diff --git before/doc/aide.conf.5 after/doc/aide.conf.5
index 0f7da37..2213db2 100644
--- before/doc/aide.conf.5
+++ after/doc/aide.conf.5
@@ -480,6 +480,12 @@ against the complete path.
 Special characters can be escaped using
 two-digit URL encoding (for example, %20 to represent a space).
 
+Rules and file names are always treated as single byte sequences (i.e. not as
+UTF strings). That means that multi byte characters aren't matched by single
+dot ('.') or inside a character class. To match UTF multi byte characters,
+explicitly state them in the rule either verbatim (e.g. `®` for registered
+sign) or by hexadecimal escaping (e.g. '\\xC2\\xAE').
+
 AIDE uses a deepest-match algorithm to find the tree node to search,
 but a first-match algorithm inside the node.
 (see also \fBrule\fP log level).
diff --git before/src/aide.c after/src/aide.c
index 622e108..aeef53f 100644
--- before/src/aide.c
+++ after/src/aide.c
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ static void read_param(int argc,char**argv)
                 int len = (strlen(optarg)+1) * sizeof(char);
                 conf->limit=checked_malloc(len);
                 strncpy(conf->limit, optarg, len);
-                if((conf->limit_crx=pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) conf->limit, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_UTF|PCRE2_ANCHORED, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
+                if((conf->limit_crx=pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) conf->limit, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_NEVER_UTF|PCRE2_ANCHORED, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
                     PCRE2_UCHAR pcre2_error[128];
                     pcre2_get_error_message(pcre2_errorcode, pcre2_error, 128);
                     char * limit_safe = stresc(conf->limit);
diff --git before/src/conf_eval.c after/src/conf_eval.c
index 5774ce6..e884569 100644
--- before/src/conf_eval.c
+++ after/src/conf_eval.c
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ static void include_directory(const char* dir, const char* rx, bool execute, cha
     PCRE2_SIZE pcre2_erroffset;
     pcre2_code* crx;
 
-    if((crx = pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) rx, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_UTF, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
+    if((crx = pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) rx, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_NEVER_UTF, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
         PCRE2_UCHAR pcre2_error[128];
         pcre2_get_error_message(pcre2_errorcode, pcre2_error, 128);
         LOG_CONFIG_FORMAT_LINE(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "'%s': error in regular expression '%s' at %zu: %s", execute?"@@x_include":"@@include", rx, pcre2_erroffset, pcre2_error)
diff --git before/src/seltree.c after/src/seltree.c
index 912a2bc..2c623a1 100644
--- before/src/seltree.c
+++ after/src/seltree.c
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ rx_rule * add_rx_to_tree(char * rx, rx_restriction_t restriction, AIDE_RULE_TYPE
     int pcre2_errorcode;
     PCRE2_SIZE pcre2_erroffset;
 
-    if((r->crx=pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) r->rx, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_UTF|PCRE2_ANCHORED, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
+    if((r->crx=pcre2_compile((PCRE2_SPTR) r->rx, PCRE2_ZERO_TERMINATED, PCRE2_NEVER_UTF|PCRE2_ANCHORED, &pcre2_errorcode, &pcre2_erroffset, NULL)) == NULL) {
         PCRE2_UCHAR pcre2_error[128];
         pcre2_get_error_message(pcre2_errorcode, pcre2_error, 128);
         log_msg(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "%s:%d:%zu: error in rule '%s': %s (line: '%s')", filename, linenumber, pcre2_erroffset, rx, pcre2_error, linebuf);