diff --git a/handlers/dup b/handlers/dup
index bbdb0aeff2dc4bddaa75f538e438603c7807dbc2..b6c2bfd2991f77b8ee39471981bbae176c695b42 100644
--- a/handlers/dup
+++ b/handlers/dup
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # duplicity script for backupninja
 # requires duplicity
diff --git a/handlers/dup.helper b/handlers/dup.helper
index 15afcfd39f5d719f690f884d5f72a84e99e2f62c..1ae6581efe3e0ee700c9897a71d39241f3cfd998 100644
--- a/handlers/dup.helper
+++ b/handlers/dup.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS dup:incremental_encrypted_remote_filesystem_backup"
 
 ### Functions
diff --git a/handlers/ldap b/handlers/ldap
index 3bc01d4fbcd8b0ab6a65eeba4baee27de044cf8d..e6bdb22568881c1d3d388f992e4660147937daac 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap
+++ b/handlers/ldap
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # openldap backup handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/ldap.helper b/handlers/ldap.helper
index 838c731316fea2cbc4355e2d9de5779e9b338874..bd77ca1f093edd44d27a68a015076182dc06321e 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap.helper
+++ b/handlers/ldap.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS ldap:ldap_database_backup"
 
 ldap_create_file() {
diff --git a/handlers/maildir b/handlers/maildir
index 5219bef54a32f03072cec111c89b43d14901a62e..a729a3aab17e06f6d561b801a51faa3f9f135156 100644
--- a/handlers/maildir
+++ b/handlers/maildir
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 ###############################################################
 #
 #  This handler slowly creates a backup of each user's maildir
diff --git a/handlers/makecd b/handlers/makecd
index 81c957d8146118698c9cddbedcd6769ad1691093..b176994e9f02531a4486c4a693ed3ac8ce4ba7f8 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd
+++ b/handlers/makecd
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # burncd handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/makecd.helper b/handlers/makecd.helper
index 1352b3bd8e466de2625a15889da09f999cee7cb5..89a4ed03f9132e123370b57a589cfea7ede3e9f5 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd.helper
+++ b/handlers/makecd.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS makecd:makecd_backup"
 wizardname="makecd action wizard"
 
diff --git a/handlers/mysql b/handlers/mysql
index 8507accbb35b2fb978f17d62cc4ca0a6d66f2f84..7ca9ab64ecbc2dc6a17839ecad79e5cfa21a5279 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql
+++ b/handlers/mysql
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # mysql handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/mysql.helper b/handlers/mysql.helper
index 87de311d5a010169837375cb2bfda676d328d57b..b24c931fdd7d8f1975b2cc0c39cd45ed844dcab4 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql.helper
+++ b/handlers/mysql.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS mysql:mysql_database_backup"
 
 do_mysql_vserver() {
@@ -207,4 +208,4 @@ EOF
          "debian") do_mysql_debian;return;;
       esac
    done   
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/handlers/pgsql b/handlers/pgsql
index dd1a2ea90b16b3a4d827de0feee26b500ef6ad3d..ccfe7593bf367f59b7490d6bcbab2aa5c90906e6 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql
+++ b/handlers/pgsql
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # PostgreSQL handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/pgsql.helper b/handlers/pgsql.helper
index aa807a56a9a3ca4c59b0e5977a8841e028af4cca..599c232a966bf1e30de247563c3da6e00411a6f2 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql.helper
+++ b/handlers/pgsql.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS pgsql:postgresql_database_backup"
 
 do_pgsql_vserver() {
diff --git a/handlers/rdiff b/handlers/rdiff
index 05aacc319f908baa2b8a208e611d1afb89d67227..209606d71de6f22d2445f746ad1e1344f6efe43e 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff
+++ b/handlers/rdiff
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # rdiff-backup handler script for backupninja
 # requires rdiff-backup
diff --git a/handlers/rdiff.helper b/handlers/rdiff.helper
index 8fad84797a985b2c311cb556f53097fe6085ee8a..6df4fe2581cdb24d497c6d75e446f994c0fbab3c 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff.helper
+++ b/handlers/rdiff.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS rdiff:incremental_remote_filesystem_backup"
 
 declare -a rdiff_includes
diff --git a/handlers/sh b/handlers/sh
index 6b1644de3a26e4afeae9862f487766fca041916f..f9f19260f95cff5fe776945e28215a47a9a52d7d 100644
--- a/handlers/sh
+++ b/handlers/sh
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # shell script handler for backupninja
 # runs the file /etc/backup.d/scriptname.sh
diff --git a/handlers/svn b/handlers/svn
index 4dca225172cce1f6b30825221d0529c7fd8192e6..26afafde504e4da30cf97b92d2a2c5cc7e405fcb 100644
--- a/handlers/svn
+++ b/handlers/svn
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # this handler will backup subversion repostitories.
 #
diff --git a/handlers/sys b/handlers/sys
index 66f1595f12e8e932f414b45986cf830d730beb09..dd49a3e308af2d834685d85d4e99d75f5177c7ba 100755
--- a/handlers/sys
+++ b/handlers/sys
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # this handler will save various reports of vital system information.
 # by default, all the reports are enabled and are saved in /var/backups.
diff --git a/handlers/sys.helper b/handlers/sys.helper
index a984c0513371a4bb3ac9f28a7d646c8a0f8ce909..2d48ea5d94b04eb7c50e282c98512d379d080463 100644
--- a/handlers/sys.helper
+++ b/handlers/sys.helper
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS sys:general_hardware_and_system_info"
 
 sys_wizard() {
diff --git a/handlers/trac b/handlers/trac
index 1c1b46463df33d5801d5c9202fd251ec73050cf8..54279241dfa96697dcd365b42760e5d00ea9f62e 100644
--- a/handlers/trac
+++ b/handlers/trac
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # this handler will backup trac environments (based on the svn handler)
 #
diff --git a/src/backupninja.in b/src/backupninja.in
index 249a748f9c15d2f0a07686268fca027f51310ac9..9330902e0bfcd97721deb29011e8ffa73972315b 100755
--- a/src/backupninja.in
+++ b/src/backupninja.in
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 #!@BASH@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+#
 #                          |\_
 # B A C K U P N I N J A   /()/
 #                         `\|