diff --git a/.github/workflows/liquid.yml b/.github/workflows/liquid.yml
index bd0df8e5b..de57dd68d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/liquid.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/liquid.yml
@@ -9,26 +9,29 @@ jobs:
   test:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         entry:
-          - { ruby: 3.0, allowed-failure: false } # minimum supported
-          - { ruby: 3.2, allowed-failure: false }
-          - { ruby: 3.3, allowed-failure: false }
-          - { ruby: 3.3, allowed-failure: false }
-          - { ruby: 3.4, allowed-failure: false } # latest
+          - { ruby: 3.3, allowed-failure: false } # minimum supported
+          - { ruby: 3.4, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
+          - { ruby: 4.0, allowed-failure: false } # latest stable
           - {
-              ruby: 3.4,
+              ruby: 4.0,
               allowed-failure: false,
               rubyopt: "--enable-frozen-string-literal",
             }
-          - { ruby: 3.4, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
-          - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: false }
+          - { ruby: 4.0, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
+          - { ruby: 4.0, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--zjit" }
+
+          # Head can have failures due to being in development
+          - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: true }
           - {
               ruby: head,
-              allowed-failure: false,
+              allowed-failure: true,
               rubyopt: "--enable-frozen-string-literal",
             }
-          - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: false, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
+          - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: true, rubyopt: "--yjit" }
+          - { ruby: head, allowed-failure: true, rubyopt: "--zjit" }
     name: Test Ruby ${{ matrix.entry.ruby }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@f43a0e5ff2bd294095638e18286ca9a3d1956744 # v3.6.0
@@ -42,6 +45,23 @@ jobs:
         env:
           RUBYOPT: ${{ matrix.entry.rubyopt }}
 
+  spec:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      BUNDLE_WITH: spec
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@f43a0e5ff2bd294095638e18286ca9a3d1956744 # v3.6.0
+      - uses: ruby/setup-ruby@a25f1e45f0e65a92fcb1e95e8847f78fb0a7197a # v1.273.0
+        with:
+          bundler-cache: true
+          bundler: latest
+      - name: Run liquid-spec for all adapters
+        run: |
+          for adapter in spec/*.rb; do
+            echo "=== Running $adapter ==="
+            bundle exec liquid-spec run "$adapter" --no-max-failures
+          done
+
   memory_profile:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
diff --git a/.rubocop_todo.yml b/.rubocop_todo.yml
index 424b9b4d3..1fcb7b54c 100644
--- a/.rubocop_todo.yml
+++ b/.rubocop_todo.yml
@@ -174,7 +174,16 @@ Style/WordArray:
 
 # Offense count: 117
 # This cop supports safe auto-correction (--auto-correct).
-# Configuration parameters: AllowHeredoc, AllowURI, URISchemes, IgnoreCopDirectives, AllowedPatterns, IgnoredPatterns.
+# Configuration parameters: AllowHeredoc, AllowURI, URISchemes, AllowCopDirectives, AllowedPatterns.
 # URISchemes: http, https
 Layout/LineLength:
   Max: 260
+
+Naming/PredicatePrefix:
+  Enabled: false
+
+# Offense count: 1
+# This is intentional - early return from begin/rescue in assignment context
+Lint/NoReturnInBeginEndBlocks:
+  Exclude:
+    - 'lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb'
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index a404c0d4b..add479637 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -25,7 +25,14 @@ group :development do
 end
 
 group :test do
-  gem 'rubocop', '~> 1.61.0'
-  gem 'rubocop-shopify', '~> 2.12.0', require: false
+  gem 'benchmark'
+  gem 'rubocop', '~> 1.82.0'
+  gem 'rubocop-shopify', '~> 2.18.0', require: false
   gem 'rubocop-performance', require: false
 end
+
+group :spec do
+  # Using feature branch until https://github.com/Shopify/liquid-spec/pull/97 is merged
+  gem 'liquid-spec', github: 'Shopify/liquid-spec', branch: 'add-per-spec-required-features'
+  gem 'activesupport', require: false
+end
diff --git a/lib/liquid/condition.rb b/lib/liquid/condition.rb
index 9ab350f07..eb674ced8 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/condition.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/condition.rb
@@ -113,24 +113,63 @@ def inspect
 
