diff --git a/src/Filters/CurrencyFilter.php b/src/Filters/CurrencyFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2711007
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/CurrencyFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+use NumberFormatter;
+
+/**
+ * Class CurrencyFilter
+ *
+ * Converts a numeric value into a formatted currency string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class CurrencyFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The numeric value to format.
+     * @param array $args  [0 => string $currencyCode] (e.g., 'USD', 'EUR').
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $currencyCode = $args[0] ?? 'USD';
+        
+        // Ensure value is numeric
+        if (!is_numeric($value)) {
+            return $value;
+        }
+
+        $formatter = new NumberFormatter('en_US', NumberFormatter::CURRENCY);
+        return $formatter->formatCurrency((float)$value, (string)$currencyCode);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/DateFilter.php b/src/Filters/DateFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df893c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/DateFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+use DateTime;
+use Exception;
+
+/**
+ * Class DateFilter
+ *
+ * Formats a timestamp or date string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class DateFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The date value (timestamp, string, or DateTime).
+     * @param array $args  [0 => string $format] (e.g., 'Y-m-d').
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $format = $args[0] ?? 'Y-m-d H:i:s';
+
+        if ($value === null || $value === '') {
+            return $value;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            if (is_numeric($value)) {
+                $date = new DateTime();
+                $date->setTimestamp((int)$value);
+            } elseif (is_string($value)) {
+                $date = new DateTime($value);
+            } elseif ($value instanceof DateTime) {
+                $date = $value;
+            } else {
+                return $value;
+            }
+
+            return $date->format($format);
+        } catch (Exception) {
+            return $value;
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/DefaultFilter.php b/src/Filters/DefaultFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21fe123
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/DefaultFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class DefaultFilter
+ *
+ * Provides a fallback value if the input is empty.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class DefaultFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The value to check.
+     * @param array $args  [0 => mixed $default]
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $default = $args[0] ?? '';
+
+        if ($value === null || $value === '' || (is_array($value) && empty($value))) {
+            return $default;
+        }
+
+        return $value;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/FirstFilter.php b/src/Filters/FirstFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1bcb6b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/FirstFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class FirstFilter
+ *
+ * Returns the first element of a collection.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class FirstFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The collection.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        if (is_iterable($value)) {
+            foreach ($value as $item) {
+                return $item;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/FloatFilter.php b/src/Filters/FloatFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d7d797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/FloatFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class FloatFilter
+ *
+ * Formats a numeric value as a string with a fixed number of decimal places.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class FloatFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The numeric value to format.
+     * @param array $args  [0 => int $precision]
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $precision = isset($args[0]) ? (int)$args[0] : 2;
+
+        if (!is_numeric($value)) {
+            return $value;
+        }
+
+        return number_format((float)$value, $precision, '.', ',');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/JoinFilter.php b/src/Filters/JoinFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4d2eca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/JoinFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class JoinFilter
+ *
+ * Joins array elements with a glue string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class JoinFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The array to join.
+     * @param array $args  [0 => string $glue]
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $glue = $args[0] ?? '';
+
+        if (is_iterable($value)) {
+            $array = is_array($value) ? $value : iterator_to_array($value);
+            return implode((string)$glue, $array);
+        }
+
+        return $value;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/JsonFilter.php b/src/Filters/JsonFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c673be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/JsonFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class JsonFilter
+ *
+ * Encodes a value into a JSON string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class JsonFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The value to encode.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return json_encode($value, JSON_HEX_TAG | JSON_HEX_APOS | JSON_HEX_QUOT | JSON_HEX_AMP | JSON_UNESCAPED_UNICODE);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/KeysFilter.php b/src/Filters/KeysFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9f6ac6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/KeysFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class KeysFilter
+ *
+ * Returns the keys of an associative array.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class KeysFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The array/collection.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        if (is_iterable($value)) {
+            $array = is_array($value) ? $value : iterator_to_array($value);
+            return array_keys($array);
+        }
+
+        return [];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/LastFilter.php b/src/Filters/LastFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2386f99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/LastFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class LastFilter
+ *
+ * Returns the last element of a collection.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class LastFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The collection.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        if (is_iterable($value)) {
+            $array = is_array($value) ? $value : iterator_to_array($value);
+            if (empty($array)) {
+                return null;
+            }
+            return end($array);
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/LowerFilter.php b/src/Filters/LowerFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e6e569f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/LowerFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+class LowerFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return strtolower((string)$value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/TruncateFilter.php b/src/Filters/TruncateFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..12e90e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/TruncateFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class TruncateFilter
+ *
+ * Truncates a string to a specified length.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class TruncateFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The string to truncate.
