Trace
One pattern, one input, and every step the engine takes between them. Nothing here is a re-enactment — it is the VM’s own record of what it did, which is also what the step count is derived from.
Drills
Greedy runs to the end of the input and walks backwards. Watch where it turns around.
//
"*"
Steps117
budget 10,000
Steps
1 / 117
pattern".*"
inputsay "one" and "two" now
It matched.