diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/change-notes/2026-09-15-bdlb-stringref.md b/cpp/ql/lib/change-notes/2026-09-15-bdlb-stringref.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ceb1f2e8855e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/change-notes/2026-09-15-bdlb-stringref.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+category: minorAnalysis
+---
+* Added models for BDE character-view construction and access, and `bdlb::StringRefUtil` trimming, substring, and search operations.
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/ext/bdlb.stringref.model.yml b/cpp/ql/lib/ext/bdlb.stringref.model.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ef8bd1d807b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/ext/bdlb.stringref.model.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# BDE character views and substring utilities.
+extensions:
+  - addsTo:
+      pack: codeql/cpp-all
+      extensible: summaryModel
+    data:
+      - ["BloombergLP::bslstl", "StringRefImp", False, "data", "", "", "Argument[-1].Element[]", "ReturnValue[*]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bslstl", "StringRefImp", False, "begin", "", "", "Argument[-1].Element[]", "ReturnValue[*]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bslstl", "StringRefImp", False, "operator[]", "", "", "Argument[-1].Element[]", "ReturnValue[*]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "trim", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "ltrim", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "rtrim", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "substr", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "strstr", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "strrstr", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "strstrCaseless", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
+      - ["BloombergLP::bdlb", "StringRefUtil", False, "strrstrCaseless", "", "", "Argument[*0].Element[]", "ReturnValue.Element[]", "value", "manual"]
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/Models.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/Models.qll
index 54dc0fa0ff64..bab6c3733705 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/Models.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/Models.qll
@@ -58,3 +58,5 @@ private import implementations.CAtlTemporaryFile
 private import implementations.CRegKey
 private import implementations.WinHttp
 private import implementations.Http
+
+private import implementations.BdlbStringRef
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/implementations/BdlbStringRef.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/implementations/BdlbStringRef.qll
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..dea42aef5f13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/models/implementations/BdlbStringRef.qll
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/** Models construction of BDE character views. */
+
+private import cpp
+private import semmle.code.cpp.dataflow.internal.FlowSummaryImpl::Public
+
+/** Only pointer-based constructors read character data from their first argument. */
+private class CharacterViewConstructor extends SummarizedCallable {
+  CharacterViewConstructor() {
+    this instanceof Constructor and
+    this.getDeclaringType().hasQualifiedName("BloombergLP::bslstl", "StringRefImp") and
+    this.getParameter(0).getUnspecifiedType() instanceof PointerType
+  }
+
+  override predicate propagatesFlow(
+    string input, string output, boolean preservesValue, Provenance provenance, boolean isExact,
+    string model
+  ) {
+    input = "Argument[*0]" and
+    output = "Argument[-1].Element[]" and
+    preservesValue = true and
+    provenance = "manual" and
+    isExact = true and
+    model = ""
+  }
+}
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/flow.expected b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/flow.expected
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/flow.ql b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/flow.ql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6bdf085e721b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/flow.ql
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import cpp
+import utils.test.dataflow.FlowTestCommon
+import semmle.code.cpp.ir.dataflow.TaintTracking
+
+module Config implements DataFlow::ConfigSig {
+  predicate isSource(DataFlow::Node node) {
+    node.asExpr().(FunctionCall).getTarget().hasName("source")
+  }
+
+  predicate isSink(DataFlow::Node node) {
+    exists(FunctionCall call |
+      call.getTarget().hasName("sink") and node.asExpr() = call.getArgument(0)
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+module Flow = TaintTracking::Global<Config>;
+
+import MakeTest<IRFlowTest<Flow>>
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/test.cpp b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/test.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c4efaf0735b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/dataflow/bdlb-stringref/test.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+// Reduced declarations from bslstl_stringref.h and bdlb_stringrefutil.h.
+namespace bsl {
+template<bool, class T> struct enable_if {};
+template<class T> struct enable_if<true, T> { typedef T type; };
+template<class T> struct is_integral { enum { value = false }; };
+template<> struct is_integral<int> { enum { value = true }; };
+}
+namespace BloombergLP {
+namespace bslmf { struct Nil {}; }
+namespace bslstl {
+template<class C> class StringRefImp {
+public:
+  typedef unsigned long size_type;
+  typedef const C *const_iterator;
+  StringRefImp();
+  StringRefImp(const C *);
+  StringRefImp(const C *, size_type);
+  // Integral overload: the upstream enable_if resolves to bslmf::Nil.
+  template<class I> StringRefImp(const C *, I,
+    typename bsl::enable_if<bsl::is_integral<I>::value, bslmf::Nil>::type = bslmf::Nil());
+  StringRefImp(const_iterator, const_iterator);
+  const C *data() const;
+  const_iterator begin() const;
+  const C& operator[](size_type) const;
+  size_type length() const;
+};
+typedef StringRefImp<char> StringRef;
+}
+namespace bdlb {
+struct StringRefUtil {
+  typedef unsigned long size_type;
+  static bslstl::StringRef trim(const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef ltrim(const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef rtrim(const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef substr(const bslstl::StringRef&, size_type = 0, size_type = -1);
+  static bslstl::StringRef strstr(const bslstl::StringRef&, const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef strrstr(const bslstl::StringRef&, const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef strstrCaseless(const bslstl::StringRef&, const bslstl::StringRef&);
+  static bslstl::StringRef strrstrCaseless(const bslstl::StringRef&, const bslstl::StringRef&);
+};
+}
+}
+using BloombergLP::bslstl::StringRef;
+using BloombergLP::bdlb::StringRefUtil;
+int source();
+void sink(int);
+
+void views() {
+  char buffer[] = {static_cast<char>(source()), 0};
+  StringRef view(buffer);
+  sink(view.data()[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(view[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(*view.begin()); // $ ir
+  StringRef copy(view);
+  sink(copy[0]); // $ ir
+  StringRef sized(buffer, static_cast<unsigned long>(1));
+  sink(sized[0]); // $ ir
+  StringRef range(buffer, buffer + 1);
+  sink(range[0]); // $ ir
+  StringRef integral(buffer, 1);
+  sink(integral[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(view.length());
+  sink(StringRefUtil::trim(view)[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::ltrim(view)[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::rtrim(view)[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::substr(view)[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strstr(view, "x")[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strrstr(view, "x")[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strstrCaseless(view, "x")[0]); // $ ir
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strrstrCaseless(view, "x")[0]); // $ ir
+}
+
+void metadataAndPatterns() {
+  unsigned long length = source();
+  StringRef clean("clean", length);
+  sink(clean[0]);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::substr(clean, length, length)[0]);
+  char buffer[] = {static_cast<char>(source()), 0};
+  StringRef pattern(buffer);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strstr(clean, pattern)[0]);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strrstr(clean, pattern)[0]);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strstrCaseless(clean, pattern)[0]);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strrstrCaseless(clean, pattern)[0]);
+  sink(StringRefUtil::strstr(clean, "missing").length());
+}
+
+void wide() {
+  wchar_t buffer[] = {static_cast<wchar_t>(source()), 0};
+  BloombergLP::bslstl::StringRefImp<wchar_t> view(buffer);
+  sink(view[0]); // $ ir
+}