+     * @param array $args  [0 => int $length, 1 => string $suffix]
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        $length = (int)($args[0] ?? 100);
+        $suffix = $args[1] ?? '...';
+        $str = (string)$value;
+
+        if (mb_strlen($str) <= $length) {
+            return $str;
+        }
+
+        return mb_substr($str, 0, $length) . $suffix;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/UcfirstFilter.php b/src/Filters/UcfirstFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1034a73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/UcfirstFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+class UcfirstFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return ucfirst((string)$value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/UpperFilter.php b/src/Filters/UpperFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8f2b17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/UpperFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+class UpperFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return strtoupper((string)$value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/UrlEncodeFilter.php b/src/Filters/UrlEncodeFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de06754
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/UrlEncodeFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class UrlEncodeFilter
+ *
+ * URL encodes a string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class UrlEncodeFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The string to encode.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return urlencode((string)$value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Filters/WordCountFilter.php b/src/Filters/WordCountFilter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1fe1815
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Filters/WordCountFilter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Filters;
+
+use Scape\Interfaces\FilterInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Class WordCountFilter
+ *
+ * Counts words in a string.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Filters
+ */
+class WordCountFilter implements FilterInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * @param mixed $value The string to count words in.
+     * @param array $args  Not used.
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    public function transform(mixed $value, array $args = []): mixed
+    {
+        return str_word_count((string)$value);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Interpreter/ValueResolver.php b/src/Interpreter/ValueResolver.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0796aef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Interpreter/ValueResolver.php
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Interpreter;
+
+use Scape\Config;
+use Scape\Engine;
+use Scape\Exceptions\PropertyNotFoundException;
+
+/**
+ * Class ValueResolver
+ *
+ * Handles resolving variable paths (dot-notation and bracket-notation) against a data context.
+ *
+ * @package Scape\Interpreter
+ */
+class ValueResolver
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private readonly Config $config,
+        private readonly ?Engine $engine = null
+    ) {
+    }
+
+    public function resolve(string $expression, array $context): mixed
+    {
+        if (empty($expression)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Split expression by pipe symbol, respecting quotes
+        $parts = $this->splitByPipe($expression);
+        $path = trim(array_shift($parts));
+
+        $value = $this->resolvePath($path, $context);
+
+        foreach ($parts as $filterExpression) {
+            $value = $this->applyFilter($value, $filterExpression, $context);
+        }
+
+        return $value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Splits a string by pipes, but only if they are not inside quotes.
+     *
+     * @param string $expression
+     * @return array
+     */
+    private function splitByPipe(string $expression): array
+    {
+        $parts = [];
+        $currentPart = '';
+        $inQuote = false;
+        $quoteChar = '';
+        $length = strlen($expression);
+
+        for ($i = 0; $i < $length; $i++) {
+            $char = $expression[$i];
+            if (($char === "'" || $char === '"') && ($i === 0 || $expression[$i - 1] !== '\\')) {
+                if (!$inQuote) {
+                    $inQuote = true;
+                    $quoteChar = $char;
+                } elseif ($char === $quoteChar) {
+                    $inQuote = false;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($char === '|' && !$inQuote) {
+                $parts[] = $currentPart;
+                $currentPart = '';
+            } else {
+                $currentPart .= $char;
+            }
+        }
+        $parts[] = $currentPart;
+
+        return $parts;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Applies a filter to a value.
+     *
+     * @param mixed  $value
+     * @param string $filterExpression
+     * @param array  $context
+     * @return mixed
+     */
+    private function applyFilter(mixed $value, string $filterExpression, array $context): mixed
+    {
+        $filterExpression = trim($filterExpression);
+        if ($filterExpression === '') {
+            return $value;
+        }
+
+        if (preg_match('/^([\w:]+)(?:\((.*)\))?$/', $filterExpression, $matches)) {
+            $filterName = $matches[1];
+            
+            // Special case for 'raw' filter which is handled by VariableNode
+            if ($filterName === 'raw') {
+                return $value;
+            }
+
+            $argsString = $matches[2] ?? '';
+            $args = [];
+
+            if ($argsString !== '') {
+                preg_match_all('/\'(?:\\\\\'|[^\'])*\'|"(?:\\\\"|[^"])*"|[^,]+/', $argsString, $argMatches);
+                foreach ($argMatches[0] as $match) {
+                    $match = trim($match);
+                    if (str_starts_with($match, ',')) {
+                        $match = ltrim(substr($match, 1));
+                    }
+                    if (str_ends_with($match, ',')) {
+                        $match = rtrim(substr($match, 0, -1));
+                    }
+                    $match = trim($match);
+                    if ($match !== '') {
+                        // Resolve argument
+                        if ((str_starts_with($match, "'") && str_ends_with($match, "'")) ||
+                            (str_starts_with($match, '"') && str_ends_with($match, '"'))) {
+                            $args[] = substr($match, 1, -1);
+                        } elseif (is_numeric($match)) {
+                            $args[] = $match + 0;
+                        } else {
+                            $args[] = $this->resolve($match, $context);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ($this->engine !== null) {
+                try {
+                    $filter = $this->engine->getFilter($filterName);
+                    return $filter->transform($value, $args);
+                } catch (\Scape\Exceptions\FilterNotFoundException) {
+                    // Fallback or ignore if filter not found? 
