diff --git a/src/bot.zig b/src/bot.zig
index c9267b6..8f0827c 100644
--- a/src/bot.zig
+++ b/src/bot.zig
@@ -1,6 +1,55 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const zircon = @import("zircon");
 
+pub const Parser = struct {
+    original: []const u8,
+    rest: []const u8,
+    end_idx: usize,
+
+    fn seek(self: *const Parser, skip: usize) Parser {
+        return .{ .original = self.original, .rest = self.rest[skip..], .end_idx = self.end_idx + skip };
+    }
+
+    fn init(s: []const u8) Parser {
+        return .{
+            .original = s,
+            .end_idx = 0,
+            .rest = s,
+        };
+    }
+
+    fn consume_char(self: *const Parser, c: u8) ?Parser {
+        if (self.rest[0] != c) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        return self.seek(1);
+    }
+
+    fn consume_str(self: *const Parser, s: []const u8) ?Parser {
+        const len = s.len;
+        if (self.rest.len < len) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        if (!std.mem.eql(u8, self.rest[0..len], s)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+        return self.seek(len);
+    }
+
+    fn take_until_char(self: *const Parser, c: u8) struct { Parser, []const u8 } {
+        const idx = std.mem.indexOfScalar(u8, self.rest, c) orelse unreachable;
+        return .{ self.seek(idx), self.rest[0..idx] };
+    }
+
+    fn take_char(self: *const Parser) struct { Parser, u8 } {
+        return .{ self.seek(1), self.rest[0] };
+    }
+
+    fn parsed(self: *const Parser) []const u8 {
+        return self.original[0..self.end_idx];
+    }
+};
+
 /// AdminCommand are commands useful for debugging zigeru, since they
 /// are more spammy than others they are separated and only sent to
 /// #eru-admin.
@@ -9,18 +58,19 @@ pub const AdminCommand = union(enum) {
     status: void,
 
     pub fn parse(text: []const u8) ?AdminCommand {
-        if (text.len < 2) return null;
-
-        if (std.mem.eql(u8, text, "!status")) {
-            return .status;
-        }
-
-        if (text.len > 8 and std.mem.eql(u8, text[0..8], "!backlog")) {
-            const history = std.fmt.parseInt(u16, text[9..], 10) catch |err| {
-                std.debug.print("failed to parse int ('{s}') with error: {}\n", .{ text[8..], err });
-                return null;
-            };
-            return .{ .backlog = .{ .history = history } };
+        const original = Parser.init(text);
+        if (original.consume_char('!')) |command| {
+            if (command.consume_str("status")) |_| {
+                return .status;
+            }
+            if (command.consume_str("backlog")) |backlog| {
+                const history = std.fmt.parseInt(u16, backlog.rest, 10) catch |err| {
+                    std.debug.print("failed to parse int ('{s}') with error: {}\n", .{ backlog.rest, err });
+                    return null;
+                };
+                return .{ .backlog = .{ .history = history } };
+            }
+            std.log.debug("unknown command: \"{s}\"", .{command.rest});
         }
         return null;
     }
@@ -34,32 +84,29 @@ pub const Command = union(enum) {
     help: void,
 
     pub fn parse(nick: []const u8, text: []const u8) ?Command {
-        if (std.mem.eql(u8, text, "!help")) {
+        const original = Parser.init(text);
+        if (original.consume_str("!help")) |_| {
             return .help;
         }
 
-        if (text[0] == 's') {
-            if (text.len == 1) return null;
-            const delim = switch (text[1]) {
-                '/', '|', '#' => text[1],
-                else => {
-                    return null;
-                },
-            };
-            if (std.mem.count(u8, text, &.{delim}) != 3) {
-                // invalid format, we expect three delimiters
+        if (original.consume_char('s')) |substitute| {
+            const delim_parser, const delim = substitute.take_char();
+            if (std.ascii.isAlphanumeric(delim)) {
+                std.log.debug("parsing substitute command: delimiter cannot be a whitespace: \"{s}\"", .{text});
+                return null;
+            }
+            const typo_parser, const typo = delim_parser.take_until_char(delim);
+            const correction_parser, const correction = typo_parser.consume_char(delim).?.take_until_char(delim);
+            if (correction_parser.consume_char(delim) == null) {
+                std.log.debug("parsing substitute command: missing an ending '/' in \"{s}\"", .{text});
                 return null;
             }
-            var parts = std.mem.splitScalar(u8, text, delim);
-            _ = parts.next() orelse return null;
-            const needle = parts.next().?;
-            const replacement = parts.next().?;
             return .{
                 .substitute = .{
                     .author = nick,
-                    .needle = needle,
-                    .replacement = replacement,
-                    .all = if (parts.next()) |flags| std.mem.eql(u8, flags, "g") else false,
+                    .needle = typo,
+                    .replacement = correction,
+                    .all = false,
                 },
             };
         }