diff --git a/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml b/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
index 3abd4892b6..08ad00132e 100644
--- a/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
+++ b/docs/content/manual/dev/manual.yml
@@ -2699,12 +2699,17 @@ sections:
           that match the regex in accordance with the flags, if any
           have been specified.  If there is no match, the stream is empty.
           To capture all the matches for each input string, use the idiom
-          `[ expr ]`, e.g. `[ scan(regex) ]`.
+          `[ expr ]`, e.g. `[ scan(regex) ]`.  If the regex contains capturing
+          groups, the filter emits a stream of arrays, each of which contains
+          the captured strings.
 
         examples:
           - program: 'scan("c")'
             input: '"abcdefabc"'
             output: ['"c"', '"c"']
+          - program: 'scan("(a+)(b+)")'
+            input: '"abaabbaaabbb"'
+            output: ['["a","b"]', '["aa","bb"]', '["aaa","bbb"]']
 
       - title: "`split(regex; flags)`"
         body: |
diff --git a/docs/content/manual/v1.7/manual.yml b/docs/content/manual/v1.7/manual.yml
index 078b896010..4f812f2f2e 100644
--- a/docs/content/manual/v1.7/manual.yml
+++ b/docs/content/manual/v1.7/manual.yml
@@ -2646,12 +2646,17 @@ sections:
           that match the regex in accordance with the flags, if any
           have been specified.  If there is no match, the stream is empty.
           To capture all the matches for each input string, use the idiom
-          `[ expr ]`, e.g. `[ scan(regex) ]`.
+          `[ expr ]`, e.g. `[ scan(regex) ]`.  If the regex contains capturing
+          groups, the filter emits a stream of arrays, each of which contains
+          the captured strings.
 
         examples:
           - program: 'scan("c")'
             input: '"abcdefabc"'
             output: ['"c"', '"c"']
+          - program: 'scan("(a+)(b+)")'
+            input: '"abaabbaaabbb"'
+            output: ['["a","b"]', '["aa","bb"]', '["aaa","bbb"]']
 
       - title: "`split(regex; flags)`"
         body: |
diff --git a/jq.1.prebuilt b/jq.1.prebuilt
index 50de569a86..603f326bd7 100644
--- a/jq.1.prebuilt
+++ b/jq.1.prebuilt
@@ -2985,7 +2985,7 @@ jq \'capture("(?<a>[a\-z]+)\-(?<n>[0\-9]+)")\'
 .IP "" 0
 .
 .SS "scan(regex), scan(regex; flags)"
-Emit a stream of the non\-overlapping substrings of the input that match the regex in accordance with the flags, if any have been specified\. If there is no match, the stream is empty\. To capture all the matches for each input string, use the idiom \fB[ expr ]\fR, e\.g\. \fB[ scan(regex) ]\fR\.
+Emit a stream of the non\-overlapping substrings of the input that match the regex in accordance with the flags, if any have been specified\. If there is no match, the stream is empty\. To capture all the matches for each input string, use the idiom \fB[ expr ]\fR, e\.g\. \fB[ scan(regex) ]\fR\. If the regex contains capturing groups, the filter emits a stream of arrays, each of which contains the captured strings\.
 .
 .IP "" 4
 .
@@ -2994,6 +2994,10 @@ Emit a stream of the non\-overlapping substrings of the input that match the reg
 jq \'scan("c")\'
    "abcdefabc"
 => "c", "c"
+
+jq \'scan("(a+)(b+)")\'
+   "abaabbaaabbb"
+=> ["a","b"], ["aa","bb"], ["aaa","bbb"]
 .
 .fi
 .
diff --git a/tests/manonig.test b/tests/manonig.test
index 11c33fb3bb..e7abb77ba9 100644
--- a/tests/manonig.test
+++ b/tests/manonig.test
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ scan("c")
 "c"
 "c"
 
+scan("(a+)(b+)")
+"abaabbaaabbb"
+["a","b"]
+["aa","bb"]
+["aaa","bbb"]
+
 split(", *"; null)
 "ab,cd, ef"
 ["ab","cd","ef"]