     def equal_variables(left, right)
       if left.is_a?(MethodLiteral)
-        if right.respond_to?(left.method_name)
-          return right.send(left.method_name)
-        else
-          return nil
-        end
+        return call_method_literal(left, right)
       end
 
       if right.is_a?(MethodLiteral)
-        if left.respond_to?(right.method_name)
-          return left.send(right.method_name)
-        else
-          return nil
-        end
+        return call_method_literal(right, left)
       end
 
       left == right
     end
 
+    def call_method_literal(literal, value)
+      method_name = literal.method_name
+
+      # If the object responds to the method, use it
+      if value.respond_to?(method_name)
+        return value.send(method_name)
+      end
+
+      # Implement blank?/empty? for common types that don't have it
+      # (ActiveSupport adds these, but Liquid should work without it)
+      case method_name
+      when :blank?
+        liquid_blank?(value)
+      when :empty?
+        liquid_empty?(value)
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Implement blank? semantics matching ActiveSupport
+    def liquid_blank?(value)
+      case value
+      when NilClass, FalseClass
+        true
+      when TrueClass, Numeric
+        false
+      when String
+        # Blank if empty or whitespace only
+        value.empty? || value.match?(/\A\s*\z/)
+      when Array, Hash
+        value.empty?
+      else
+        # Fall back to empty? if available, otherwise false
+        value.respond_to?(:empty?) ? value.empty? : false
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Implement empty? semantics
+    # Note: nil is NOT empty (but IS blank). empty? checks if a collection has zero elements.
+    def liquid_empty?(value)
+      case value
+      when String, Array, Hash
+        value.empty?
+      else
+        value.respond_to?(:empty?) ? value.empty? : false
+      end
+    end
+
     def interpret_condition(left, right, op, context)
       # If the operator is empty this means that the decision statement is just
       # a single variable. We can just poll this variable from the context and
@@ -154,8 +193,8 @@ def interpret_condition(left, right, op, context)
     end
 
     def deprecated_default_context
-      warn("DEPRECATION WARNING: Condition#evaluate without a context argument is deprecated" \
-        " and will be removed from Liquid 6.0.0.")
+      warn("DEPRECATION WARNING: Condition#evaluate without a context argument is deprecated " \
+        "and will be removed from Liquid 6.0.0.")
       Context.new
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/drop.rb b/lib/liquid/drop.rb
index b990630e4..d13398ec4 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/drop.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/drop.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def initialize
 
     # Catch all for the method
     def liquid_method_missing(method)
-      return nil unless @context&.strict_variables
+      return unless @context&.strict_variables
       raise Liquid::UndefinedDropMethod, "undefined method #{method}"
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/expression.rb b/lib/liquid/expression.rb
index 2605c5576..00c40a4c3 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/expression.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/expression.rb
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def parse(markup, ss = StringScanner.new(""), cache = nil)
       end
 
       def inner_parse(markup, ss, cache)
-        if (markup.start_with?("(") && markup.end_with?(")")) && markup =~ RANGES_REGEX
+        if markup.start_with?("(") && markup.end_with?(")") && markup =~ RANGES_REGEX
           return RangeLookup.parse(
             Regexp.last_match(1),
             Regexp.last_match(2),
diff --git a/lib/liquid/i18n.rb b/lib/liquid/i18n.rb
index 4a2885e86..982688115 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/i18n.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/i18n.rb
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def locale
     def interpolate(name, vars)
       name.gsub(/%\{(\w+)\}/) do
         # raise TranslationError, "Undefined key #{$1} for interpolation in translation #{name}"  unless vars[$1.to_sym]
-        (vars[Regexp.last_match(1).to_sym]).to_s
+        vars[Regexp.last_match(1).to_sym].to_s
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb b/lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb
index 6e072fcf5..24e135d91 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/standardfilters.rb
@@ -768,6 +768,8 @@ def date(input, format)
     # @liquid_syntax array | first
     # @liquid_return [untyped]
     def first(array)
+      # ActiveSupport returns "" for empty strings, not nil
+      return array[0] || "" if array.is_a?(String)
       array.first if array.respond_to?(:first)
     end
 
