diff --git a/hosts/ocaml/bin/run_tests.ml b/hosts/ocaml/bin/run_tests.ml
index b09a482a..e0431121 100644
--- a/hosts/ocaml/bin/run_tests.ml
+++ b/hosts/ocaml/bin/run_tests.ml
@@ -3516,6 +3516,32 @@ let run_spec_tests env test_files =
 
   reg "host-await" (fun _args -> Nil);
 
+  (* host-call-fn: hyperscript's call bridge — (host-call-fn fn arg-list). In a
+     real host it reaches into JS; in the headless mock it is simply apply. This
+     was the single biggest gap: ~900 behavioral tests failed on "Undefined
+     symbol: host-call-fn". host-call-fn-raising propagates errors (used by the
+     try/catch machinery); host-new-function can't run raw JS headless so stubs. *)
+  let list_elems = function
+    | List l | ListRef { contents = l } -> l
+    | Nil -> []
+    | v -> [v] in
+  reg "host-call-fn" (fun args ->
+    match args with
+    | fn :: rest ->
+      let call_args = match rest with a :: _ -> list_elems a | [] -> [] in
+      (try Sx_ref.cek_call fn (List call_args)
+       with e -> Printf.eprintf "[mock] host-call-fn error: %s\n%!" (Printexc.to_string e); Nil)
+    | _ -> Nil);
+  reg "host-call-fn-raising" (fun args ->
+    match args with
+    | fn :: rest ->
+      let call_args = match rest with a :: _ -> list_elems a | [] -> [] in
+      Sx_ref.cek_call fn (List call_args)
+    | _ -> Nil);
+  reg "host-new-function" (fun _ -> NativeFn ("host-new-function-stub", fun _ -> Nil));
+  reg "host-iter?" (fun _ -> Bool false);
+  reg "host-to-list" (fun args -> match args with [v] -> List (list_elems v) | _ -> List []);
+
   (* Minimal JSON parse/stringify used by hs-coerce (as JSON / as JSONString). *)
   let rec json_of_value = function
     | Nil -> `Null
diff --git a/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_primitives.ml b/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_primitives.ml
index 93f82e17..95d68983 100644
--- a/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_primitives.ml
+++ b/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_primitives.ml
@@ -2306,7 +2306,13 @@ let () =
           | Some r -> r
           | None -> raise (Eval_error "regex: handle not found"))
        | _ -> raise (Eval_error "regex: missing id"))
-    | _ -> raise (Eval_error "regex: expected regex dict")
+    | String s ->
+      (* Accept a raw pattern string: auto-compile it. Lets regex-split /
+         regex-match-all / regex-test / etc. take a pattern directly, not only
+         a pre-compiled regex dict from regex-compile. *)
+      (try (Re.compile (Re.Pcre.re s), s, "")
+       with _ -> raise (Eval_error ("regex: invalid pattern " ^ s)))
+    | _ -> raise (Eval_error "regex: expected regex dict or pattern string")
   in
   let group_to_dict g input =
     let d = Hashtbl.create 4 in
@@ -2368,6 +2374,14 @@ let () =
     | _ -> raise (Eval_error "regex-match-all: (regex string)"));
   register "regex-replace" (fun args ->
     match args with
+    | [String pattern; String replacement; String input] ->
+      (* string API: (regex-replace pattern replacement input) — replace ALL
+         matches of a raw pattern. Disambiguated from the compiled-regex API
+         below by the first arg being a String rather than a regex Dict. *)
+      (try
+        let re = Re.Pcre.re pattern |> Re.compile in
+        String (Re.replace_string re ~by:replacement input)
+       with _ -> String input)
     | [rx; String s; String replacement] ->
       let (re, _, flags) = regex_of_value rx in
       let expand g =