diff --git a/shared/regex/codeql/regex/MissingRegExpAnchor.qll b/shared/regex/codeql/regex/MissingRegExpAnchor.qll
index e2e8b71ea75..c4fe642b790 100644
--- a/shared/regex/codeql/regex/MissingRegExpAnchor.qll
+++ b/shared/regex/codeql/regex/MissingRegExpAnchor.qll
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ import HostnameRegexp as HostnameShared
 signature module MissingRegExpAnchorSig<
   RegexTreeViewSig TreeImpl, HostnameShared::HostnameRegexpSig<TreeImpl> Specific>
 {
+  /**
+   * Holds if this regular expression is used in a 'replacement' operation, such
+   * as replacing all matches of the regular expression in the input string
+   * with another string.
+   */
   predicate isUsedAsReplace(Specific::RegExpPatternSource pattern);
 
   /** Gets a string representation of an end anchor from a regular expression. */
diff --git a/swift/ql/lib/codeql/swift/regex/Regex.qll b/swift/ql/lib/codeql/swift/regex/Regex.qll
index c24a5d692c0..aedf561047b 100644
--- a/swift/ql/lib/codeql/swift/regex/Regex.qll
+++ b/swift/ql/lib/codeql/swift/regex/Regex.qll
@@ -330,6 +330,13 @@ abstract class RegexEval extends CallExpr {
    */
   DataFlow::Node getAnOptionsInput() { none() }
 
+  /**
+   * Holds if this regular expression evaluation is a 'replacement' operation,
+   * such as replacing all matches of the regular expression in the input
+   * string with another string.
+   */
+  abstract predicate isUsedAsReplace();
+
   /**
    * Gets a regular expression value that is evaluated here (if any can be identified).
    */
@@ -416,6 +423,10 @@ private class AlwaysRegexEval extends RegexEval {
   override DataFlow::Node getRegexInputNode() { result = regexInput }
 
   override DataFlow::Node getStringInputNode() { result = stringInput }
+
+  override predicate isUsedAsReplace() {
+    this.getStaticTarget().getName().matches(["replac%", "stringByReplac%", "trim%"])
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -508,4 +519,6 @@ private class NSStringCompareOptionsRegexEval extends RegexEval instanceof NSStr
   override DataFlow::Node getAnOptionsInput() {
     result = this.(NSStringCompareOptionsPotentialRegexEval).getAnOptionsInput()
   }
+
+  override predicate isUsedAsReplace() { this.getStaticTarget().getName().matches(["replac%"]) }
 }
diff --git a/swift/ql/src/queries/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.ql b/swift/ql/src/queries/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.ql
index fc1b9e1b227..be6360187f7 100644
--- a/swift/ql/src/queries/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.ql
+++ b/swift/ql/src/queries/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.ql
@@ -22,35 +22,10 @@ private module Impl implements
   MissingRegExpAnchor::MissingRegExpAnchorSig<TreeImpl, HostnameRegex::Impl>
 {
   predicate isUsedAsReplace(RegexPatternSource pattern) {
-    none()
-/* java   // is used for capture or replace
-    exists(DataFlow::MethodCallNode mcn, string name | name = mcn.getMethodName() |
-      name = "exec" and
-      mcn = pattern.getARegExpObject().getAMethodCall() and
-      exists(mcn.getAPropertyRead())
-      or
-      exists(DataFlow::Node arg |
-        arg = mcn.getArgument(0) and
-        (
-          pattern.getARegExpObject().flowsTo(arg) or
-          pattern.getAParse() = arg
-        )
-      |
-        name = "replace"
-        or
-        name = "match" and exists(mcn.getAPropertyRead())
-      )
-    )*/
-/* rb   exists(DataFlow::CallNode mcn, DataFlow::Node arg, string name |
-      name = mcn.getMethodName() and
-      arg = mcn.getArgument(0)
-    |
-      (
-        pattern.getAParse().(DataFlow::LocalSourceNode).flowsTo(arg) or
-        pattern.getAParse() = arg
-      ) and
-      name = ["sub", "sub!", "gsub", "gsub!"]
-    )*/
+    exists(RegexEval eval |
+      eval.getARegex() = pattern.asExpr() and
+      eval.isUsedAsReplace()
+    )
   }
 
   string getEndAnchorText() { result = "$" }
diff --git a/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.expected b/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.expected
index 136f52fa21e..553d53846e6 100644
--- a/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.expected
+++ b/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/MissingRegexAnchor.expected
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
 | SemiAnchoredRegex.swift:104:16:104:16 | ^mouse\|touch\|click\|contextmenu\|drop\|dragover\|dragend | Misleading operator precedence. The subexpression '^mouse' is anchored at the beginning, but the other parts of this regular expression are not |
 | SemiAnchoredRegex.swift:105:16:105:16 | ^xxx:\|yyy: | Misleading operator precedence. The subexpression '^xxx:' is anchored at the beginning, but the other parts of this regular expression are not |
 | SemiAnchoredRegex.swift:106:16:106:16 | _xxx\|_yyy\|_zzz$ | Misleading operator precedence. The subexpression '_zzz$' is anchored at the end, but the other parts of this regular expression are not |
-| SemiAnchoredRegex.swift:137:36:137:36 | ^a\|b/ | Misleading operator precedence. The subexpression '^a' is anchored at the beginning, but the other parts of this regular expression are not |
 | UnanchoredUrlRegex.swift:62:39:62:39 | https?://good.com | When this is used as a regular expression on a URL, it may match anywhere, and arbitrary hosts may come before or after it. |
 | UnanchoredUrlRegex.swift:63:39:63:39 | https?://good.com | When this is used as a regular expression on a URL, it may match anywhere, and arbitrary hosts may come before or after it. |
 | UnanchoredUrlRegex.swift:64:39:64:39 | ^https?://good.com | This hostname pattern may match any domain name, as it is missing a '$' or '/' at the end. |
diff --git a/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/SemiAnchoredRegex.swift b/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/SemiAnchoredRegex.swift
index f072c91ab69..3b0abe53048 100644
--- a/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/SemiAnchoredRegex.swift
+++ b/swift/ql/test/query-tests/Security/CWE-020/SemiAnchoredRegex.swift
@@ -134,5 +134,5 @@ func realWorld(input: String) throws {
 
 func replaceTest(x: String) -> String {
 	// OK - possibly replacing too much, but not obviously a problem
-	return x.replacingOccurrences(of: #"^a|b/"#, with: "", options: .regularExpression) // [FALSE POSITIVE]
+	return x.replacingOccurrences(of: #"^a|b/"#, with: "", options: .regularExpression)
 }