@@ -779,6 +781,8 @@ def first(array)
     # @liquid_syntax array | last
     # @liquid_return [untyped]
     def last(array)
+      # ActiveSupport returns "" for empty strings, not nil
+      return array[-1] || "" if array.is_a?(String)
       array.last if array.respond_to?(:last)
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/tokenizer.rb b/lib/liquid/tokenizer.rb
index 56dd218ec..8b331d93c 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/tokenizer.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/tokenizer.rb
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def next_variable_token
       byte_a = byte_b = @ss.scan_byte
 
       while byte_b
-        byte_a = @ss.scan_byte while byte_a && (byte_a != CLOSE_CURLEY && byte_a != OPEN_CURLEY)
+        byte_a = @ss.scan_byte while byte_a && byte_a != CLOSE_CURLEY && byte_a != OPEN_CURLEY
 
         break unless byte_a
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/utils.rb b/lib/liquid/utils.rb
index eb0a02a9f..084739a21 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/utils.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/utils.rb
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def self.to_date(obj)
       return obj if obj.respond_to?(:strftime)
 
       if obj.is_a?(String)
-        return nil if obj.empty?
+        return if obj.empty?
         obj = obj.downcase
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/liquid/variable_lookup.rb b/lib/liquid/variable_lookup.rb
index 340c0b66d..4fba2a658 100644
--- a/lib/liquid/variable_lookup.rb
+++ b/lib/liquid/variable_lookup.rb
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ def evaluate(context)
         elsif lookup_command?(i) && object.respond_to?(key)
           object = object.send(key).to_liquid
 
+        # Handle string first/last like ActiveSupport does (returns first/last character)
+        # ActiveSupport returns "" for empty strings, not nil
+        elsif lookup_command?(i) && object.is_a?(String) && (key == "first" || key == "last")
+          object = key == "first" ? (object[0] || "") : (object[-1] || "")
+
           # No key was present with the desired value and it wasn't one of the directly supported
           # keywords either. The only thing we got left is to return nil or
           # raise an exception if `strict_variables` option is set to true
diff --git a/spec/ruby_liquid.rb b/spec/ruby_liquid.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5eda72da4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/ruby_liquid.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# Liquid Spec Adapter for Shopify/liquid (Ruby reference implementation)
+#
+# Run with: bundle exec liquid-spec run spec/ruby_liquid.rb
+
+$LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.expand_path('../lib', __dir__))
+require 'liquid'
+
+LiquidSpec.configure do |config|
+  # Run core Liquid specs
+  config.features = [:core]
+end
+
+# Compile a template string into a Liquid::Template
+LiquidSpec.compile do |source, options|
+  Liquid::Template.parse(source, **options)
+end
+
+# Render a compiled template with the given context
+# @param template [Liquid::Template] compiled template
+# @param assigns [Hash] environment variables
+# @param options [Hash] :registers, :strict_errors, :exception_renderer
+LiquidSpec.render do |template, assigns, options|
+  registers = Liquid::Registers.new(options[:registers] || {})
+
+  context = Liquid::Context.build(
+    static_environments: assigns,
+    registers: registers,
+    rethrow_errors: options[:strict_errors],
+  )
+
+  context.exception_renderer = options[:exception_renderer] if options[:exception_renderer]
+
+  template.render(context)
+end
diff --git a/spec/ruby_liquid_with_active_support.rb b/spec/ruby_liquid_with_active_support.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a6f00570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/ruby_liquid_with_active_support.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+# Liquid Spec Adapter for Shopify/liquid with ActiveSupport loaded
+#
+# Run with: bundle exec liquid-spec run spec/ruby_liquid_with_active_support.rb
+
+$LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.expand_path('../lib', __dir__))
+require 'active_support/all'
+require 'liquid'
+
+LiquidSpec.configure do |config|
+  # Run core Liquid specs plus ActiveSupport SafeBuffer tests
+  config.features = [:core, :activesupport]
+end
+
+# Compile a template string into a Liquid::Template
+LiquidSpec.compile do |source, options|
+  Liquid::Template.parse(source, **options)
+end
+
+# Render a compiled template with the given context
+# @param template [Liquid::Template] compiled template
+# @param assigns [Hash] environment variables
+# @param options [Hash] :registers, :strict_errors, :exception_renderer
+LiquidSpec.render do |template, assigns, options|
+  registers = Liquid::Registers.new(options[:registers] || {})
+
+  context = Liquid::Context.build(
+    static_environments: assigns,
+    registers: registers,
+    rethrow_errors: options[:strict_errors],
+  )
+
+  context.exception_renderer = options[:exception_renderer] if options[:exception_renderer]
+
+  template.render(context)
+end
diff --git a/test/integration/security_test.rb b/test/integration/security_test.rb
index 75f092965..f84058940 100644
--- a/test/integration/security_test.rb
+++ b/test/integration/security_test.rb
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def test_does_not_permanently_add_filters_to_symbol_table
 
