bb764f8bf219bb9419e0
@@ -295,9 +295,9 @@ charset-normalizer==3.5.2 \
    --hash=sha256:fcff63213e8e6e47770541a4607175404f47cbb3ebea7b6058cc82d524a0e424 \
    --hash=sha256:fd1fbe0f116b6e55da77aca2c6ddcddcfac2186cbf78bdebf40fc156efca389d \
    --hash=sha256:fe9753dfee015c570d73df76f899f18444d41388bffcde097deba51c4fadbb9f
-click==8.4.2 \
-    --hash=sha256:9a6cea6e60b17ebe0a44c5cc636d94f09bd66142c1cd7d8b4cd731c4917a15f6 \
-    --hash=sha256:e6f9f66136c816745b9d65817da91d61d957fb16e02e4dcd0552553c5a197b76
+click==8.1.8 \
+    --hash=sha256:63c132bbbed01578a06712a2d1f497bb62d9c1c0d329b7903a866228027263b2 \
+    --hash=sha256:ed53c9d8990d83c2a27deae68e4ee337473f6330c040a31d4225c9574d16096a
 click-option-group==0.5.9 \
    --hash=sha256:ad2599248bd373e2e19bec5407967c3eec1d0d4fc4a5e77b08a0481e75991080 \
    --hash=sha256:f94ed2bc4cf69052e0f29592bd1e771a1789bd7bfc482dd0bc482134aff95823
@@ -403,9 +403,9 @@ jsonschema-specifications==2025.9.1 \
 markdown-it-py==4.2.0 \
    --hash=sha256:04a21681d6fbb623de53f6f364d352309d4094dd4194040a10fd51833e418d49 \
    --hash=sha256:9f7ebbcd14fe59494226453aed97c1070d83f8d24b6fc3a3bcf9a38092641c4a
-mcp==1.29.0 \
-    --hash=sha256:52d01f334de1868cc3bb2d6604931126a67631f99a6c5d3b82ba47290315ec36 \
-    --hash=sha256:f5a075bb611f23d6f4d080c6a1699fa62772eebc562ba9e66b306ddde1c755f7
+mcp==1.23.3 \
+    --hash=sha256:32768af4b46a1b4f7df34e2bfdf5c6011e7b63d7f1b0e321d0fdef4cd6082031 \
+    --hash=sha256:b3b0da2cc949950ce1259c7bfc1b081905a51916fcd7c8182125b85e70825201
 mdurl==0.1.2 \
    --hash=sha256:84008a41e51615a49fc9966191ff91509e3c40b939176e643fd50a5c2196b8f8 \
    --hash=sha256:bb413d29f5eea38f31dd4754dd7377d4465116fb207585f97bf925588687c1ba
@@ -609,9 +609,9 @@ pydantic-settings==2.16.2 \
 pygments==2.21.0 \
    --hash=sha256:2363c69b61c4a97c838da3b130dcd6468f4848992b21a82f2a63ec34377137d9 \
    --hash=sha256:610ca751c9bc2492b38eb9a38a7fbc93edbbb2d7182edaf34e66ae493dee5c8c
-pyjwt==2.15.1 \
-    --hash=sha256:42d59d631f7768a1028a64c7ff581a9bf7519804daf91fc5b6c56e30eec5e193 \
-    --hash=sha256:4f259e80cdfb6b3fc18a7de51fd1ef9ec79652f25019bae68975ca2468a34df8
+pyjwt==2.13.0 \
+    --hash=sha256:41571c89ca91598c79e8ef18a2d07367d4810fbbd6f637794879baf1b7703423 \
+    --hash=sha256:66adcc2aff09b3f1bbd95fc1e1577df8ac8723c978552fd43304c8a290ac5728
 python-dotenv==1.2.4 \
    --hash=sha256:42269a8a5b3fd54ffa6f3d84b18abed50064717576b4ecf03dc4a55d8aa04fdc \
    --hash=sha256:f0d53e69935a851c0dcc78f3ab7aaccd8cabef0b92382b576b824212902873c0
