diff --git a/apps/sim/app/api/auth/forget-password/route.ts b/apps/sim/app/api/auth/forget-password/route.ts
index 4eaf161b37f..9f0c7c1ce1f 100644
--- a/apps/sim/app/api/auth/forget-password/route.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/app/api/auth/forget-password/route.ts
@@ -97,6 +97,9 @@ export const POST = withRouteHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
     return NextResponse.json(
       {
         message:
+          // utils-lint-allow: returned to an unauthenticated caller, so a non-Error throw
+          // must surface the fixed copy rather than its own text — getErrorMessage would
+          // pass a thrown string straight through.
           error instanceof Error
             ? error.message
             : 'Failed to send password reset email. Please try again later.',
diff --git a/apps/sim/app/api/auth/reset-password/route.ts b/apps/sim/app/api/auth/reset-password/route.ts
index 268992e07a7..469738fd04f 100644
--- a/apps/sim/app/api/auth/reset-password/route.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/app/api/auth/reset-password/route.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ export const POST = withRouteHandler(async (request: NextRequest) => {
     return NextResponse.json(
       {
         message:
+          // utils-lint-allow: returned to an unauthenticated caller, so a non-Error throw
+          // must surface the fixed copy rather than its own text — getErrorMessage would
+          // pass a thrown string straight through.
           error instanceof Error
             ? error.message
             : 'Failed to reset password. Please try again or request a new reset link.',
diff --git a/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/settings/components/team-management/team-management.tsx b/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/settings/components/team-management/team-management.tsx
index 0533b52c5d7..b62f1e0b292 100644
--- a/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/settings/components/team-management/team-management.tsx
+++ b/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/settings/components/team-management/team-management.tsx
@@ -274,9 +274,7 @@ export function TeamManagement({
           portalWindow?.close()
           logger.error('Failed to open billing portal from transfer dialog', { error })
           setTransferPortalError(
-            error instanceof Error
-              ? error.message
-              : 'Failed to open Stripe billing portal. Please try again.'
+            getErrorMessage(error, 'Failed to open Stripe billing portal. Please try again.')
           )
         },
       }
diff --git a/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/utils/auto-layout-utils.ts b/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/utils/auto-layout-utils.ts
index 564eb796400..e40b1eb28c6 100644
--- a/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/utils/auto-layout-utils.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/w/[workflowId]/utils/auto-layout-utils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
 import { getErrorMessage } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import type { Edge } from 'reactflow'
-import { ApiClientError } from '@/lib/api/client/errors'
 import { requestJson } from '@/lib/api/client/request'
 import {
   putWorkflowNormalizedStateContract,
@@ -100,12 +99,7 @@ export async function applyAutoLayoutAndUpdateStore(
         },
       })
     } catch (error) {
-      const errorMessage =
-        error instanceof ApiClientError
-          ? error.message
-          : error instanceof Error
-            ? error.message
-            : 'Auto layout failed'
+      const errorMessage = getErrorMessage(error, 'Auto layout failed')
       logger.error('Auto layout API call failed:', { error: errorMessage })
       return { success: false, error: errorMessage }
     }
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/billing/client/upgrade.ts b/apps/sim/lib/billing/client/upgrade.ts
index 23729afe105..c03a1f4a082 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/billing/client/upgrade.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/billing/client/upgrade.ts
@@ -211,9 +211,7 @@ export function useSubscriptionUpgrade() {
                 error:
                   transferError instanceof ApiClientError
                     ? (transferError.rawBody ?? transferError.message)
-                    : transferError instanceof Error
-                      ? transferError.message
-                      : 'Unknown error',
+                    : getErrorMessage(transferError, 'Unknown error'),
               })
             }
           } catch (error) {
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/execution/remote-sandbox/e2b.ts b/apps/sim/lib/execution/remote-sandbox/e2b.ts
index a9c9e39c7fc..4faed387663 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/execution/remote-sandbox/e2b.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/execution/remote-sandbox/e2b.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,8 @@ function isE2BExecutionTimeout(error: unknown): boolean {
         ? error.name
         : ''
   const message =
+    // utils-lint-allow: probes E2B's own error shape — a record-like carrying `message`
+    // or `value` — which getErrorMessage cannot express.
     error instanceof Error
       ? error.message
