diff --git a/crates/ark/src/lsp/completions/sources/unique/file_path.rs b/crates/ark/src/lsp/completions/sources/unique/file_path.rs
index 0953b5e7f..63aaed7a8 100644
--- a/crates/ark/src/lsp/completions/sources/unique/file_path.rs
+++ b/crates/ark/src/lsp/completions/sources/unique/file_path.rs
@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@
 use std::env::current_dir;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
-use harp::object::RObject;
-use harp::string::r_string_decode;
+use harp::utils::r_is_string;
 use harp::utils::r_normalize_path;
 use stdext::unwrap;
-use stdext::IntoResult;
 use tower_lsp::lsp_types::CompletionItem;
 use tree_sitter::Node;
 
@@ -33,13 +31,24 @@ pub(super) fn completions_from_string_file_path(
     //
     // NOTE: This includes the quotation characters on the string, and so
     // also includes any internal escapes! We need to decode the R string
-    // before searching the path entries.
+    // by parsing it before searching the path entries.
     let token = context.document.contents.node_slice(&node)?.to_string();
-    let contents = unsafe { r_string_decode(token.as_str()).into_result()? };
-    log::trace!("String value (decoded): {}", contents);
+
+    // It's entirely possible that we can fail to parse the string, `R_ParseVector()`
+    // can fail in various ways. We silently swallow these because they are unlikely
+    // to report to real file paths and just bail (posit-dev/positron#6584).
+    let Ok(contents) = harp::parse_expr(&token) else {
+        return Ok(completions);
+    };
+
+    // Double check that parsing gave a string. It should, because `node` points to
+    // a tree-sitter string node.
+    if !r_is_string(contents.sexp) {
+        return Ok(completions);
+    }
 
     // Use R to normalize the path.
-    let path = r_normalize_path(RObject::from(contents))?;
+    let path = r_normalize_path(contents)?;
 
     // parse the file path and get the directory component
     let mut path = PathBuf::from(path.as_str());
@@ -82,3 +91,28 @@ pub(super) fn completions_from_string_file_path(
 
     Ok(completions)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use crate::fixtures::point_from_cursor;
+    use crate::lsp::completions::sources::unique::file_path::completions_from_string_file_path;
+    use crate::lsp::document_context::DocumentContext;
+    use crate::lsp::documents::Document;
+    use crate::r_task;
+    use crate::treesitter::node_find_string;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_unparseable_string() {
+        // https://github.com/posit-dev/positron/issues/6584
+        r_task(|| {
+            // "\R" is an unrecognized escape character and `R_ParseVector()` errors on it
+            let (text, point) = point_from_cursor(r#" ".\R\utils.R@" "#);
+            let document = Document::new(text.as_str(), None);
+            let context = DocumentContext::new(&document, point, None);
+            let node = node_find_string(&context.node).unwrap();
+
+            let completions = completions_from_string_file_path(&node, &context).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(completions.len(), 0);
+        })
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/harp/src/lib.rs b/crates/harp/src/lib.rs
index 1b71340e0..6d34887d9 100644
--- a/crates/harp/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/harp/src/lib.rs
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ pub mod routines;
 pub mod session;
 pub mod size;
 pub mod source;
-pub mod string;
 pub mod symbol;
 pub mod sys;
 pub mod table;
diff --git a/crates/harp/src/string.rs b/crates/harp/src/string.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 5aff5d348..000000000
--- a/crates/harp/src/string.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,48 +0,0 @@
-//
-// string.rs
-//
-// Copyright (C) 2022 Posit Software, PBC. All rights reserved.
-//
-//
-
-use libr::ParseStatus;
-use libr::R_NaString;
-use libr::R_NilValue;
-use libr::R_ParseVector;
-use libr::Rf_xlength;
-use libr::EXPRSXP;
-use libr::SEXP;
-use libr::STRSXP;
-use libr::VECTOR_ELT;
-
-use crate::object::RObject;
-use crate::protect::RProtect;
-use crate::r_string;
-use crate::utils::r_typeof;
-
-// Given a quoted R string, decode it to get the string value.
-pub unsafe fn r_string_decode(code: &str) -> Option<String> {
-    // convert to R string
-    let mut protect = RProtect::new();
-    let code = r_string!(code, &mut protect);
-
-    // parse into vector
-    let mut ps: ParseStatus = 0;
-    let result = protect.add(R_ParseVector(code, -1, &mut ps, R_NilValue));
-
-    // check for string in result
-    if r_typeof(result) == EXPRSXP {
-        if Rf_xlength(result) != 0 {
-            let value = VECTOR_ELT(result, 0);
-            if r_typeof(value) == STRSXP {
-                return RObject::view(value).to::<String>().ok();
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    None
-}
-
-pub fn r_is_string(x: SEXP) -> bool {
-    unsafe { r_typeof(x) == STRSXP && Rf_xlength(x) == 1 && x != R_NaString }
-}
diff --git a/crates/harp/src/utils.rs b/crates/harp/src/utils.rs
index 35662ed57..33a89419e 100644
--- a/crates/harp/src/utils.rs
+++ b/crates/harp/src/utils.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ use crate::r_char;
 use crate::r_lang;
 use crate::r_null;
 use crate::r_symbol;
-use crate::string::r_is_string;
 use crate::symbol::RSymbol;
 use crate::vector::CharacterVector;
 use crate::vector::IntegerVector;
@@ -154,6 +153,10 @@ pub fn r_is_simple_vector(value: SEXP) -> bool {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn r_is_string(x: SEXP) -> bool {
+    r_typeof(x) == STRSXP && r_length(x) == 1 && x != r_str_na()
+}
+
 /// Is `object` a matrix?
 ///
 /// Notably returns `false` for 1D arrays and >=3D arrays.