     GC.start
 
-    assert_equal([], (Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols))
+    assert_equal([], Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols)
   end
 
   def test_does_not_add_drop_methods_to_symbol_table
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ def test_does_not_add_drop_methods_to_symbol_table
     assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_2 }}", assigns).render!)
     assert_equal("", Template.parse("{{ drop.custom_method_3 }}", assigns).render!)
 
-    assert_equal([], (Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols))
+    assert_equal([], Symbol.all_symbols - current_symbols)
   end
 
   def test_max_depth_nested_blocks_does_not_raise_exception
diff --git a/test/integration/standard_filter_test.rb b/test/integration/standard_filter_test.rb
index e27605ff5..ef5f15493 100644
--- a/test/integration/standard_filter_test.rb
+++ b/test/integration/standard_filter_test.rb
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def test_slice
   end
 
   def test_slice_on_arrays
-    input = 'foobar'.split(//)
+    input = 'foobar'.split('')
     assert_equal(%w(o o b), @filters.slice(input, 1, 3))
     assert_equal(%w(o o b a r), @filters.slice(input, 1, 1000))
     assert_equal(%w(), @filters.slice(input, 1, 0))
@@ -627,6 +627,40 @@ def test_first_last
     assert_nil(@filters.last([]))
   end
 
+  def test_first_last_on_strings
+    # Ruby's String class does not have first/last methods by default.
+    # ActiveSupport adds String#first and String#last to return the first/last character.
+    # Liquid must work without ActiveSupport, so the first/last filters handle strings specially.
+    #
+    # This enables template patterns like:
+    #   {{ product.title | first }}  => "S" (for "Snowboard")
+    #   {{ customer.name | last }}   => "h" (for "Smith")
+    #
+    # Note: ActiveSupport returns "" for empty strings, not nil.
+    assert_equal('f', @filters.first('foo'))
+    assert_equal('o', @filters.last('foo'))
+    assert_equal('', @filters.first(''))
+    assert_equal('', @filters.last(''))
+  end
+
+  def test_first_last_on_unicode_strings
+    # Unicode strings should return the first/last grapheme cluster (character),
+    # not the first/last byte. Ruby's String#[] handles this correctly with index 0/-1.
+    # This ensures international text works properly:
+    #   {{ korean_name | first }} => "고" (not a partial byte sequence)
+    assert_equal('고', @filters.first('고스트빈'))
+    assert_equal('빈', @filters.last('고스트빈'))
+  end
+
+  def test_first_last_on_strings_via_template
+    # Integration test to verify the filter works end-to-end in templates.
+    # Empty strings return empty output (nil renders as empty string).
+    assert_template_result('f', '{{ name | first }}', { 'name' => 'foo' })