@@ -824,23 +824,21 @@ ruamel-yaml-clib==0.2.15 \
 semantic-version==2.10.0 \
    --hash=sha256:bdabb6d336998cbb378d4b9db3a4b56a1e3235701dc05ea2690d9a997ed5041c \
    --hash=sha256:de78a3b8e0feda74cabc54aab2da702113e33ac9d9eb9d2389bcf1f58b7d9177
-semgrep==1.184.0 \
-    --hash=sha256:0ce3064175a44236dd9fd35603627e3f56139ac61e13ca967bae2b76b2cec9bf \
-    --hash=sha256:0fc8a58e9a62de59ce644dde792dfc36764245d0139ab85632f66a8e0846a8c5 \
-    --hash=sha256:3c86b2961b4663d1338fb965de038c7869571661971b78e18e9346ab57e1e20a \
-    --hash=sha256:42a59e95433fd05a0908f8083e25656c90994c65549e483e0de8a1a0004a7adf \
-    --hash=sha256:cf82d77eb911f921902f3e9d098fb97604c5419c0a87cf7de7ab2944b05e2ceb \
-    --hash=sha256:d847abb8fb6fdde77d9e30a6bc869dbfcb68eff4142dcd77897c52635a7600d9 \
-    --hash=sha256:f794d7c6d33126b6881f80d069583ef35b52bd796d882a5fa249ce1124aba3f3
+semgrep==1.168.0 \
+    --hash=sha256:09dfacb0530ed4a17bd2deb7914e9a25fc3581d5d84d5365cdac77bbebed8081 \
+    --hash=sha256:1a5d6b5b47347b22bcb1d6f15a5e51a21e734244884624c3494e09bc1de955cd \
+    --hash=sha256:86e99b095b80492b6cfe5087bf4a3b0175a1132c9c9dcd25a96c3745cc58d85a \
+    --hash=sha256:a072b1734b5c54e39cbbe957b10cf0b83a114b9b9fc762b4ea51afe2f114cd11 \
+    --hash=sha256:c4a664f4dda097fbdf657d64f79217e94c4d87502c16c991fac569f07aaecb8e \
+    --hash=sha256:d288699c4c056cc3d7cf82830e00f9c07fac33227c3a5290a2113bd1be63da46 \
+    --hash=sha256:e6b85d84e815ff86f56dcb6b4a6370b98f1bc0e402144daafa9b41aa00ea9a90 \
+    --hash=sha256:fa22f0a41ee3857ecec1b3883b2920b1d41d07ef1bdd7e216da3c519210ae5fb
 sse-starlette==3.7.0 \
    --hash=sha256:326416da2ab52e9a41b3f409d3ff897eda45aa68c9f3b7b17d0913aab8d219c3 \
    --hash=sha256:f1d3136caa12d129284fca3d2ded79bc9af943320b6472712955fea52a6d3eea
 starlette==1.10.0 \
    --hash=sha256:478c0ab3b4ced6e82719849c118fa406f0278a3499c1a898cd15cd31bdc38ce4 \
    --hash=sha256:b8399098d4c1e3522734f7235dc79b1fc967f96cf139c81e0fa30479e0685f9b
-structlog==26.1.0 \
-    --hash=sha256:e081a26d6c373e6d201eca24eede26d8ffab07f88f477822e679183428d3d91e \
-    --hash=sha256:f63a716cbd1b1291cf7661de7794b455acfa4c43c5bcf1630e6ad5ddc1adb3b7
 tomli==2.4.1 \
    --hash=sha256:01f520d4f53ef97964a240a035ec2a869fe1a37dde002b57ebc4417a27ccd853 \
    --hash=sha256:0d85819802132122da43cb86656f8d1f8c6587d54ae7dcaf30e90533028b49fe \
@@ -324,15 +324,23 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline bool vector_utf8_run(cons
 }

 /*!
