diff --git a/cmd/ingestor/db.go b/cmd/ingestor/db.go
index 1fe7d7d8..732fb98c 100644
--- a/cmd/ingestor/db.go
+++ b/cmd/ingestor/db.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/dbschema"
 	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/packetpath"
+	"github.com/meshcore-analyzer/regions"
 	_ "modernc.org/sqlite"
 )
 
@@ -1729,6 +1730,7 @@ func (s *Store) UpdateNodeConfiguredScope(pubkey, scope, reportedAt string) erro
 	if pubkey == "" {
 		return nil
 	}
+	scope = normalizeConfiguredScopeList(scope)
 	// Last-write-wins: skip if the stored confirmation is newer-or-equal.
 	if reportedAt != "" {
 		var curAt sql.NullString
@@ -1749,6 +1751,40 @@ func (s *Store) UpdateNodeConfiguredScope(pubkey, scope, reportedAt string) erro
 	return err
 }
 
+// normalizeConfiguredScopeList applies the same "#"-prefix normalization
+// default_scope already gets (regions.Normalize, via matchScope) to a
+// comma-separated /neighbors-report scope list, so both fields display
+// consistently (flagged by cwichura on PR #1867: configured_scope was
+// stored as the observer's raw OTA-query string -- "dk", not "#dk").
+//
+// "*" is passed through UNCHANGED: it's a MeshCore protocol wildcard
+// ("responds to any scope"), not a real hashRegion name, so "#"-prefixing
+// it would misleadingly present it as one. Empty input stays empty -- a
+// responded-with-no-scopes report is a valid, meaningful "none configured"
+// state (see UpdateNodeConfiguredScope's doc comment) and must not gain a
+// stray "#".
+func normalizeConfiguredScopeList(raw string) string {
+	if raw == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	parts := strings.Split(raw, ",")
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(parts))
+	for _, p := range parts {
+		p = strings.TrimSpace(p)
+		if p == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if p == "*" {
+			out = append(out, p)
+			continue
+		}
+		if name, ok := regions.Normalize(p); ok {
+			out = append(out, name)
+		}
+	}
+	return strings.Join(out, ",")
+}
+
 // RecordNaiveSkew is called when resolveRxTime() clamps a packet's envelope
 // timestamp because the observer is emitting a zone-less local-time string
 // off from UTC by more than 15 min (issue #1478). Stamps the observer's
diff --git a/cmd/ingestor/issue1865_test.go b/cmd/ingestor/issue1865_test.go
index 79a3c244..401c7df8 100644
--- a/cmd/ingestor/issue1865_test.go
+++ b/cmd/ingestor/issue1865_test.go
@@ -77,13 +77,13 @@ func TestHandleNeighborsReportWritesSelfAndResponded(t *testing.T) {
 	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, originLower); !sc.Valid || sc.String != "*" {
 		t.Errorf("self configured_scope = %v, want '*'", sc)
 	}
-	// responded neighbor written, lowercased.
-	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, respLower); !sc.Valid || sc.String != "de,eu" {
-		t.Errorf("responded configured_scope = %v, want 'de,eu'", sc)
+	// responded neighbor written, lowercased, and normalized to #-prefixed scope form.
+	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, respLower); !sc.Valid || sc.String != "#de,#eu" {
+		t.Errorf("responded configured_scope = %v, want '#de,#eu'", sc)
 	}
 	// timeout neighbor untouched — prior confirmed value survives.
-	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, timeoutLower); !sc.Valid || sc.String != "eu" {
-		t.Errorf("timeout node configured_scope = %v, want prior 'eu' (must not be cleared)", sc)
+	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, timeoutLower); !sc.Valid || sc.String != "#eu" {
+		t.Errorf("timeout node configured_scope = %v, want prior '#eu' (must not be cleared)", sc)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -139,22 +139,22 @@ func TestUpdateNodeConfiguredScopeLastWriteWins(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := store.UpdateNodeConfiguredScope(pk, "stale", "2026-07-24T00:00:00Z"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, pk); sc.String != "eu" {
-		t.Errorf("configured_scope = %q, want 'eu' (older report must not overwrite)", sc.String)
+	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, pk); sc.String != "#eu" {
+		t.Errorf("configured_scope = %q, want '#eu' (older report must not overwrite)", sc.String)
 	}
 	// Newer report updates.
 	if err := store.UpdateNodeConfiguredScope(pk, "de", "2026-07-26T00:00:00Z"); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, pk); sc.String != "de" {
-		t.Errorf("configured_scope = %q, want 'de' (newer report should update)", sc.String)
+	if sc, _ := configuredScope(t, store, pk); sc.String != "#de" {
+		t.Errorf("configured_scope = %q, want '#de' (newer report should update)", sc.String)
 	}
 	// inactive_nodes mirrored.
 	var inactive sql.NullString
 	if err := store.db.QueryRow(`SELECT configured_scope FROM inactive_nodes WHERE public_key = ?`, pk).Scan(&inactive); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if inactive.String != "de" {
-		t.Errorf("inactive_nodes.configured_scope = %q, want 'de'", inactive.String)
+	if inactive.String != "#de" {
+		t.Errorf("inactive_nodes.configured_scope = %q, want '#de'", inactive.String)
 	}
 }