diff --git a/src/libutil/util.cc b/src/libutil/util.cc
index dc724db3e..bc2dd1802 100644
--- a/src/libutil/util.cc
+++ b/src/libutil/util.cc
@@ -1385,13 +1385,31 @@ std::string replaceStrings(
 }
 
 
-std::string rewriteStrings(std::string s, const StringMap & rewrites)
+Rewriter::Rewriter(std::map<std::string, std::string> rewrites)
+    : rewrites(std::move(rewrites))
 {
-    for (auto & i : rewrites) {
-        if (i.first == i.second) continue;
-        size_t j = 0;
-        while ((j = s.find(i.first, j)) != std::string::npos)
-            s.replace(j, i.first.size(), i.second);
+    for (const auto & [k, v] : this->rewrites) {
+        assert(!k.empty());
+        initials.push_back(k[0]);
+    }
+    std::ranges::sort(initials);
+    auto [firstDupe, end] = std::ranges::unique(initials);
+    initials.erase(firstDupe, end);
+}
+
+std::string Rewriter::operator()(std::string s)
+{
+    size_t j = 0;
+    while ((j = s.find_first_of(initials, j)) != std::string::npos) {
+        size_t skip = 1;
+        for (auto & [from, to] : rewrites) {
+            if (s.compare(j, from.size(), from) == 0) {
+                s.replace(j, from.size(), to);
+                skip = to.size();
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        j += skip;
     }
     return s;
 }
diff --git a/src/libutil/util.hh b/src/libutil/util.hh
index 9c2385e84..ac4aa1d3a 100644
--- a/src/libutil/util.hh
+++ b/src/libutil/util.hh
@@ -604,7 +604,33 @@ std::string replaceStrings(
     std::string_view to);
 
 
-std::string rewriteStrings(std::string s, const StringMap & rewrites);
+/**
+ * Rewrites a string given a map of replacements, applying the replacements in
+ * sorted order, only once, considering only the strings appearing in the input
+ * string in performing replacement.
+ *
+ * - Replacements are not performed on intermediate strings. That is, for an input
+ *   `"abb"` with replacements `{"ab" -> "ba"}`, the result is `"bab"`.
+ * - Transitive replacements are not performed. For example, for the input `"abcde"`
+ *   with replacements `{"a" -> "b", "b" -> "c", "e" -> "b"}`, the result is
+ *   `"bccdb"`.
+ */
+class Rewriter
+{
+private:
+    std::string initials;
+    std::map<std::string, std::string> rewrites;
+
+public:
+    explicit Rewriter(std::map<std::string, std::string> rewrites);
+
+    std::string operator()(std::string s);
+};
+
+inline std::string rewriteStrings(std::string s, const StringMap & rewrites)
+{
+    return Rewriter(rewrites)(s);
+}
 
 
 /**
diff --git a/tests/unit/libutil/tests.cc b/tests/unit/libutil/tests.cc
index f55c56548..720370066 100644
--- a/tests/unit/libutil/tests.cc
+++ b/tests/unit/libutil/tests.cc
@@ -404,6 +404,45 @@ namespace nix {
         ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("this and that", rewrites), "that and that");
     }
 
+    TEST(rewriteStrings, intransitive) {
+        StringMap rewrites;
+        // transitivity can happen both in forward and reverse iteration order of the rewrite map.
+        rewrites["a"] = "b";
+        rewrites["b"] = "c";
+        rewrites["e"] = "b";
+
+        ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("abcde", rewrites), "bccdb");
+    }
+
+    TEST(rewriteStrings, nonoverlapping) {
+        StringMap rewrites;
+        rewrites["ab"] = "ca";
+
+        ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("abb", rewrites), "cab");
+    }
+
+    TEST(rewriteStrings, differentLength) {
+        StringMap rewrites;
+        rewrites["a"] = "an has a trea";
+
+        ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("cat", rewrites), "can has a treat");
+    }
+
+    TEST(rewriteStrings, sorted) {
+        StringMap rewrites;
+        rewrites["a"] = "meow";
+        rewrites["abc"] = "puppy";
+
+        ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("abcde", rewrites), "meowbcde");
+    }
+
+    TEST(rewriteStrings, multiple) {
+        StringMap rewrites;
+        rewrites["a"] = "b";
+
+        ASSERT_EQ(rewriteStrings("a1a2a3a", rewrites), "b1b2b3b");
+    }
+
     TEST(rewriteStrings, doesntOccur) {
         StringMap rewrites;
         rewrites["foo"] = "bar";