-@brief skip 16-byte blocks of well-formed UTF-8 at p (a character boundary)
+@brief vector_utf8_valid_blocks() from the first block that is not ASCII

-Like vector_utf8_run, but quotes, backslashes, and control characters are
-ordinary characters. Returns the start of the first block in which the check
-found an error (which may belong to a sequence begun in the block before) or
-where fewer than 16 bytes are left; a sequence may be cut at that point, so the
-caller resumes at its start, one sequence at a time.
+@a block is that block, and @a first is where the check began (only ASCII up
+to @a block). Returns where fewer than 16 bytes are left, or @a first if the
+check found an error in any block.
+
+From a block that is not ASCII on, eight blocks are checked without testing
+for ASCII again: in text with a few non-ASCII characters (accented letters),
+every other block has one, and the test would be a mispredicted branch for
+most blocks. After them, ASCII blocks are skipped with one test again.
+
+The errors of all blocks are collected and tested once at the end. A test
+after each block lets the compiler advance the position with a conditional
+select on its result (Apple Clang 17 does), and each block then waits for the
+check of the block before: 28 cycles for 16 bytes instead of 4 on Apple M1.
 */
-JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_valid_blocks(const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
+JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_check_blocks(const unsigned char* first, const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
 {
    using lookup = utf8_lookup4<>;
 #if JSON_SCAN_NEON
@@ -340,27 +348,29 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vect
    const uint8x16_t t1l = vld1q_u8(lookup::byte_1_low.data());
    const uint8x16_t t2h = vld1q_u8(lookup::byte_2_high.data());
    uint8x16_t prev = vdupq_n_u8(0);
+    uint8x16_t error = vdupq_n_u8(0);
    while (e - block >= 16)
    {
-        const uint8x16_t in = vld1q_u8(block);
-        if (vmaxvq_u8(vorrq_u8(in, prev)) < 0x80)
+        const uint8x16_t ahead = vld1q_u8(block);
+        if (vmaxvq_u8(vorrq_u8(ahead, prev)) < 0x80)
        {
            // ASCII here, and no sequence from the block before to finish
-            prev = in;
+            prev = ahead;
            block += 16;
            continue;
        }
-        const uint8x16_t prev1 = vextq_u8(prev, in, 15);
-        const uint8x16_t sc = vandq_u8(vandq_u8(vqtbl1q_u8(t1h, vshrq_n_u8(prev1, 4)), vqtbl1q_u8(t1l, vandq_u8(prev1, vdupq_n_u8(0x0F)))), vqtbl1q_u8(t2h, vshrq_n_u8(in, 4)));
-        const uint8x16_t must23 = vorrq_u8(vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 14), vdupq_n_u8(0xE0 - 0x80)), vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 13), vdupq_n_u8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
-        const uint8x16_t err = veorq_u8(vandq_u8(must23, vdupq_n_u8(0x80)), sc);
-        if (vmaxvq_u8(err) != 0)
+        for (int blocks = 8; blocks != 0 && e - block >= 16; --blocks)
        {
-            break;
+            const uint8x16_t in = vld1q_u8(block);
+            const uint8x16_t prev1 = vextq_u8(prev, in, 15);
+            const uint8x16_t sc = vandq_u8(vandq_u8(vqtbl1q_u8(t1h, vshrq_n_u8(prev1, 4)), vqtbl1q_u8(t1l, vandq_u8(prev1, vdupq_n_u8(0x0F)))), vqtbl1q_u8(t2h, vshrq_n_u8(in, 4)));
+            const uint8x16_t must23 = vorrq_u8(vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 14), vdupq_n_u8(0xE0 - 0x80)), vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 13), vdupq_n_u8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
+            error = vorrq_u8(error, veorq_u8(vandq_u8(must23, vdupq_n_u8(0x80)), sc));
+            prev = in;
+            block += 16;
        }
-        prev = in;
-        block += 16;
    }
+    return vmaxvq_u8(error) != 0 ? first : block;
 #else
    const __m128i t1h = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(lookup::byte_1_high.data()))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
    const __m128i t1l = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(lookup::byte_1_low.data()))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
@@ -368,30 +378,62 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vect