+    assert_template_result('o', '{{ name | last }}', { 'name' => 'foo' })
+    assert_template_result('', '{{ name | first }}', { 'name' => '' })
+    assert_template_result('', '{{ name | last }}', { 'name' => '' })
+  end
+
   def test_replace
     assert_equal('b b b b', @filters.replace('a a a a', 'a', 'b'))
     assert_equal('2 2 2 2', @filters.replace('1 1 1 1', 1, 2))
@@ -1296,7 +1330,7 @@ def test_sum_with_non_string_property
     assert_equal(1, @filters.sum(input, true))
     assert_equal(0.2, @filters.sum(input, 1.0))
     assert_equal(-0.3, @filters.sum(input, 1))
-    assert_equal(0.4, @filters.sum(input, (1..5)))
+    assert_equal(0.4, @filters.sum(input, 1..5))
     assert_equal(0, @filters.sum(input, nil))
     assert_equal(0, @filters.sum(input, ""))
   end
diff --git a/test/integration/tags/standard_tag_test.rb b/test/integration/tags/standard_tag_test.rb
index 6c297d407..67471e735 100644
--- a/test/integration/tags/standard_tag_test.rb
+++ b/test/integration/tags/standard_tag_test.rb
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def test_case
     assigns = { 'condition' => "bad string here" }
     assert_template_result(
       '',
-      '{% case condition %}{% when "string here" %} hit {% endcase %}',\
+      '{% case condition %}{% when "string here" %} hit {% endcase %}',
       assigns,
     )
   end
diff --git a/test/integration/template_test.rb b/test/integration/template_test.rb
index 92ece017c..c01c7161c 100644
--- a/test/integration/template_test.rb
+++ b/test/integration/template_test.rb
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ def test_resource_limits_render_score
     assert(t.resource_limits.reached?)
 
     t.resource_limits.render_score_limit = 200
-    assert_equal((" foo " * 100), t.render!)
+    assert_equal(" foo " * 100, t.render!)
     refute_nil(t.resource_limits.render_score)
   end
 
diff --git a/test/unit/condition_unit_test.rb b/test/unit/condition_unit_test.rb
index eb466f7a9..d7f35f609 100644
--- a/test/unit/condition_unit_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/condition_unit_test.rb
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ def test_default_context_is_deprecated
       assert_equal(true, Condition.new(1, '==', 1).evaluate)
     end
 
-    expected = "DEPRECATION WARNING: Condition#evaluate without a context argument is deprecated" \
-      " and will be removed from Liquid 6.0.0."
+    expected = "DEPRECATION WARNING: Condition#evaluate without a context argument is deprecated " \
+      "and will be removed from Liquid 6.0.0."
     assert_includes(err.lines.map(&:strip), expected)
   end
 
@@ -197,6 +197,172 @@ def test_parse_expression_with_safe_true_in_strict2_mode
     assert_equal(['title'], result.lookups)
   end
 
