diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/d-editor.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/d-editor.js.es6
index 44f0130acbb..d661b26a219 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/d-editor.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/d-editor.js.es6
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 /*global Mousetrap:true */
 import { default as computed, on, observes } from 'ember-addons/ember-computed-decorators';
-import Category from 'discourse/models/category';
 import { categoryHashtagTriggerRule } from 'discourse/lib/category-hashtags';
-import { TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX } from 'discourse/lib/tag-hashtags';
 import { search as searchCategoryTag  } from 'discourse/lib/category-tag-search';
-import { SEPARATOR } from 'discourse/lib/category-hashtags';
 import { cookAsync } from 'discourse/lib/text';
 import { translations } from 'pretty-text/emoji/data';
 import { emojiSearch, isSkinTonableEmoji } from 'pretty-text/emoji';
@@ -322,11 +319,7 @@ export default Ember.Component.extend({
       template: findRawTemplate('category-tag-autocomplete'),
       key: '#',
       transformComplete(obj) {
-        if (obj.model) {
-          return Category.slugFor(obj.model, SEPARATOR);
-        } else {
-          return `${obj.text}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}`;
-        }
+        return obj.text;
       },
       dataSource(term) {
         return searchCategoryTag(term, siteSettings);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/category-tag-search.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/category-tag-search.js.es6
index d7895ff47a1..359e7660417 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/category-tag-search.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/category-tag-search.js.es6
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import { CANCELLED_STATUS } from 'discourse/lib/autocomplete';
 import Category from 'discourse/models/category';
+import { TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX } from 'discourse/lib/tag-hashtags';
+import { SEPARATOR } from 'discourse/lib/category-hashtags';
 
 var cache = {};
 var cacheTime;
@@ -27,7 +29,18 @@ function searchTags(term, categories, limit) {
       var returnVal = CANCELLED_STATUS;
 
       oldSearch.then((r) => {
-        var tags = r.results.map((tag) => { return { text: tag.text, count: tag.count }; });
+        const categoryNames = cats.map(c => c.model.get('name'));
+
+        const tags = r.results.map((tag) => {
+          const tagName = tag.text;
+
+          return {
+            name: tagName,
+            text: (categoryNames.includes(tagName) ? `${tagName}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}` : tagName),
+            count: tag.count,
+          };
+        });
+
         returnVal = cats.concat(tags);
       }).always(() => {
         oldSearch = null;
@@ -55,7 +68,10 @@ export function search(term, siteSettings) {
   const limit = 5;
   var categories = Category.search(term, { limit });
   var numOfCategories = categories.length;
-  categories = categories.map((category) => { return { model: category }; });
+
+  categories = categories.map((category) => {
+    return { model: category, text: Category.slugFor(category, SEPARATOR) };
+  });
 
   if (numOfCategories !== limit && siteSettings.tagging_enabled) {
     return searchTags(term, categories, limit - numOfCategories);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
index 8939c173299..266f374a65d 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 import { ajax } from 'discourse/lib/ajax';
 import { findRawTemplate } from 'discourse/lib/raw-templates';
-import { TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX } from 'discourse/lib/tag-hashtags';
-import { SEPARATOR } from 'discourse/lib/category-hashtags';
 import Category from 'discourse/models/category';
 import { search as searchCategoryTag  } from 'discourse/lib/category-tag-search';
 import userSearch from 'discourse/lib/user-search';
@@ -148,11 +146,7 @@ export function applySearchAutocomplete($input, siteSettings, appEvents, options
     width: '100%',
     treatAsTextarea: true,
     transformComplete(obj) {
-      if (obj.model) {
-        return Category.slugFor(obj.model, SEPARATOR);
-      } else {
-        return `${obj.text}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}`;
-      }
+      return obj.text;
     },
     dataSource(term) {
       return searchCategoryTag(term, siteSettings);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/category-tag-autocomplete.raw.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/category-tag-autocomplete.raw.hbs
index 1c429ddb39d..3f4359aab56 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/category-tag-autocomplete.raw.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/category-tag-autocomplete.raw.hbs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
         {{#if option.model}}
           <a href>{{category-link option.model allowUncategorized="true" link="false"}}</a>
         {{else}}
-          <a href>{{d-icon 'tag'}}{{option.text}} x {{option.count}}</a>
+          <a href>{{d-icon 'tag'}}{{option.name}} x {{option.count}}</a>
         {{/if}}
       </li>
     {{/each}}
diff --git a/lib/pretty_text/helpers.rb b/lib/pretty_text/helpers.rb
index fcf66188f05..22383b3cec6 100644
--- a/lib/pretty_text/helpers.rb
+++ b/lib/pretty_text/helpers.rb
@@ -91,7 +91,8 @@ module PrettyText
 
       if !is_tag && category = Category.query_from_hashtag_slug(text)
         [category.url_with_id, text]
-      elsif is_tag && tag = Tag.find_by_name(text.gsub!("#{tag_postfix}", ''))
+      elsif (!is_tag && tag = Tag.find_by(name: text)) ||
+            (is_tag && tag = Tag.find_by(name: text.gsub!("#{tag_postfix}", '')))
         ["#{Discourse.base_url}/tags/#{tag.name}", text]
       else
         nil
diff --git a/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb b/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
index 0cffc4862b5..ec62b0aee21 100644
--- a/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/pretty_text_spec.rb
@@ -717,16 +717,22 @@ describe PrettyText do
     expect(cooked).to eq(n expected)
   end
 
-  it "produces tag links" do
+  it "produces hashtag links" do
+    category = Fabricate(:category, name: 'testing')
+    category2 = Fabricate(:category, name: 'known')
     Fabricate(:topic, tags: [Fabricate(:tag, name: 'known')])
 
-    cooked = PrettyText.cook(" #unknown::tag #known::tag")
+    cooked = PrettyText.cook(" #unknown::tag #known #known::tag #testing")
 
-    html = <<~HTML
-      <p><span class=\"hashtag\">#unknown::tag</span> <a class=\"hashtag\" href=\"http://test.localhost/tags/known\">#<span>known</span></a></p>
-    HTML
+    [
+      "<span class=\"hashtag\">#unknown::tag</span>",
+      "<a class=\"hashtag\" href=\"#{category2.url_with_id}\">#<span>known</span></a>",
+      "<a class=\"hashtag\" href=\"http://test.localhost/tags/known\">#<span>known</span></a>",
+      "<a class=\"hashtag\" href=\"#{category.url_with_id}\">#<span>testing</span></a>"
+    ].each do |element|
 
-    expect(cooked).to eq(html.strip)
+      expect(cooked).to include(element)
+    end
 
     cooked = PrettyText.cook("[`a` #known::tag here](http://somesite.com)")