    const __m128i nibble = _mm_set1_epi8(0x0F);
    const __m128i zero = _mm_setzero_si128();
    __m128i prev = zero;
+    __m128i error = zero;
    while (e - block >= 16)
    {
-        const __m128i in = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
-        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_or_si128(in, prev)) == 0)
+        const __m128i ahead = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_or_si128(ahead, prev)) == 0)
        {
-            prev = in;
+            prev = ahead;
            block += 16;
            continue;
        }
-        const __m128i prev1 = _mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 15);
-        const __m128i sc = _mm_and_si128(_mm_and_si128(_mm_shuffle_epi8(t1h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(prev1, 4), nibble)),
-                                         _mm_shuffle_epi8(t1l, _mm_and_si128(prev1, nibble))),
-                                         _mm_shuffle_epi8(t2h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(in, 4), nibble)));
-        const __m128i must23 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 14), _mm_set1_epi8(0xE0 - 0x80)),
-                                            _mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 13), _mm_set1_epi8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
-        const __m128i err = _mm_xor_si128(_mm_and_si128(must23, _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(-128))), sc);
-        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_cmpeq_epi8(err, zero)) != 0xFFFF)
+        for (int blocks = 8; blocks != 0 && e - block >= 16; --blocks)
        {
-            break;
+            const __m128i in = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+            const __m128i prev1 = _mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 15);
+            const __m128i sc = _mm_and_si128(_mm_and_si128(_mm_shuffle_epi8(t1h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(prev1, 4), nibble)),
+                                             _mm_shuffle_epi8(t1l, _mm_and_si128(prev1, nibble))),
+                                             _mm_shuffle_epi8(t2h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(in, 4), nibble)));
+            const __m128i must23 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 14), _mm_set1_epi8(0xE0 - 0x80)),
+                                                _mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 13), _mm_set1_epi8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
+            error = _mm_or_si128(error, _mm_xor_si128(_mm_and_si128(must23, _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(-128))), sc));
+            prev = in;
+            block += 16;
+        }
+    }
+    return _mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_cmpeq_epi8(error, zero)) != 0xFFFF ? first : block;
+#endif
+}
+
+/*!
+@brief skip 16-byte blocks of well-formed UTF-8 at p (a character boundary)
+
+Like vector_utf8_run, but quotes, backslashes, and control characters are
+ordinary characters. Returns where fewer than 16 bytes are left; a sequence may
+be cut at that point, so the caller resumes at its start, one sequence at a
+time. If the check found an error in any block, @a block itself is returned,
+for the caller to find the error one sequence at a time.
+
+ASCII blocks need one test each and none of the tables of the UTF-8 check,
+which starts at the first block that is not ASCII (see
+vector_utf8_check_blocks()). Out of line, like the check.
+*/
+JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_valid_blocks(const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
+{
+    const unsigned char* const first = block;
+    while (e - block >= 16)
+    {
+#if JSON_SCAN_NEON
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(vmaxvq_u8(vld1q_u8(block)) >= 0x80))
+#else
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block)))) != 0)) // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+#endif
+        {
+            return vector_utf8_check_blocks(first, block, e);
        }
-        prev = in;
        block += 16;
    }
-#endif
    return block;
 }
 #endif
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ struct depth_counter<false>

 /*!