+  # Tests for blank? comparison without ActiveSupport
+  #
+  # Ruby's standard library does not include blank? on String, Array, Hash, etc.
+  # ActiveSupport adds blank? but Liquid must work without it. These tests verify
+  # that Liquid implements blank? semantics internally for use in templates like:
+  #   {% if x == blank %}...{% endif %}
+  #
+  # The blank? semantics match ActiveSupport's behavior:
+  # - nil and false are blank
+  # - Strings are blank if empty or contain only whitespace
+  # - Arrays and Hashes are blank if empty
+  # - true and numbers are never blank
+
+  def test_blank_with_whitespace_string
+    # Template authors expect "   " to be blank since it has no visible content.
+    # This matches ActiveSupport's String#blank? which returns true for whitespace-only strings.
+    @context['whitespace'] = '   '
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('whitespace'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_blank_with_empty_string
+    # An empty string has no content, so it should be considered blank.
+    # This is the most basic case of a blank string.
+    @context['empty_string'] = ''
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_string'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_blank_with_empty_array
+    # Empty arrays have no elements, so they are blank.
+    # Useful for checking if a collection has items: {% if products == blank %}
+    @context['empty_array'] = []
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_array'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_blank_with_empty_hash
+    # Empty hashes have no key-value pairs, so they are blank.
+    # Useful for checking if settings/options exist: {% if settings == blank %}
+    @context['empty_hash'] = {}
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_hash'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_blank_with_nil
+    # nil represents "nothing" and is the canonical blank value.
+    # Unassigned variables resolve to nil, so this enables: {% if missing_var == blank %}
+    @context['nil_value'] = nil
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('nil_value'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_blank_with_false
+    # false is considered blank to match ActiveSupport semantics.
+    # This allows {% if some_flag == blank %} to work when flag is false.
+    @context['false_value'] = false
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('false_value'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_not_blank_with_true
+    # true is a definite value, not blank.
+    # Ensures {% if flag == blank %} works correctly for boolean flags.
+    @context['true_value'] = true
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('true_value'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_not_blank_with_number
+    # Numbers (including zero) are never blank - they represent actual values.
+    # 0 is a valid quantity, not the absence of a value.
+    @context['number'] = 42
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('number'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_not_blank_with_string_content
+    # A string with actual content is not blank.
+    # This is the expected behavior for most template string comparisons.
+    @context['string'] = 'hello'
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('string'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_not_blank_with_non_empty_array
+    # An array with elements has content, so it's not blank.
+    # Enables patterns like {% unless products == blank %}Show products{% endunless %}
+    @context['array'] = [1, 2, 3]
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('array'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_not_blank_with_non_empty_hash
+    # A hash with key-value pairs has content, so it's not blank.
+    # Useful for checking if configuration exists: {% if config != blank %}
+    @context['hash'] = { 'a' => 1 }
+    blank_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['blank']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('hash'), '==', blank_literal)
+  end
+
+  # Tests for empty? comparison without ActiveSupport
+  #
+  # empty? is distinct from blank? - it only checks if a collection has zero elements.
+  # For strings, empty? checks length == 0, NOT whitespace content.
+  # Ruby's standard library has empty? on String, Array, and Hash, but Liquid
+  # provides a fallback implementation for consistency.
+
+  def test_empty_with_empty_string
+    # An empty string ("") has length 0, so it's empty.
+    # Different from blank - empty is a stricter check.
+    @context['empty_string'] = ''
+    empty_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['empty']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_string'), '==', empty_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_empty_with_whitespace_string_not_empty
+    # Whitespace strings have length > 0, so they are NOT empty.
+    # This is the key difference between empty and blank:
+    # "   ".empty? => false, but "   ".blank? => true
+    @context['whitespace'] = '   '
+    empty_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['empty']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('whitespace'), '==', empty_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_empty_with_empty_array
+    # An array with no elements is empty.
+    # [].empty? => true
+    @context['empty_array'] = []
+    empty_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['empty']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_array'), '==', empty_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_empty_with_empty_hash
+    # A hash with no key-value pairs is empty.
+    # {}.empty? => true
+    @context['empty_hash'] = {}
+    empty_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['empty']
+
+    assert_evaluates_true(VariableLookup.new('empty_hash'), '==', empty_literal)
+  end
+
+  def test_nil_is_not_empty
+    # nil is NOT empty - empty? checks if a collection has zero elements.
+    # nil is not a collection, so it cannot be empty.
+    # This differs from blank: nil IS blank, but nil is NOT empty.
+    @context['nil_value'] = nil
+    empty_literal = Condition.class_variable_get(:@@method_literals)['empty']
+
+    assert_evaluates_false(VariableLookup.new('nil_value'), '==', empty_literal)
+  end
+
   private
 
   def assert_evaluates_true(left, op, right)
diff --git a/test/unit/strainer_template_unit_test.rb b/test/unit/strainer_template_unit_test.rb
index a04107084..aa3f153a3 100644
--- a/test/unit/strainer_template_unit_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/strainer_template_unit_test.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ class StrainerTemplateUnitTest < Minitest::Test
   def test_add_filter_when_wrong_filter_class
     c = Context.new
     s = c.strainer
-    wrong_filter = ->(v) { v.reverse }
+    wrong_filter = lambda(&:reverse)
 
     exception = assert_raises(TypeError) do
       s.class.add_filter(wrong_filter)