diff --git a/src/util/pull-request-title.ts b/src/util/pull-request-title.ts
index ce5756d1f..a75d74b79 100644
--- a/src/util/pull-request-title.ts
+++ b/src/util/pull-request-title.ts
@@ -39,10 +39,12 @@ export function generateMatchPattern(pullRequestTitlePattern?: string): RegExp {
     logger.warn("pullRequestTitlePattern miss the part of '${version}'");
   return new RegExp(
     `^${(pullRequestTitlePattern || DEFAULT_PR_TITLE_PATTERN)
-      .replace('${scope}', '(\\((?<branch>[\\w-.]+)\\))?')
+      .replace('[', '\\[') // TODO: handle all regex escaping
+      .replace(']', '\\]')
+      .replace('${scope}', '(\\((?<branch>[\\w-./]+)\\))?')
       .replace('${component}', ' ?(?<component>[\\w-.]*)?')
       .replace('${version}', 'v?(?<version>[0-9].*)')
-      .replace('${branch}', '(?<branch>[\\w-.]+)?')}$`
+      .replace('${branch}', '(?<branch>[\\w-./]+)?')}$`
   );
 }
 
@@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ export class PullRequestTitle {
           : undefined,
         component: match.groups['component'],
         targetBranch: match.groups['branch'],
-        pullRequestTitlePattern: pullRequestTitlePattern,
+        pullRequestTitlePattern,
       });
     }
     return undefined;
diff --git a/test/manifest.ts b/test/manifest.ts
index abade1aee..401d8ac34 100644
--- a/test/manifest.ts
+++ b/test/manifest.ts
@@ -4532,6 +4532,48 @@ describe('Manifest', () => {
       const releases = await manifest.buildReleases();
       expect(releases).lengthOf(0);
     });
+
+    it('should handle complex title and base branch', async () => {
+      mockPullRequests(
+        github,
+        [],
+        [
+          {
+            headBranchName:
+              'release-please--branches--hotfix/v3.1.0-bug--components--my-package-name',
+            baseBranchName: 'hotfix/v3.1.0-bug',
+            number: 1234,
+            title: '[HOTFIX] - chore(hotfix/v3.1.0-bug): release 3.1.0-hotfix1',
+            body: pullRequestBody('release-notes/single.txt'),
+            labels: ['autorelease: pending'],
+            files: [],
+            sha: 'abc123',
+          },
+        ]
+      );
+      const manifest = new Manifest(
+        github,
+        'hotfix/v3.1.0-bug',
+        {
+          '.': {
+            releaseType: 'simple',
+            pullRequestTitlePattern:
+              '[HOTFIX] - chore${scope}: release${component} ${version}',
+            packageName: 'my-package-name',
+            includeComponentInTag: false,
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          '.': Version.parse('3.1.0'),
+        }
+      );
+      const releases = await manifest.buildReleases();
+      expect(releases).lengthOf(1);
+      expect(releases[0].tag.toString()).to.eql('v3.1.0-hotfix1');
+      expect(releases[0].sha).to.eql('abc123');
+      expect(releases[0].notes).to.be.a('string');
+      expect(releases[0].path).to.eql('.');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('createReleases', () => {
diff --git a/test/util/branch-name.ts b/test/util/branch-name.ts
index b1805d639..84bee93aa 100644
--- a/test/util/branch-name.ts
+++ b/test/util/branch-name.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,16 @@ describe('BranchName', () => {
       expect(branchName?.toString()).to.eql(name);
     });
 
+    it('parses a target branch that has a /', () => {
+      const name = 'release-please--branches--hotfix/3.3.x';
+      const branchName = BranchName.parse(name);
+      expect(branchName).to.not.be.undefined;
+      expect(branchName?.getTargetBranch()).to.eql('hotfix/3.3.x');
+      expect(branchName?.getComponent()).to.be.undefined;
+      expect(branchName?.getVersion()).to.be.undefined;
+      expect(branchName?.toString()).to.eql(name);
+    });
+
     it('fails to parse', () => {
       const branchName = BranchName.parse('release-foo');
       expect(branchName).to.be.undefined;
diff --git a/test/util/pull-request-title.ts b/test/util/pull-request-title.ts
index c6b77f299..561018329 100644
--- a/test/util/pull-request-title.ts
+++ b/test/util/pull-request-title.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ describe('PullRequestTitle', () => {
     it('return matchPattern with default Pattern', () => {
       const matchPattern = generateMatchPattern();
       expect(matchPattern).to.eql(
-        /^chore(\((?<branch>[\w-.]+)\))?: release ?(?<component>[\w-.]*)? v?(?<version>[0-9].*)$/
+        /^chore(\((?<branch>[\w-./]+)\))?: release ?(?<component>[\w-.]*)? v?(?<version>[0-9].*)$/
       );
     });
   });
@@ -212,6 +212,19 @@ describe('PullRequestTitle with custom pullRequestTitlePattern', () => {
       expect(pullRequestTitle?.getComponent()).to.be.undefined;
       expect(pullRequestTitle?.getVersion()).to.be.undefined;
     });
+
+    it('parses a complex title and pattern', () => {
+      const pullRequestTitle = PullRequestTitle.parse(
+        '[HOTFIX] - chore(hotfix/v3.1.0-bug): release 3.1.0-hotfix1',
+        '[HOTFIX] - chore${scope}: release${component} ${version}'
+      );
+      expect(pullRequestTitle).to.not.be.undefined;
+      expect(pullRequestTitle?.getTargetBranch()).to.eql('hotfix/v3.1.0-bug');
+      expect(pullRequestTitle?.getVersion()?.toString()).to.eql(
+        '3.1.0-hotfix1'
+      );
+      expect(pullRequestTitle?.getComponent()).to.be.undefined;
+    });
   });
   describe('ofVersion', () => {
     it('builds the autorelease versioned branch name', () => {
@@ -265,7 +278,7 @@ describe('PullRequestTitle with custom pullRequestTitlePattern', () => {
         'chore${scope}: 🔖 release${component} ${version}'
       );
       expect(matchPattern).to.eql(
-        /^chore(\((?<branch>[\w-.]+)\))?: 🔖 release ?(?<component>[\w-.]*)? v?(?<version>[0-9].*)$/
+        /^chore(\((?<branch>[\w-./]+)\))?: 🔖 release ?(?<component>[\w-.]*)? v?(?<version>[0-9].*)$/
       );
     });