@brief where the double x nearest to a token w * 10^q lies, for 10^15 <= w <
-10^17 and -16 <= q <= -1 (Eisel-Lemire, then a fixed-point position)
+10^17 and -17 <= q <= -1 (Eisel-Lemire, then a fixed-point position)

 dump() writes the shortest decimal in the rounding interval of x (the closest
 one if there are several, see zmij::to_shortest()). Its digits are those of a
@@ -1258,15 +1258,13 @@ class view_serializer
        }
        for (; p != stop && batch.count != float_batch::capacity(); ++p)
        {
-            // a token of the source: 16 or 17 digits, 8 to 16 after the
-            // point, no exponent, 32 bytes to read (17 after the point, with
-            // no digit before it, only in a damaged image loaded with
-            // image_check::bounds: beyond the range of locate_token())
+            // a token of the source: 16 or 17 digits, at least 8 after the
+            // point, no exponent, 32 bytes to read
            const unsigned frac_digits = p->extra >> 8u;
            const unsigned int_digits = p->extra & 0xFFu;
            const unsigned count = int_digits + frac_digits;
            if (p->kind == node_kind::number_float && (p->flags & node_flags::storage) == 0
-                    && count - 16u <= 1u && frac_digits - 8u <= 8u && src_end - (src + p->off) >= 33)
+                    && count - 16u <= 1u && frac_digits >= 8 && src_end - (src + p->off) >= 33)
            {
                const auto* const token = reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char*>(src + p->off); // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-pro-type-reinterpret-cast)
                const unsigned sign = token[0] == '-' ? 1 : 0;
@@ -12593,15 +12593,23 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline bool vector_utf8_run(cons
 }

 /*!
-@brief skip 16-byte blocks of well-formed UTF-8 at p (a character boundary)
+@brief vector_utf8_valid_blocks() from the first block that is not ASCII

-Like vector_utf8_run, but quotes, backslashes, and control characters are
-ordinary characters. Returns the start of the first block in which the check
-found an error (which may belong to a sequence begun in the block before) or
-where fewer than 16 bytes are left; a sequence may be cut at that point, so the
-caller resumes at its start, one sequence at a time.
+@a block is that block, and @a first is where the check began (only ASCII up
+to @a block). Returns where fewer than 16 bytes are left, or @a first if the
+check found an error in any block.
+
+From a block that is not ASCII on, eight blocks are checked without testing
+for ASCII again: in text with a few non-ASCII characters (accented letters),
+every other block has one, and the test would be a mispredicted branch for
+most blocks. After them, ASCII blocks are skipped with one test again.
+
+The errors of all blocks are collected and tested once at the end. A test
+after each block lets the compiler advance the position with a conditional
+select on its result (Apple Clang 17 does), and each block then waits for the
+check of the block before: 28 cycles for 16 bytes instead of 4 on Apple M1.
 */
-JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_valid_blocks(const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
+JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_check_blocks(const unsigned char* first, const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
 {
    using lookup = utf8_lookup4<>;
 #if JSON_SCAN_NEON
@@ -12609,27 +12617,29 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vect
    const uint8x16_t t1l = vld1q_u8(lookup::byte_1_low.data());
    const uint8x16_t t2h = vld1q_u8(lookup::byte_2_high.data());
    uint8x16_t prev = vdupq_n_u8(0);
+    uint8x16_t error = vdupq_n_u8(0);
    while (e - block >= 16)
    {
-        const uint8x16_t in = vld1q_u8(block);
-        if (vmaxvq_u8(vorrq_u8(in, prev)) < 0x80)
+        const uint8x16_t ahead = vld1q_u8(block);
+        if (vmaxvq_u8(vorrq_u8(ahead, prev)) < 0x80)
        {
            // ASCII here, and no sequence from the block before to finish
-            prev = in;
+            prev = ahead;
            block += 16;
            continue;
        }
-        const uint8x16_t prev1 = vextq_u8(prev, in, 15);
-        const uint8x16_t sc = vandq_u8(vandq_u8(vqtbl1q_u8(t1h, vshrq_n_u8(prev1, 4)), vqtbl1q_u8(t1l, vandq_u8(prev1, vdupq_n_u8(0x0F)))), vqtbl1q_u8(t2h, vshrq_n_u8(in, 4)));