+                    // Usually Engine::getFilter throws, but maybe we should fail silently in production?
+                    // For now, let it throw to maintain Excellence.
+                    throw new \Scape\Exceptions\FilterNotFoundException("Filter '{$filterName}' not found.");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Resolves a path against the given context.
+     *
+     * @param string $path    The path to resolve (e.g., 'user.name' or 'items[0]').
+     * @param array  $context The data context.
+     *
+     * @return mixed The resolved value.
+     */
+    private function resolvePath(string $path, array $context): mixed
+    {
+        if (empty($path)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Handle special host namespace
+        if (str_starts_with($path, 'host.')) {
+            if ($this->engine === null) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            $provider = $this->engine->getHostProvider();
+            if ($provider === null) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            $expression = substr($path, 5); // remove 'host.'
+            
+            // Handle method-like call: host.translate('key')
+            if (preg_match('/^(\w+)\((.*)\)$/', $expression, $matches)) {
+                $method = $matches[1];
+                $argsString = $matches[2];
+                $args = [];
+                if ($argsString !== '') {
+                    // Simple argument parsing for now
+                    $rawArgs = array_map('trim', explode(',', $argsString));
+                    foreach ($rawArgs as $arg) {
+                        if ((str_starts_with($arg, "'") && str_ends_with($arg, "'")) ||
+                            (str_starts_with($arg, '"') && str_ends_with($arg, '"'))) {
+                            $args[] = substr($arg, 1, -1);
+                        } elseif (is_numeric($arg)) {
+                            $args[] = $arg + 0;
+                        } else {
+                            $args[] = $this->resolve($arg, $context);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                
+                if ($provider->has($method)) {
+                    return $provider->call($method, $args);
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Handle property-like access: host.version
+            if ($provider->has($expression)) {
+                return $provider->call($expression);
+            }
+
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Split path into parts, preserving bracket content
+        $parts = $this->parsePath($path);
+        $current = $context;
+
+        foreach ($parts as $part) {
+            if ($this->isBracket($part)) {
+                $key = $this->extractBracketKey($part, $context);
+                if ($this->hasKey($current, $key)) {
+                    $current = $this->getValue($current, $key);
+                } else {
+                    return $this->handleMissing($path, $key);
+                }
+            } else {
+                if ($this->hasKey($current, $part)) {
+                    $current = $this->getValue($current, $part);
+                } else {
+                    return $this->handleMissing($path, $part);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $current;
+    }
+
+    private function parsePath(string $path): array
+    {
+        // Simple regex to split by dot or bracket
+        // e.g. user.items[0]['title'] -> ['user', 'items', '[0]', "['title']"]
+        preg_match_all('/[^.\[\]]+|\[[^\]]+\]/', $path, $matches);
+        return $matches[0];
+    }
+
+    private function isBracket(string $part): bool
+    {
+        return str_starts_with($part, '[');
+    }
+
+    private function extractBracketKey(string $part, array $context): string|int
+    {
+        $inner = trim($part, '[]');
+        
+        // Check if it's a string literal 'key' or "key"
+        if ((str_starts_with($inner, "'") && str_ends_with($inner, "'")) ||
+            (str_starts_with($inner, '"') && str_ends_with($inner, '"'))) {
+            return substr($inner, 1, -1);
+        }
+
+        // Check if it's numeric
+        if (is_numeric($inner)) {
+            return (int)$inner;
+        }
+
+        // Otherwise it's a variable reference inside brackets (e.g. items[index])
+        // Recursively resolve it
+        return (string)$this->resolve($inner, $context);
+    }
+
+    private function hasKey(mixed $container, string|int $key): bool
+    {
+        if (is_array($container)) {
+            return array_key_exists($key, $container);
+        }
+
+        if (is_object($container)) {
+            return property_exists($container, (string)$key) || isset($container->{$key});
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    private function getValue(mixed $container, string|int $key): mixed
+    {
+        if (is_array($container)) {
+            return $container[$key];
+        }
+
+        if (is_object($container)) {
+            return $container->{$key};
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    private function handleMissing(string $fullPath, string|int $key): mixed
+    {
+        if ($this->config->isDebug()) {
+            throw new PropertyNotFoundException("Property '{$key}' not found in path '{$fullPath}'.");
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/CacheTest.php b/tests/CacheTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d96b672
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/CacheTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Tests;
+
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+use Scape\Engine;
+
+class CacheTest extends TestCase
+{
+    private string $templatesDir;
+    private string $cacheDir;
+
