diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-advanced-options.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-advanced-options.js.es6
index fe6db1a0fd2..48d272baad4 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-advanced-options.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-advanced-options.js.es6
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const REGEXP_IN_PREFIX             = /^in:/ig;
 const REGEXP_STATUS_PREFIX         = /^status:/ig;
 const REGEXP_MIN_POST_COUNT_PREFIX = /^min_post_count:/ig;
 const REGEXP_POST_TIME_PREFIX      = /^(before|after):/ig;
-const REGEXP_TAGS_SUFFIX           = /::tag\s?$/ig;
+const REGEXP_TAGS_REPLACE          = /(^(tags?:|#(?=[a-z0-9\-]+::tag))|::tag\s?$)/ig;
 
 
 const REGEXP_IN_MATCH                 = /^in:(posted|watching|tracking|bookmarks|first|pinned|unpinned)/ig;
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ export default Em.Component.extend({
 
     if (match.length !== 0) {
       const existingInput = _.isArray(tags) ? tags.join(',') : tags;
-      const userInput = match[0].replace(REGEXP_TAGS_PREFIX, '').replace(REGEXP_TAGS_SUFFIX, '');
+      const userInput = match[0].replace(REGEXP_TAGS_REPLACE, '');
 
       if (existingInput !== userInput) {
         this.set('searchedTerms.tags', (userInput.length !== 0) ? userInput.split(',') : []);
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-text-field.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-text-field.js.es6
index 339545bf86d..85547425795 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-text-field.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/components/search-text-field.js.es6
@@ -1,12 +1,7 @@
 import computed from 'ember-addons/ember-computed-decorators';
 import { on } from 'ember-addons/ember-computed-decorators';
 import TextField from 'discourse/components/text-field';
-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';
+import { applySearchAutocomplete } from "discourse/lib/search";
 
 export default TextField.extend({
   @computed('searchService.searchContextEnabled')
@@ -16,51 +11,13 @@ export default TextField.extend({
 
   @on("didInsertElement")
   becomeFocused() {
+    const $searchInput = this.$();
+    applySearchAutocomplete($searchInput, this.siteSettings);
+
     if (!this.get('hasAutofocus')) { return; }
     // iOS is crazy, without this we will not be
     // at the top of the page
     $(window).scrollTop(0);
-    this.$().focus();
-  },
-
-  @on("didInsertElement")
-  applyAutoComplete() {
-    this._super();
-
-    const $searchInput = this.$();
-    this._applyCategoryHashtagAutocomplete($searchInput);
-    this._applyUsernameAutocomplete($searchInput);
-  },
-
-  _applyCategoryHashtagAutocomplete($searchInput) {
-    const siteSettings = this.siteSettings;
-
-    $searchInput.autocomplete({
-      template: findRawTemplate('category-tag-autocomplete'),
-      key: '#',
-      width: '100%',
-      treatAsTextarea: true,
-      transformComplete(obj) {
-        if (obj.model) {
-          return Category.slugFor(obj.model, SEPARATOR);
-        } else {
-          return `${obj.text}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}`;
-        }
-      },
-      dataSource(term) {
-        return searchCategoryTag(term, siteSettings);
-      }
-    });
-  },
-
-  _applyUsernameAutocomplete($searchInput) {
-    $searchInput.autocomplete({
-      template: findRawTemplate('user-selector-autocomplete'),
-      dataSource: term => userSearch({ term, undefined, includeGroups: true }),
-      key: "@",
-      width: '100%',
-      treatAsTextarea: true,
-      transformComplete: v => v.username || v.name
-    });
+    $searchInput.focus();
   }
 });
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/autocomplete.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/autocomplete.js.es6
index c96ca3fb133..c30a1071039 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/autocomplete.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/autocomplete.js.es6
@@ -247,6 +247,13 @@ export default function(options) {
       };
       vOffset = -32;
       hOffset = 0;
+    } if (options.treatAsTextarea) {
+      pos = me.caretPosition({
+        pos: completeStart,
+        key: options.key
+      });
+      hOffset = 27;
+      vOffset = -32;
     } else {
       pos = me.caretPosition({
         pos: completeStart,
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
index 9dc3b38e2f1..fea2dd7f136 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/search.js.es6
@@ -1,9 +1,14 @@
 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';
 
 export function translateResults(results, opts) {
 
   const User = require('discourse/models/user').default;
-  const Category = require('discourse/models/category').default;
   const Post = require('discourse/models/post').default;
   const Topic = require('discourse/models/topic').default;
 
@@ -124,3 +129,31 @@ export function isValidSearchTerm(searchTerm) {
     return false;
   }
 };
+
+export function applySearchAutocomplete($input, siteSettings) {
+  $input.autocomplete({
+    template: findRawTemplate('category-tag-autocomplete'),
+    key: '#',
+    width: '100%',
+    treatAsTextarea: true,
+    transformComplete(obj) {
+      if (obj.model) {
+        return Category.slugFor(obj.model, SEPARATOR);
+      } else {
+        return `${obj.text}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}`;
+      }
+    },
+    dataSource(term) {
+      return searchCategoryTag(term, siteSettings);
+    }
+  });
+
+  $input.autocomplete({
+    template: findRawTemplate('user-selector-autocomplete'),
+    dataSource: term => userSearch({ term, undefined, includeGroups: true }),
+    key: "@",
+    width: '100%',
+    treatAsTextarea: true,
+    transformComplete: v => v.username || v.name
+  });
+};
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/header.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/header.js.es6
index 7f349ff3f22..fb8a4df32ce 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/header.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/header.js.es6
@@ -3,12 +3,7 @@ import { iconNode } from 'discourse/helpers/fa-icon-node';
 import { avatarImg } from 'discourse/widgets/post';
 import DiscourseURL from 'discourse/lib/url';
 import { wantsNewWindow } from 'discourse/lib/intercept-click';
-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';
+import { applySearchAutocomplete } from "discourse/lib/search";
 
 import { h } from 'virtual-dom';
 
@@ -265,7 +260,7 @@ export default createWidget('header', {
       Ember.run.schedule('afterRender', () => {
         const $searchInput = $('#search-term');
         $searchInput.focus().select();
-        this.applyAutocomplete($searchInput);
+        applySearchAutocomplete($searchInput, this.siteSettings);
       });
     }
   },
@@ -350,36 +345,6 @@ export default createWidget('header', {
         return Ember.get(ctx, 'type');
       }
     }
-  },
-
-  applyAutocomplete($searchInput) {
-    const siteSettings = this.siteSettings;
-
-    $searchInput.autocomplete({
-      template: findRawTemplate('category-tag-autocomplete'),
-      key: '#',
-      width: '100%',
-      treatAsTextarea: true,
-      transformComplete(obj) {
-        if (obj.model) {
-          return Category.slugFor(obj.model, SEPARATOR);
-        } else {
-          return `${obj.text}${TAG_HASHTAG_POSTFIX}`;
-        }
-      },
-      dataSource(term) {
-        return searchCategoryTag(term, siteSettings);
-      }
-    });
-
-    $searchInput.autocomplete({
-      template: findRawTemplate('user-selector-autocomplete'),
-      dataSource: term => userSearch({ term, undefined, includeGroups: true }),
-      key: "@",
-      width: '100%',
-      treatAsTextarea: true,
-      transformComplete: v => v.username || v.name
-    });
   }
 
 });