diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 7ab7ec89ca6..e9de89df924 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -71,6 +71,13 @@ from multi-line `script` items in task definitions, for cleaner job scripts.
 
 ### Fixes
 
+[#2666](https://github.com/cylc/cylc/pull/2666) - `cylc scan`: fix default
+behavior to only obtain suite information from the `~/cylc-run/` of the current
+user. This is consistent with `cylc gscan`. However, the `--name=PATTERN`
+(`-n PATTERN`) option has also been modified to be consistent with
+`cylc gscan`, so `cylc scan --name=bar` will only match the suite `bar` but not
+the suites `foobar` and `barbaz`.
+
 [#2593](https://github.com/cylc/cylc/pull/2593) - fix polling after job
 execution timeout (configured pre-poll delays were being ignored).
 
diff --git a/bin/cylc-scan b/bin/cylc-scan
index 5fa2d98ccd2..1c654f838b1 100755
--- a/bin/cylc-scan
+++ b/bin/cylc-scan
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ import re
 import json
 
 from cylc.cfgspec.glbl_cfg import glbl_cfg
-from cylc.hostuserutil import get_user
-from cylc.network.port_scan import scan_many, get_scan_items_from_fs
+from cylc.network.port_scan import (
+    get_scan_items_from_fs, re_compile_filters, scan_many)
 from cylc.option_parsers import CylcOptionParser as COP
 from cylc.suite_status import (
     KEY_DESCRIPTION, KEY_META, KEY_NAME, KEY_OWNER, KEY_STATES,
@@ -200,28 +200,18 @@ def main():
     else:
         # Any suite name.
         patterns_name = ['.*']
+    patterns_owner = None
     if options.patterns_owner:
         patterns_owner = options.patterns_owner
-    else:
-        # Just the user's suites.
-        patterns_owner = [get_user()]
     # Compile and check "name" and "owner" regular expressions
-    cres = {}
-    for key, patterns in [
-            ('name', patterns_name), ('suite-owner', patterns_owner)]:
-        try:
-            cres[key] = re.compile(r'(' + r')|('.join(patterns) + r')')
-        except re.error:
-            for pattern in patterns:
-                try:
-                    re.compile(pattern)
-                except re.error:
-                    parser.error(
-                        '--%s=%s: bad regular expression' % (key, pattern))
+    try:
+        cre_owner, cre_name = re_compile_filters(patterns_owner, patterns_name)
+    except ValueError as exc:
+        parser.error(str(exc))
     if options.all_ports:
         args.extend(glbl_cfg().get(["suite host scanning", "hosts"]))
     if not args:
-        args = get_scan_items_from_fs(cres['suite-owner'])
+        args = get_scan_items_from_fs(cre_owner)
     if not args:
         return
 
@@ -231,9 +221,9 @@ def main():
         name = suite_identity[KEY_NAME]
         owner = suite_identity[KEY_OWNER]
 
-        if not cres['name'].match(name):
+        if cre_name and not cre_name.match(name):
             continue
-        if not cres['suite-owner'].match(owner):
+        if cre_owner and not cre_owner.match(owner):
             continue
         if options.json_format:
             json_filter.append([host, port, suite_identity])
diff --git a/lib/cylc/daemonize.py b/lib/cylc/daemonize.py
index 279798b44b4..b2418a54328 100644
--- a/lib/cylc/daemonize.py
+++ b/lib/cylc/daemonize.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
  $ cylc get-suite-contact %(suite)s
 