       : isRecordLike(error)
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/microsoft-teams.ts b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/microsoft-teams.ts
index ccaa56eb12c..4e35dba8467 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/microsoft-teams.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/microsoft-teams.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { account } from '@sim/db/schema'
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
 import { safeCompare } from '@sim/security/compare'
 import { hmacSha256Base64 } from '@sim/security/hmac'
-import { toError } from '@sim/utils/errors'
+import { getErrorMessage, toError } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import { isRecordLike } from '@sim/utils/object'
 import { eq } from 'drizzle-orm'
 import { type NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server'
@@ -733,9 +733,7 @@ export const microsoftTeamsHandler: WebhookProviderHandler = {
         error
       )
       throw new Error(
-        error instanceof Error
-          ? error.message
-          : 'Failed to create Teams subscription. Please try again.'
+        getErrorMessage(error, 'Failed to create Teams subscription. Please try again.')
       )
     }
   },
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/telegram.ts b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/telegram.ts
index 9720bccd60b..da7303800ed 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/telegram.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/telegram.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { db, webhook, workflowDeploymentVersion } from '@sim/db'
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
+import { getErrorMessage } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import { and, eq, isNull, ne } from 'drizzle-orm'
 import { getNotificationUrl, getProviderConfig } from '@/lib/webhooks/provider-subscription-utils'
 import type {
@@ -170,9 +171,7 @@ export const telegramHandler: WebhookProviderHandler = {
         error
       )
       throw new Error(
-        error instanceof Error
-          ? error.message
-          : 'Failed to create Telegram webhook. Please try again.'
+        getErrorMessage(error, 'Failed to create Telegram webhook. Please try again.')
       )
     }
   },
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/typeform.ts b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/typeform.ts
index e8a7384009b..e366366868a 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/typeform.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/webhooks/providers/typeform.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
 import { safeCompare } from '@sim/security/compare'
 import { hmacSha256Base64 } from '@sim/security/hmac'
+import { getErrorMessage } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import { getNotificationUrl, getProviderConfig } from '@/lib/webhooks/provider-subscription-utils'
 import type {
   DeleteSubscriptionContext,
@@ -168,9 +169,7 @@ export const typeformHandler: WebhookProviderHandler = {
         error
       )
       throw new Error(
-        error instanceof Error
-          ? error.message
-          : 'Failed to create Typeform webhook. Please try again.'
+        getErrorMessage(error, 'Failed to create Typeform webhook. Please try again.')
       )
     }
   },
diff --git a/apps/sim/lib/workspace-files/orchestration/file-folder-lifecycle.ts b/apps/sim/lib/workspace-files/orchestration/file-folder-lifecycle.ts
index 489ca8af9b3..9e4ba04d537 100644
--- a/apps/sim/lib/workspace-files/orchestration/file-folder-lifecycle.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/lib/workspace-files/orchestration/file-folder-lifecycle.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { AuditAction, AuditResourceType, recordAudit } from '@sim/audit'
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
-import { getPostgresErrorCode, toError } from '@sim/utils/errors'
+import { getErrorMessage, getPostgresErrorCode, toError } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import { asOrchestrationError, type OrchestrationErrorCode } from '@/lib/core/orchestration/types'
 import { FolderPathError } from '@/lib/folders/paths'
 import { notifyWorkspaceFilesChanged } from '@/lib/realtime/notify'
@@ -385,10 +385,10 @@ export async function performMoveWorkspaceFileItems(
     ) {
       return {
         success: false,
-        error:
-          error instanceof Error
-            ? error.message
-            : 'A file or folder with this name already exists in the destination folder',
+        error: getErrorMessage(
+          error,
+          'A file or folder with this name already exists in the destination folder'
+        ),
         errorCode: 'conflict',
       }
     }
diff --git a/apps/sim/stores/workflows/registry/store.ts b/apps/sim/stores/workflows/registry/store.ts
index 083b116d848..b424332918c 100644
--- a/apps/sim/stores/workflows/registry/store.ts
+++ b/apps/sim/stores/workflows/registry/store.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createLogger } from '@sim/logger'
+import { getErrorMessage } from '@sim/utils/errors'
 import { generateRandomHex } from '@sim/utils/random'
 import { create } from 'zustand'
 import { devtools } from 'zustand/middleware'
@@ -206,10 +207,10 @@ export const useWorkflowRegistry = create<WorkflowRegistry>()(
 
