diff --git a/.claude/rules/changelog.md b/.claude/rules/changelog.md
index 7413cf6991..eed0e07beb 100644
--- a/.claude/rules/changelog.md
+++ b/.claude/rules/changelog.md
@@ -65,7 +65,9 @@ For external contributors (not core team):
 
 ## Regression Fixes
 
-**What qualifies:** Bugs introduced in recent versions (same major.minor)
+**What qualifies:** Bugs introduced in a previous major.minor version (e.g., a 1.8 feature that broke in 1.9)
+
+**Skip changelog entirely** when the regression was introduced by another change in the same version cycle. For example, if a 1.9 bug fix introduced a new bug also fixed in 1.9, the fix does not need a changelog entry — the original entry covers the feature area.
 
 **Placement:** Always at TOP of the file, before Dependencies
 
diff --git a/.claude/rules/testing/smoke-all-tests.md b/.claude/rules/testing/smoke-all-tests.md
index a06be9e17c..ea80419bcd 100644
--- a/.claude/rules/testing/smoke-all-tests.md
+++ b/.claude/rules/testing/smoke-all-tests.md
@@ -63,6 +63,21 @@ _quarto:
         - ['\\begin\{figure\}']
 ```
 
+### Regex Match Array Format
+
+`ensureFileRegexMatches` (and variants like `ensureTypstFileRegexMatches`, `ensureLatexFileRegexMatches`) takes two arrays:
+
+```yaml
+ensureFileRegexMatches:
+  -                                   # First array: patterns that MUST match
+    - "pattern1"
+    - "pattern2"
+  -                                   # Second array (optional): patterns that must NOT match
+    - "forbidden-pattern"
+```
+
+Both patterns in the first array must be found. Any pattern in the second array causes failure if found.
+
 ### Message Verification
 
 Lua `warn()` appears as `level: INFO` on TypeScript side:
diff --git a/src/resources/filters/quarto-pre/shortcodes-handlers.lua b/src/resources/filters/quarto-pre/shortcodes-handlers.lua
index 52f5d30fe2..33e71d35ad 100644
--- a/src/resources/filters/quarto-pre/shortcodes-handlers.lua
+++ b/src/resources/filters/quarto-pre/shortcodes-handlers.lua
@@ -267,8 +267,10 @@ function handleMeta(args, _kwargs, _meta, _raw_args, context)
       --
       -- differently to allow users to specify precisely the
       -- string they want to use.
-      if type(optionValue) == "table" and #optionValue > 0 and optionValue[1].t == "Str" then
+      if type(optionValue) == "table" and #optionValue == 1 and optionValue[1].t == "Str" then
         return optionValue[1].text
+      elseif pandoc.utils.type(optionValue) == "Inlines" then
+        return pandoc.utils.stringify(optionValue)
       else
         local blocks = pandoc.Blocks(optionValue)
         return pandoc.write(pandoc.Pandoc(blocks), "markdown")
diff --git a/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/03/05/14159.qmd b/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/03/05/14159.qmd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e184acd52b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/docs/smoke-all/2026/03/05/14159.qmd
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+format: html
+my-value: Release Candidate
+include-after-body:
+  text: |
+    <script>window["test-include"] = '{{< meta my-value >}}';</script>
+_quarto:
+  tests:
+    html:
+      ensureFileRegexMatches:
+        -
+          - "test-include.*Release Candidate"
+          - "test-rawblock.*Release Candidate"
+---
+
+Inline: {{< meta my-value >}}
+
+```{=html}
+<script>window["test-rawblock"] = '{{< meta my-value >}}';</script>
+```