diff --git a/handlers/dup b/handlers/dup
index 1b899da1fe1dd0b676f1b3177218811b7db721b9..b6c2bfd2991f77b8ee39471981bbae176c695b42 100644
--- a/handlers/dup
+++ b/handlers/dup
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 7036dd87134aa6e30ee16391cceb5a14d4407da4..a439e67a79367b0db270e1afc57d9cd4baee32d9 100644
--- a/handlers/dup.helper
+++ b/handlers/dup.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 9ec48a729a96e99da832a1f5f601fc9ee4ba254b..e6bdb22568881c1d3d388f992e4660147937daac 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap
+++ b/handlers/ldap
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 cfc99336493cae034caadeaac2be712833e956c5..9aecec8c0ec53ea19e4c8e6618d1eb867022c9b1 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap.helper
+++ b/handlers/ldap.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 b678b838797bb4655c613f58850a8e0d87f3f4ab..1bca84eeb14b72da0c3153632623ae7a5985ed64 100644
--- a/handlers/maildir
+++ b/handlers/maildir
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 ###############################################################
 #
diff --git a/handlers/makecd b/handlers/makecd
index 97951d2aae16456cc492d1d4772bd7aedc06c9a8..b176994e9f02531a4486c4a693ed3ac8ce4ba7f8 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd
+++ b/handlers/makecd
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 3485f39799e46f71addb6693955d4ca53b852f88..f83b54159e1a2ad32b88249d81b8c7e54e9ba142 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd.helper
+++ b/handlers/makecd.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 277a34553bbf24fb70d4dcfcfd4cf8db5bd918ef..7ca9ab64ecbc2dc6a17839ecad79e5cfa21a5279 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql
+++ b/handlers/mysql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 46cb8bcf50b12f539b7c353e0ae18fefc7957538..9622d41d8080ffbb4d69bae7058df81c7881a1f0 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql.helper
+++ b/handlers/mysql.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 HELPERS="$HELPERS mysql:mysql_database_backup"
 
diff --git a/handlers/pgsql b/handlers/pgsql
index 778680930d0b792621e5fbeb87c0d9b3092f6f0f..ccfe7593bf367f59b7490d6bcbab2aa5c90906e6 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql
+++ b/handlers/pgsql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 6a5bbefec5c5ccdd090e639e49f458751efc8176..2b05339f9b0c0976e609933b36afeb3214b27cbe 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql.helper
+++ b/handlers/pgsql.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 HELPERS="$HELPERS pgsql:postgresql_database_backup"
 
diff --git a/handlers/rdiff b/handlers/rdiff
index 08e24eb2a192c7fdab4a685456adb04e65c088a8..209606d71de6f22d2445f746ad1e1344f6efe43e 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff
+++ b/handlers/rdiff
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 fa61e3f4ee1e3904a3c14f3af011e0cfe74af5cf..7058e6e4b76ca39f3ee24d4300eeb31d4e2b36e9 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff.helper
+++ b/handlers/rdiff.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 HELPERS="$HELPERS rdiff:incremental_remote_filesystem_backup"
 
diff --git a/handlers/sh b/handlers/sh
index a2b64b98449f48893829c63bdf224b283242ee36..f9f19260f95cff5fe776945e28215a47a9a52d7d 100644
--- a/handlers/sh
+++ b/handlers/sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 891b8e9574d207b8a539e8b6d6331cc570149987..26afafde504e4da30cf97b92d2a2c5cc7e405fcb 100644
--- a/handlers/svn
+++ b/handlers/svn
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 94f76cf369c9016c555c3c52544607dc4551dad5..dd49a3e308af2d834685d85d4e99d75f5177c7ba 100755
--- a/handlers/sys
+++ b/handlers/sys
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 21e53707e8452fc02445e92cbf19444b015f8efb..b6e3b8c745796492dc4eae4cd8b273a3ee3ecfdd 100644
--- a/handlers/sys.helper
+++ b/handlers/sys.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 HELPERS="$HELPERS sys:general_hardware_and_system_info"
 
diff --git a/handlers/trac b/handlers/trac
index fb5052c1392c97e45aecde0022afe80aba38a4b8..54279241dfa96697dcd365b42760e5d00ea9f62e 100644
--- a/handlers/trac
+++ b/handlers/trac
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- 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 5db2ff12ecf45cdb36a79ac60d62018011c8f5b8..9330902e0bfcd97721deb29011e8ffa73972315b 100755
--- a/src/backupninja.in
+++ b/src/backupninja.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!@BASH@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 #                          |\_
 # B A C K U P N I N J A   /()/
diff --git a/src/ninjahelper.in b/src/ninjahelper.in
index e191f60ce9528274ab4e84632519e68e7a3330f9..e029b3de6f2603f3b468aa072ea55649412df2de 100755
--- a/src/ninjahelper.in
+++ b/src/ninjahelper.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!@BASH@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 ####################################################
 ## Functions