           logger.info(`Switched to workflow ${workflowId}`)
         } catch (error) {
-          const message =
-            error instanceof Error
-              ? error.message
-              : `Failed to load workflow ${workflowId}: Unknown error`
+          const message = getErrorMessage(
+            error,
+            `Failed to load workflow ${workflowId}: Unknown error`
+          )
           logger.error(message)
 
           const currentHydration = get().hydration
diff --git a/scripts/check-utils-enforcement.ts b/scripts/check-utils-enforcement.ts
index 857bab94901..3239ef8aa9c 100644
--- a/scripts/check-utils-enforcement.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-utils-enforcement.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,17 @@
 /**
  * Enforces use of shared @sim/utils helpers over inline implementations.
  *
- * Biome's noRestrictedImports covers import-based bans (nanoid, uuid, crypto named imports).
- * This script catches patterns that static import analysis misses — global property access,
- * inline idioms, and reimplemented helpers that should live in @sim/utils.
+ * Biome's noRestrictedImports covers the import-based bans it lists — today `nanoid` and
+ * `uuid`. It does NOT cover named crypto imports; `import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto'`
+ * passes both gates, and deliberately so, since server code building cipher IVs and tokens
+ * wants node's crypto rather than the cross-context wrapper in `@sim/utils/random`.
+ *
+ * This script catches what static import analysis misses — global property access, inline
+ * idioms, and reimplemented helpers that should live in @sim/utils.
+ *
+ * Patterns are matched against the whole file, not line by line: every idiom banned here is a
+ * multi-token expression that the formatter wraps at 100 columns, and a line-scoped scan sees
+ * none of the wrapped forms. Deliberate exceptions carry `// utils-lint-allow: <reason>`.
  */
 import { readdir, readFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import path from 'node:path'
@@ -108,6 +116,48 @@ interface Violation {
   snippet: string
 }
 
+/** Escape hatch for a deliberate use, mirroring `rq-lint-allow:` in check-react-query-patterns.ts. */
+const ALLOW = 'utils-lint-allow:'
+
+/** Offset of the first character of each line, for mapping a match index back to a line number. */
+function buildLineStarts(content: string): number[] {
+  const starts = [0]
+  for (let i = 0; i < content.length; i++) {
+    if (content[i] === '\n') starts.push(i + 1)
+  }
+  return starts
+}
+
+/** 1-based line containing `offset`, by binary search over {@link buildLineStarts}. */
+function lineAt(lineStarts: number[], offset: number): number {
+  let low = 0
+  let high = lineStarts.length - 1
+  while (low < high) {
+    const mid = Math.ceil((low + high) / 2)
+    if (lineStarts[mid] <= offset) low = mid
+    else high = mid - 1
+  }
+  return low + 1
+}
+
+/**
+ * True if a `// utils-lint-allow: <reason>` annotation sits just above `line` (1-based).
+ *
+ * The reason must be non-empty: an annotation that does not say why is the thing this
+ * check exists to prevent. Scans up to three comment lines above, so the annotation can
+ * carry context lines with it.
+ */
+function hasAllow(lines: string[], line: number): boolean {
+  for (let i = line - 2; i >= 0 && i >= line - 5; i--) {
+    const text = lines[i]?.trim() ?? ''
+    if (text.includes(ALLOW)) {
+      return text.slice(text.indexOf(ALLOW) + ALLOW.length).trim().length > 0
+    }
+    if (text.length > 0 && !text.startsWith('//') && !text.startsWith('*')) break
+  }
+  return false
+}
+
 async function main() {
   const allFiles: string[] = []
   for (const dir of SCAN_DIRS) {
@@ -122,20 +172,20 @@ async function main() {
 
     const content = await readFile(file, 'utf8')
     const lines = content.split('\n')
+    const lineStarts = buildLineStarts(content)
 
-    for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
-      const line = lines[i]
-      for (const { pattern, description, suggestion } of BANNED_PATTERNS) {
-        pattern.lastIndex = 0
-        if (pattern.test(line)) {
-          violations.push({
-            file: rel,
-            line: i + 1,
-            description,
-            suggestion,
-            snippet: line.trim(),
-          })
-        }
+    for (const { pattern, description, suggestion } of BANNED_PATTERNS) {
+      pattern.lastIndex = 0
+      for (let match = pattern.exec(content); match !== null; match = pattern.exec(content)) {
+        const line = lineAt(lineStarts, match.index)
+        if (hasAllow(lines, line)) continue
+        violations.push({
+          file: rel,
+          line,
+          description,
+          suggestion,
+          snippet: (lines[line - 1] ?? '').trim(),
+        })
       }
     }
   }