 Other ways to see if the suite is still running:
- $ cylc scan -n '\b%(suite)s\b' %(host)s
+ $ cylc scan -n '%(suite)s' %(host)s
  $ cylc ping -v --host=%(host)s %(suite)s
  $ ps %(ps_opts)s %(pid)s  # on %(host)s
 
diff --git a/lib/cylc/gui/gscan.py b/lib/cylc/gui/gscan.py
index 7e651ed514e..5f0076e66de 100644
--- a/lib/cylc/gui/gscan.py
+++ b/lib/cylc/gui/gscan.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
     KEY_PORT, get_scan_menu, launch_gcylc, update_suites_info,
     launch_hosts_dialog, launch_about_dialog)
 from cylc.gui.util import get_icon, setup_icons, set_exception_hook_dialog
+from cylc.network.port_scan import re_compile_filters
 from cylc.suite_status import (
     KEY_GROUP, KEY_META, KEY_STATES, KEY_TASKS_BY_STATE, KEY_TITLE,
     KEY_UPDATE_TIME)
@@ -169,21 +170,11 @@ def __init__(
         self.treeview.connect("button-press-event",
                               self._on_button_press_event)
 
-        patterns = {"name": None, "owner": None}
-        for label, items in [
-                ("owner", patterns_owner), ("name", patterns_name)]:
-            if items:
-                patterns[label] = r"\A(?:" + r")|(?:".join(items) + r")\Z"
-                try:
-                    patterns[label] = re.compile(patterns[label])
-                except re.error:
-                    raise ValueError("Invalid %s pattern: %s" % (label, items))
+        cre_owner, cre_name = re_compile_filters(patterns_owner, patterns_name)
 
         self.updater = ScanAppUpdater(
             self.window, hosts, suite_treemodel, self.treeview,
-            comms_timeout=comms_timeout, interval=interval,
-            group_column_id=self.GROUP_COLUMN,
-            name_pattern=patterns["name"], owner_pattern=patterns["owner"])
+            comms_timeout, interval, self.GROUP_COLUMN, cre_owner, cre_name)
 
         self.updater.start()
 
@@ -759,7 +750,7 @@ class ScanAppUpdater(threading.Thread):
 
     def __init__(self, window, hosts, suite_treemodel, suite_treeview,
                  comms_timeout=None, interval=None, group_column_id=0,
-                 name_pattern=None, owner_pattern=None):
+                 owner_pattern=None, name_pattern=None):
         self.window = window
         if hosts:
             self.hosts = hosts
@@ -779,8 +770,8 @@ def __init__(self, window, hosts, suite_treemodel, suite_treeview,
         self.group_column_id = group_column_id
         self.tasks_by_state = {}
         self.warning_times = {}
-        self.name_pattern = name_pattern
         self.owner_pattern = owner_pattern
+        self.name_pattern = name_pattern
         super(ScanAppUpdater, self).__init__()
 
     @staticmethod
diff --git a/lib/cylc/network/port_scan.py b/lib/cylc/network/port_scan.py
index 3bf66053e7a..733b959b975 100644
--- a/lib/cylc/network/port_scan.py
+++ b/lib/cylc/network/port_scan.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 from multiprocessing import cpu_count, Process, Pipe
 import os
 from pwd import getpwall
+import re
 import sys
 from time import sleep, time
 import traceback
@@ -232,6 +233,28 @@ def scan_many(items, timeout=None, updater=None):
     return results
 
 
+def re_compile_filters(patterns_owner=None, patterns_name=None):
+    """Compile regexp for suite owner and suite name scan filters.
+
+    Arguments:
+        patterns_owner (list): List of suite owner patterns
+        patterns_name (list): List of suite name patterns
+
+    Returns (tuple):
+        A 2-element tuple in the form (cre_owner, cre_name). Either or both
+        element can be None to allow for the default scan behaviour.
+    """
+    cres = {'owner': None, 'name': None}
+    for label, items in [('owner', patterns_owner), ('name', patterns_name)]:
+        if items:
+            cres[label] = r'\A(?:' + r')|(?:'.join(items) + r')\Z'
+            try:
+                cres[label] = re.compile(cres[label])
+            except re.error:
+                raise ValueError(r'%s=%s: bad regexp' % (label, items))
+    return (cres['owner'], cres['name'])
+
+
 def get_scan_items_from_fs(owner_pattern=None, updater=None):
     """Get list of host:port available to scan using the file system.