-        const uint8x16_t must23 = vorrq_u8(vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 14), vdupq_n_u8(0xE0 - 0x80)), vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 13), vdupq_n_u8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
-        const uint8x16_t err = veorq_u8(vandq_u8(must23, vdupq_n_u8(0x80)), sc);
-        if (vmaxvq_u8(err) != 0)
+        for (int blocks = 8; blocks != 0 && e - block >= 16; --blocks)
        {
-            break;
+            const uint8x16_t in = vld1q_u8(block);
+            const uint8x16_t prev1 = vextq_u8(prev, in, 15);
+            const uint8x16_t sc = vandq_u8(vandq_u8(vqtbl1q_u8(t1h, vshrq_n_u8(prev1, 4)), vqtbl1q_u8(t1l, vandq_u8(prev1, vdupq_n_u8(0x0F)))), vqtbl1q_u8(t2h, vshrq_n_u8(in, 4)));
+            const uint8x16_t must23 = vorrq_u8(vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 14), vdupq_n_u8(0xE0 - 0x80)), vqsubq_u8(vextq_u8(prev, in, 13), vdupq_n_u8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
+            error = vorrq_u8(error, veorq_u8(vandq_u8(must23, vdupq_n_u8(0x80)), sc));
+            prev = in;
+            block += 16;
        }
-        prev = in;
-        block += 16;
    }
+    return vmaxvq_u8(error) != 0 ? first : block;
 #else
    const __m128i t1h = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(lookup::byte_1_high.data()))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
    const __m128i t1l = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(lookup::byte_1_low.data()))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
@@ -12637,30 +12647,62 @@ JSON_SCAN_SSSE3_TARGET JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vect
    const __m128i nibble = _mm_set1_epi8(0x0F);
    const __m128i zero = _mm_setzero_si128();
    __m128i prev = zero;
+    __m128i error = zero;
    while (e - block >= 16)
    {
-        const __m128i in = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
-        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_or_si128(in, prev)) == 0)
+        const __m128i ahead = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_or_si128(ahead, prev)) == 0)
        {
-            prev = in;
+            prev = ahead;
            block += 16;
            continue;
        }
-        const __m128i prev1 = _mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 15);
-        const __m128i sc = _mm_and_si128(_mm_and_si128(_mm_shuffle_epi8(t1h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(prev1, 4), nibble)),
-                                         _mm_shuffle_epi8(t1l, _mm_and_si128(prev1, nibble))),
-                                         _mm_shuffle_epi8(t2h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(in, 4), nibble)));
-        const __m128i must23 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 14), _mm_set1_epi8(0xE0 - 0x80)),
-                                            _mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 13), _mm_set1_epi8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
-        const __m128i err = _mm_xor_si128(_mm_and_si128(must23, _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(-128))), sc);
-        if (_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_cmpeq_epi8(err, zero)) != 0xFFFF)
+        for (int blocks = 8; blocks != 0 && e - block >= 16; --blocks)
        {
-            break;
+            const __m128i in = _mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block))); // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+            const __m128i prev1 = _mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 15);
+            const __m128i sc = _mm_and_si128(_mm_and_si128(_mm_shuffle_epi8(t1h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(prev1, 4), nibble)),
+                                             _mm_shuffle_epi8(t1l, _mm_and_si128(prev1, nibble))),
+                                             _mm_shuffle_epi8(t2h, _mm_and_si128(_mm_srli_epi16(in, 4), nibble)));
+            const __m128i must23 = _mm_or_si128(_mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 14), _mm_set1_epi8(0xE0 - 0x80)),
+                                                _mm_subs_epu8(_mm_alignr_epi8(in, prev, 13), _mm_set1_epi8(0xF0 - 0x80)));
+            error = _mm_or_si128(error, _mm_xor_si128(_mm_and_si128(must23, _mm_set1_epi8(static_cast<char>(-128))), sc));
+            prev = in;
+            block += 16;
+        }
+    }
+    return _mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_cmpeq_epi8(error, zero)) != 0xFFFF ? first : block;
+#endif
+}
+
+/*!