+    protected function setUp(): void
+    {
+        $this->templatesDir = __DIR__ . '/fixtures';
+        $this->cacheDir = __DIR__ . '/../.scape/cache_test';
+        
+        if (!is_dir($this->cacheDir)) {
+            mkdir($this->cacheDir, 0777, true);
+        }
+    }
+
+    protected function tearDown(): void
+    {
+        $this->rmdirRecursive($this->cacheDir);
+    }
+
+    private function rmdirRecursive(string $dir): void
+    {
+        if (!is_dir($dir)) return;
+        $files = array_diff(scandir($dir), ['.', '..']);
+        foreach ($files as $file) {
+            $path = $dir . '/' . $file;
+            is_dir($path) ? $this->rmdirRecursive($path) : unlink($path);
+        }
+        rmdir($dir);
+    }
+
+    public function testCreatesCacheFile(): void
+    {
+        $engine = new Engine([
+            'templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir,
+            'cache_dir' => $this->cacheDir,
+            'mode' => 'production'
+        ]);
+
+        $templatePath = $this->templatesDir . '/tests/simple.scape.php';
+        $cacheKey = md5($templatePath);
+        $cacheFile = $this->cacheDir . '/' . $cacheKey . '.ast';
+
+        $this->assertFileDoesNotExist($cacheFile);
+        $engine->render('tests.simple', ['name' => 'Funky', 'items' => []]);
+        $this->assertFileExists($cacheFile);
+    }
+
+    public function testUsesCacheInProduction(): void
+    {
+        $engine = new Engine([
+            'templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir,
+            'cache_dir' => $this->cacheDir,
+            'mode' => 'production'
+        ]);
+
+        $engine->render('tests.simple', ['name' => 'First', 'items' => []]);
+        
+        // Modify template file but production should still use old cache
+        $templatePath = $this->templatesDir . '/tests/simple.scape.php';
+        $originalContent = file_get_contents($templatePath);
+        file_put_contents($templatePath, 'Modified Content');
+        
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.simple', ['name' => 'Second', 'items' => []]);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('Hello Second!', $output); // simple.scape.php has "Hello {{ name }}!"
+        
+        // Restore
+        file_put_contents($templatePath, $originalContent);
+    }
+
+    public function testInvalidatesCacheInDebug(): void
+    {
+        $engine = new Engine([
+            'templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir,
+            'cache_dir' => $this->cacheDir,
+            'mode' => 'debug'
+        ]);
+
+        $templatePath = $this->templatesDir . '/tests/cache_debug.scape.php';
+        file_put_contents($templatePath, 'Original');
+        
+        $engine->render('tests.cache_debug');
+        
+        // Sleep to ensure mtime difference
+        sleep(1);
+        file_put_contents($templatePath, 'Modified');
+        
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.cache_debug');
+        $this->assertEquals('Modified', $output);
+        
+        unlink($templatePath);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/FilterTest.php b/tests/FilterTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..952c5a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/FilterTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Tests;
+
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+use Scape\Engine;
+
+class FilterTest extends TestCase
+{
+    private string $templatesDir;
+    private string $filtersDir;
+
+    protected function setUp(): void
+    {
+        $this->templatesDir = __DIR__ . '/fixtures';
+        $this->filtersDir = __DIR__ . '/fixtures/filters';
+    }
+
+    public function testInternalFilters(): void
+    {
+        file_put_contents($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_internal.scape.php', 
+            '{( uses filters:string )}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ name | lower }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ name | upper }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ name | lower | ucfirst }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ price | currency(\'USD\') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ val | float(3) }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ date_val | date(\'Y-m-d\') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ bio | truncate(10) }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ missing | default(\'N/A\') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ tags | join(\', \') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ tags | first }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ tags | last }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ bio | word_count }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ user_data | keys | join(\',\') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ query | url_encode }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{{ user_data | json }}}'
+        );
+
+        $engine = new Engine(['templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir]);
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.filters_internal', [
+            'name' => 'fUnKy',
+            'price' => 1234.56,
+            'val' => 123.45678,
+            'date_val' => 1707693300,
+            'bio' => 'A very long biography indeed.',
+            'missing' => '',
+            'tags' => ['PHP', 'Scape', 'Templates'],
+            'user_data' => ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Funky'],
+            'query' => 'hello world'
+        ]);
+
+        $lines = explode("\n", $output);
+        $this->assertEquals('funky', $lines[0]);
+        $this->assertEquals('FUNKY', $lines[1]);
+        $this->assertEquals('Funky', $lines[2]);
