diff --git a/api.go b/api.go
index ff738712..aadc604e 100644
--- a/api.go
+++ b/api.go
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) RegistrationHandler(ctx *gin.Context) {
 	machineKeyStr := ctx.Param("id")
 
 	var machineKey key.MachinePublic
-	err := machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machineKeyStr))
+	err := machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machineKeyStr)))
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error().
 			Caller().
diff --git a/cmd/headscale/cli/nodes.go b/cmd/headscale/cli/nodes.go
index 5adc7f59..26ead6dc 100644
--- a/cmd/headscale/cli/nodes.go
+++ b/cmd/headscale/cli/nodes.go
@@ -486,7 +486,9 @@ func nodesToPtables(
 		}
 
 		var nodeKey key.NodePublic
-		err := nodeKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machine.NodeKey))
+		err := nodeKey.UnmarshalText(
+			[]byte(headscale.NodePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machine.NodeKey)),
+		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/machine.go b/machine.go
index 03caa5a2..d58c9c5c 100644
--- a/machine.go
+++ b/machine.go
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ func (machine Machine) toNode(
 	includeRoutes bool,
 ) (*tailcfg.Node, error) {
 	var nodeKey key.NodePublic
-	err := nodeKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machine.NodeKey))
+	err := nodeKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(NodePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machine.NodeKey)))
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Trace().
 			Caller().
@@ -450,14 +450,18 @@ func (machine Machine) toNode(
 	}
 
 	var machineKey key.MachinePublic
-	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machine.MachineKey))
+	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText(
+		[]byte(MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machine.MachineKey)),
+	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse machine public key: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	var discoKey key.DiscoPublic
 	if machine.DiscoKey != "" {
-		err := discoKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(discoPublicHexPrefix + machine.DiscoKey))
+		err := discoKey.UnmarshalText(
+			[]byte(DiscoPublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machine.DiscoKey)),
+		)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse disco public key: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -634,7 +638,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) RegisterMachine(
 	}
 
 	var machineKey key.MachinePublic
-	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machineKeyStr))
+	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machineKeyStr)))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/oidc.go b/oidc.go
index 48ad7187..d481e028 100644
--- a/oidc.go
+++ b/oidc.go
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) OIDCCallback(ctx *gin.Context) {
 	machineKeyStr, machineKeyOK := machineKeyIf.(string)
 
 	var machineKey key.MachinePublic
-	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machineKeyStr))
+	err = machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machineKeyStr)))
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error().
 			Msg("could not parse machine public key")
diff --git a/poll.go b/poll.go
index 70bacc6f..1d2db944 100644
--- a/poll.go
+++ b/poll.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func (h *Headscale) PollNetMapHandler(ctx *gin.Context) {
 	machineKeyStr := ctx.Param("id")
 
 	var machineKey key.MachinePublic
-	err := machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(machineKeyStr))
+	err := machineKey.UnmarshalText([]byte(MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machineKeyStr)))
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error().
 			Str("handler", "PollNetMap").
diff --git a/utils.go b/utils.go
index fa9f028d..c9971390 100644
--- a/utils.go
+++ b/utils.go
@@ -60,6 +60,30 @@ func DiscoPublicKeyStripPrefix(discoKey key.DiscoPublic) string {
 	return strings.TrimPrefix(discoKey.String(), discoPublicHexPrefix)
 }
 
+func MachinePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(machineKey string) string {
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(machineKey, machinePublicHexPrefix) {
+		return machinePublicHexPrefix + machineKey
+	}
+
+	return machineKey
+}
+
+func NodePublicKeyEnsurePrefix(nodeKey string) string {
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(nodeKey, nodePublicHexPrefix) {
+		return nodePublicHexPrefix + nodeKey
+	}
+
+	return nodeKey
+}
+
+func DiscoPublicKeyEnsurePrefix(discoKey string) string {
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(discoKey, discoPublicHexPrefix) {
+		return discoPublicHexPrefix + discoKey
+	}
+
+	return discoKey
+}
+
 // Error is used to compare errors as per https://dave.cheney.net/2016/04/07/constant-errors
 type Error string