diff --git a/act/runner/command.go b/act/runner/command.go
index 159953c5..5516b7d7 100644
--- a/act/runner/command.go
+++ b/act/runner/command.go
@@ -118,7 +118,11 @@ func (rc *RunContext) commandHandler(ctx context.Context) common.LineHandler {
 			rawLogger.Infof("%s", formatAnnotation(command, kvPairs, arg))
 			return false
 		case "group", "endgroup":
-			return true
+			if strings.HasPrefix(line, "::"+command+"::") || strings.HasPrefix(line, "##["+command+"]") {
+				return true
+			}
+			rawLogger.Infof("::%s::%s", command, EscapeCommandData(arg))
+			return false
 		}
 		return echoed
 	}
diff --git a/act/runner/command_test.go b/act/runner/command_test.go
index 3a55d707..c86662ce 100644
--- a/act/runner/command_test.go
+++ b/act/runner/command_test.go
@@ -240,10 +240,23 @@ func TestCommandLogWriter(t *testing.T) {
 				"::notice::title: m", "::error::x: m", "::error::x:1: m", "::notice::std::vector", "::error::x;y: m]",
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "groups normalize unsupported prefixes and preserve recognized prefixes",
+			steps: [][]string{{
+				"::group::a%3Bb%5Dc%250A", "::endgroup::", "##[group]a%3Bb%5Dc%250A", "##[endgroup]",
+				"::GrOuP::a%25b%0Ac", "::EnDgRoUp::", " \t::group::indented", " \t::endgroup::",
+				"prefix ##[GrOuP]a%3Bb%5Dc%253B%0A", "prefix ##[EnDgRoUp]",
+			}},
+			log: []string{
+				"::group::a%3Bb%5Dc%250A", "::endgroup::", "##[group]a%3Bb%5Dc%250A", "##[endgroup]",
+				"::group::a%25b%0Ac", "::endgroup::", "::group::indented", "::endgroup::",
+				"::group::a;b]c%253B%0A", "::endgroup::",
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name:  "stop-commands keeps lines verbatim until resumed",
-			steps: [][]string{{"::stop-commands::resume-token", "::add-mask::kept", "::set-output name=a::b", "::RESUME-TOKEN::", "::add-mask::masked"}},
-			log:   []string{"::stop-commands::resume-token", "::add-mask::kept", "::set-output name=a::b", "::RESUME-TOKEN::"},
+			steps: [][]string{{"::stop-commands::resume-token", "::add-mask::kept", "::set-output name=a::b", " \t::GrOuP::kept%3B", "prefix ##[EnDgRoUp]", "::RESUME-TOKEN::", "::add-mask::masked"}},
+			log:   []string{"::stop-commands::resume-token", "::add-mask::kept", "::set-output name=a::b", " \t::GrOuP::kept%3B", "prefix ##[EnDgRoUp]", "::RESUME-TOKEN::"},
 			masks: []string{"resume-token", "masked"},
 		},
 		{
diff --git a/act/runner/expression.go b/act/runner/expression.go
index 86a972a6..ea0d7583 100644
--- a/act/runner/expression.go
+++ b/act/runner/expression.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func getHashFilesFunction(ctx context.Context, rc *RunContext) func(v []reflect.
 			followSymlink := false
 
 			for i, p := range v {
-				s := p.String()
+				s := exprparser.CoerceToString(p)
 				if i == 0 && strings.HasPrefix(s, "--") {
 					if strings.EqualFold(s, "--follow-symbolic-links") {
 						followSymlink = true
diff --git a/act/runner/expression_test.go b/act/runner/expression_test.go
index b30bc14c..9a8cbf6e 100644
--- a/act/runner/expression_test.go
+++ b/act/runner/expression_test.go
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func (c *hashFilesContainer) ReplaceLogWriter(stdout, stderr io.Writer) (io.Writ
 }
 
 func TestGetHashFilesFunction(t *testing.T) {
-	const failureMessage = "hashFiles('dir''file, *.sum') failed. Fail to hash files under directory '/workspace'"
+	const failureMessage = "hashFiles('dir''file, *.sum, 123, true, ') failed. Fail to hash files under directory '/workspace'"
 	for _, test := range []struct {
 		name    string
 		output  string
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ func TestGetHashFilesFunction(t *testing.T) {
 		{name: "success", output: "patterns __OUTPUT__wrong__OUTPUT__ echoed\n__OUTPUT__digest__OUTPUT__", hash: "digest"},
 		{name: "no matches", output: "__OUTPUT____OUTPUT__"},
 		{name: "script failure", output: "Cannot find: node in PATH\n__OUTPUT__digest__OUTPUT__", execErr: container.ExitCodeError(1), err: failureMessage},
-		{name: "timeout", execErr: context.DeadlineExceeded, err: "hashFiles('dir''file, *.sum') couldn't finish within 120 seconds"},
+		{name: "timeout", execErr: context.DeadlineExceeded, err: "hashFiles('dir''file, *.sum, 123, true, ') couldn't finish within 120 seconds"},
 		{name: "job deadline", execErr: context.DeadlineExceeded, expired: true, err: context.DeadlineExceeded.Error()},
 		{name: "node missing", execErr: fmt.Errorf("wrapped: %w", container.ExitCodeError(127)), warning: true},
 		{name: "node not executable", execErr: container.ExitCodeError(126), warning: true},
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ func TestGetHashFilesFunction(t *testing.T) {
 			jobContainer := &hashFilesContainer{stdout: stdout, stderr: stderr, copyErr: test.copyErr}
 			jobContainer.execute = func(command []string, env map[string]string, user, workdir string) common.Executor {
 				assert.Equal(t, []string{"node", "/var/run/act/workflow/hashfiles/index.js"}, command)
-				assert.Equal(t, map[string]string{"patterns": "dir'file\n*.sum", "followSymbolicLinks": "true"}, env)
+				assert.Equal(t, map[string]string{"patterns": "dir'file\n*.sum\n123\ntrue\n", "followSymbolicLinks": "true"}, env)
 				assert.Empty(t, user)
 				assert.Empty(t, workdir)
 				return func(_ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ func TestGetHashFilesFunction(t *testing.T) {
 			result, err := getHashFilesFunction(ctx, &RunContext{
 				Config:       &Config{Workdir: "/workspace"},
 				JobContainer: jobContainer,
-			})([]reflect.Value{reflect.ValueOf("--follow-symbolic-links"), reflect.ValueOf("dir'file"), reflect.ValueOf("*.sum")})
+			})([]reflect.Value{reflect.ValueOf("--follow-symbolic-links"), reflect.ValueOf("dir'file"), reflect.ValueOf("*.sum"), reflect.ValueOf(float64(123)), reflect.ValueOf(true), {}})
 			if test.err == "" {
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 			} else {