+@brief skip 16-byte blocks of well-formed UTF-8 at p (a character boundary)
+
+Like vector_utf8_run, but quotes, backslashes, and control characters are
+ordinary characters. Returns where fewer than 16 bytes are left; a sequence may
+be cut at that point, so the caller resumes at its start, one sequence at a
+time. If the check found an error in any block, @a block itself is returned,
+for the caller to find the error one sequence at a time.
+
+ASCII blocks need one test each and none of the tables of the UTF-8 check,
+which starts at the first block that is not ASCII (see
+vector_utf8_check_blocks()). Out of line, like the check.
+*/
+JSON_HEDLEY_NEVER_INLINE inline const unsigned char* vector_utf8_valid_blocks(const unsigned char* block, const unsigned char* e) noexcept
+{
+    const unsigned char* const first = block;
+    while (e - block >= 16)
+    {
+#if JSON_SCAN_NEON
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(vmaxvq_u8(vld1q_u8(block)) >= 0x80))
+#else
+        if (JSON_HEDLEY_UNLIKELY(_mm_movemask_epi8(_mm_loadu_si128(static_cast<const __m128i*>(static_cast<const void*>(block)))) != 0)) // NOLINT(bugprone-casting-through-void)
+#endif
+        {
+            return vector_utf8_check_blocks(first, block, e);
        }
-        prev = in;
        block += 16;
    }
-#endif
    return block;
 }
 #endif
@@ -8841,7 +8841,7 @@ struct depth_counter<false>

 /*!
@brief where the double x nearest to a token w * 10^q lies, for 10^15 <= w <
-10^17 and -16 <= q <= -1 (Eisel-Lemire, then a fixed-point position)
+10^17 and -17 <= q <= -1 (Eisel-Lemire, then a fixed-point position)

 dump() writes the shortest decimal in the rounding interval of x (the closest
 one if there are several, see zmij::to_shortest()). Its digits are those of a
@@ -9706,15 +9706,13 @@ class view_serializer
        }
        for (; p != stop && batch.count != float_batch::capacity(); ++p)
        {
-            // a token of the source: 16 or 17 digits, 8 to 16 after the
-            // point, no exponent, 32 bytes to read (17 after the point, with
-            // no digit before it, only in a damaged image loaded with
-            // image_check::bounds: beyond the range of locate_token())
+            // a token of the source: 16 or 17 digits, at least 8 after the
+            // point, no exponent, 32 bytes to read
            const unsigned frac_digits = p->extra >> 8u;
            const unsigned int_digits = p->extra & 0xFFu;
            const unsigned count = int_digits + frac_digits;
            if (p->kind == node_kind::number_float && (p->flags & node_flags::storage) == 0
-                    && count - 16u <= 1u && frac_digits - 8u <= 8u && src_end - (src + p->off) >= 33)
+                    && count - 16u <= 1u && frac_digits >= 8 && src_end - (src + p->off) >= 33)
            {
                const auto* const token = reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char*>(src + p->off); // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-pro-type-reinterpret-cast)
                const unsigned sign = token[0] == '-' ? 1 : 0;
@@ -1165,44 +1165,6 @@ TEST_CASE("json_view images: check")
        }
    }

-    SECTION("float tokens with 17 digits after the point and none before it")
-    {
-        // No JSON number has this layout. dump() batches tokens of 16 or 17
-        // digits, but only those with 8 to 16 fraction digits are in its
-        // range: 17 read past the table of powers of five (caught by a
-        // bounds-checked std::array), and on x86-64 wrote 18 digits
-        // (the assertion of write_decimal()).