+        $this->assertEquals('$1,234.56', $lines[3]);
+        $this->assertEquals('123.457', $lines[4]);
+        
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('2024-02-11', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('A very lon...', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('N/A', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('PHP, Scape, Templates', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('PHP', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('Templates', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('5', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('id,name', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('hello+world', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('{"id":1,"name":"Funky"}', $output);
+
+        unlink($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_internal.scape.php');
+    }
+
+    public function testCustomFilterWithArguments(): void
+    {
+        file_put_contents($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_custom.scape.php', 
+            '{( load_filter(\'currency\') )}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ price | currency }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ price | currency(\'£\') }}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ price | currency(sym) }}'
+        );
+
+        $engine = new Engine([
+            'templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir,
+            'filters_dir' => $this->filtersDir
+        ]);
+        
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.filters_custom', [
+            'price' => 1234.567,
+            'sym' => '€'
+        ]);
+
+        $expected = "$1,234.57\n£1,234.57\n€1,234.57";
+        $this->assertEquals($expected, $output);
+
+        unlink($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_custom.scape.php');
+    }
+
+    public function testFiltersInForeach(): void
+    {
+        file_put_contents($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_foreach.scape.php', 
+            '{( uses filters:string )}' . "\n" .
+            '{( foreach key in user_data | keys )}' . "\n" .
+            '{{ key }}: {{ user_data[key] }}' . "\n" .
+            '{( endforeach )}'
+        );
+
+        $engine = new Engine(['templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir]);
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.filters_foreach', [
+            'user_data' => ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Funky']
+        ]);
+
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('id: 1', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('name: Funky', $output);
+
+        unlink($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_foreach.scape.php');
+    }
+
+    public function testFiltersInInclude(): void
+    {
+        file_put_contents($this->templatesDir . '/partials/keys_list.scape.php', 
+            'Keys: {{ context | join(\', \') }}'
+        );
+        file_put_contents($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_include.scape.php', 
+            '{( uses filters:string )}' . "\n" .
+            '{[ include \'keys_list\' with user_data | keys ]}'
+        );
+
+        $engine = new Engine([
+            'templates_dir' => $this->templatesDir,
+            'partials_dir' => $this->templatesDir . '/partials'
+        ]);
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.filters_include', [
+            'user_data' => ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Funky']
+        ]);
+
+        $this->assertEquals('Keys: id, name', trim($output));
+
+        unlink($this->templatesDir . '/partials/keys_list.scape.php');
+        unlink($this->templatesDir . '/tests/filters_include.scape.php');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/HostProviderTest.php b/tests/HostProviderTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aae0483
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/HostProviderTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Scape\Tests;
+
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+use Scape\Engine;
+use Scape\Interfaces\HostProviderInterface;
+
+class HostProviderTest extends TestCase
+{
+    public function testHostNamespaceDelegation(): void
+    {
+        $mockProvider = new class implements HostProviderInterface {
+            public function has(string $name): bool {
+                return in_array($name, ['version', 'translate']);
+            }
+            public function call(string $name, array $args = []): mixed {
+                if ($name === 'version') return '1.0.0';
+                if ($name === 'translate') {
+                    $key = $args[0] ?? '';
+                    $lang = $args[1] ?? 'en';
+                    return "Translated '$key' to $lang";
+                }
+                return null;
+            }
+        };
+
+        $engine = new Engine();
+        $engine->registerHostProvider($mockProvider);
+
+        $templatesDir = __DIR__ . '/../templates';
+        file_put_contents($templatesDir . '/tests/host_test.scape.php', 
+            'Version: {{ host.version }}' . "\n" .
+            'i18n: {{ host.translate(\'welcome\', \'fr\') }}' . "\n" .
+            'Var arg: {{ host.translate(my_key) }}'
+        );
+
+        $output = $engine->render('tests.host_test', ['my_key' => 'hello']);
+
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('Version: 1.0.0', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('i18n: Translated &apos;welcome&apos; to fr', $output);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('Var arg: Translated &apos;hello&apos; to en', $output);
+
+        unlink($templatesDir . '/tests/host_test.scape.php');
+    }
+}