-        const std::vector<std::uint8_t> img = json_document::parse("[1.2345678901234567]" + std::string(40, ' ')).save();
-        node n = node_at(img, 1);
-        REQUIRE(n.len == 18);
-        n.extra = 17u << 8u;
-        std::vector<std::uint8_t> b = img;
-        set_node(b, 1, n);
-        std::memcpy(b.data() + text_at(img) + n.off, ".99999999999999999", 18);
-        const json_document d = json_document::load(b, image_check::bounds);
-        const std::string dumped = d.root().dump();
-        CAPTURE(dumped)
-        CHECK(json::parse(dumped)[0].is_number());
-        CHECK(dumped == d.root().materialize().dump());
-
-        // (the input of OSS-Fuzz issue 583898810: the token is "     " and
-        // 15 nines, then "1{")
-        const std::vector<std::uint8_t> fuzzed =
-        {
-            0x4E, 0x4A, 0x56, 0x49, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
-            0x22, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
-            0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
-            0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00,
-            0x07, 0x10, 0x00, 0x11, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x12, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20,
-            0x20, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39, 0x39,
-            0x31, 0x7B, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20, 0x20,
-            0x20, 0x20, 0x00, 0x00
-        };
-        CHECK(load_result(fuzzed, image_check::full) == check_failed);
-        const json_document f = json_document::load(fuzzed, image_check::bounds);
-        CHECK_NOTHROW(f.root().dump());
-    }
-
    SECTION("nodes that share a range")
    {
        // [big string, then n strings made to point to the big string]: every
@@ -1669,3 +1669,60 @@ TEST_CASE("UTF-8 check of whole strings")
    CHECK(valid > 20000);
    CHECK(valid < 80000);
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("UTF-8 check of long strings")
+{
+    // Where a vector check is available, valid_utf8_string() skips ASCII 16
+    // bytes at a time, checks eight blocks from the first one that is not
+    // ASCII without testing for ASCII in between, and collects the errors of
+    // all blocks until the end. A sequence of each length and each kind of
+    // ill-formed sequence is put at every offset of strings that are longer
+    // than eight blocks: before, inside, at the end of, and after these
+    // blocks, and across every block boundary.
+    const char* const pieces[] = // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    {
+        "\xC3\xA9", "\xE2\x82\xAC", "\xE0\xA0\x80", "\xEF\xBF\xBF", "\xF0\x9F\x98\x80", "\xF4\x8F\xBF\xBF",
+        "\x80", "\xC0\xAF", "\xC3", "\xE2\x82", "\xED\xA0\x80", "\xF0\x9F", "\xF0\x9F\x98", "\xF4\x90\x80\x80", "\xFF"
+    };
+    // the text around the piece: ASCII only, a sequence at the start (so that
+    // the check of eight blocks starts there), and a sequence in every block
+    const char* const fillers[] = {"", "\xC3\xA9", "\xE2\x82\xAC"}; // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-c-arrays,hicpp-avoid-c-arrays,modernize-avoid-c-arrays)
+    std::size_t valid = 0;
+    std::size_t invalid = 0;
+    for (const char* const piece : pieces)
+    {
+        for (std::size_t filler = 0; filler < 3; ++filler)
+        {
+            std::string base;
+            if (filler == 1)
+            {
+                base += fillers[1];
+            }
+            while (base.size() < 300)
+            {
+                base += (filler == 2 && base.size() % 16 == 5) ? std::string(fillers[2]) : std::string("x");
+            }
+            for (std::size_t offset = 0; offset <= base.size(); ++offset)
+            {
+                // (not inside a sequence of the text around the piece)
+                if (offset < base.size() && (static_cast<unsigned char>(base[offset]) & 0xC0u) == 0x80u)
+                {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                std::string s = base;
+                s.insert(offset, piece);
+                const auto* data = reinterpret_cast<const unsigned char*>(s.data());
+                const bool expected = nlohmann::detail::is_valid_utf8(s);
+                (expected ? valid : invalid) += 1;
+                CAPTURE(offset)
+                CAPTURE(filler)
+                CAPTURE(piece)
+                CHECK(nlohmann::detail::valid_utf8_string(data, s.size()) == expected);
+                CHECK((nlohmann::detail::valid_utf8_prefix(data, s.size()) == s.size()) == expected);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    // the six well-formed pieces are valid at every offset, the others at none
+    CHECK(valid * 9 == invalid * 6);
+    CHECK(valid > 5000);
+}