diff --git a/handlers/dup b/handlers/dup
index b6c2bfd2991f77b8ee39471981bbae176c695b42..1b899da1fe1dd0b676f1b3177218811b7db721b9 100644
--- a/handlers/dup
+++ b/handlers/dup
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # duplicity script for backupninja
 # requires duplicity
diff --git a/handlers/dup.helper b/handlers/dup.helper
index 1ae6581efe3e0ee700c9897a71d39241f3cfd998..7036dd87134aa6e30ee16391cceb5a14d4407da4 100644
--- a/handlers/dup.helper
+++ b/handlers/dup.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS dup:incremental_encrypted_remote_filesystem_backup"
 
 ### Functions
diff --git a/handlers/ldap b/handlers/ldap
index e6bdb22568881c1d3d388f992e4660147937daac..9ec48a729a96e99da832a1f5f601fc9ee4ba254b 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap
+++ b/handlers/ldap
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # openldap backup handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/ldap.helper b/handlers/ldap.helper
index bd77ca1f093edd44d27a68a015076182dc06321e..cfc99336493cae034caadeaac2be712833e956c5 100644
--- a/handlers/ldap.helper
+++ b/handlers/ldap.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 HELPERS="$HELPERS ldap:ldap_database_backup"
 
 ldap_create_file() {
diff --git a/handlers/maildir b/handlers/maildir
index a729a3aab17e06f6d561b801a51faa3f9f135156..b678b838797bb4655c613f58850a8e0d87f3f4ab 100644
--- a/handlers/maildir
+++ b/handlers/maildir
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 ###############################################################
 #
 #  This handler slowly creates a backup of each user's maildir
diff --git a/handlers/makecd b/handlers/makecd
index b176994e9f02531a4486c4a693ed3ac8ce4ba7f8..97951d2aae16456cc492d1d4772bd7aedc06c9a8 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd
+++ b/handlers/makecd
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # burncd handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/makecd.helper b/handlers/makecd.helper
index 89a4ed03f9132e123370b57a589cfea7ede3e9f5..3485f39799e46f71addb6693955d4ca53b852f88 100644
--- a/handlers/makecd.helper
+++ b/handlers/makecd.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 HELPERS="$HELPERS makecd:makecd_backup"
 wizardname="makecd action wizard"
 
diff --git a/handlers/mysql b/handlers/mysql
index 7ca9ab64ecbc2dc6a17839ecad79e5cfa21a5279..277a34553bbf24fb70d4dcfcfd4cf8db5bd918ef 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql
+++ b/handlers/mysql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # mysql handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/mysql.helper b/handlers/mysql.helper
index b24c931fdd7d8f1975b2cc0c39cd45ed844dcab4..46cb8bcf50b12f539b7c353e0ae18fefc7957538 100644
--- a/handlers/mysql.helper
+++ b/handlers/mysql.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 HELPERS="$HELPERS mysql:mysql_database_backup"
 
 do_mysql_vserver() {
diff --git a/handlers/pgsql b/handlers/pgsql
index ccfe7593bf367f59b7490d6bcbab2aa5c90906e6..778680930d0b792621e5fbeb87c0d9b3092f6f0f 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql
+++ b/handlers/pgsql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # PostgreSQL handler script for backupninja
 #
diff --git a/handlers/pgsql.helper b/handlers/pgsql.helper
index 599c232a966bf1e30de247563c3da6e00411a6f2..6a5bbefec5c5ccdd090e639e49f458751efc8176 100644
--- a/handlers/pgsql.helper
+++ b/handlers/pgsql.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 HELPERS="$HELPERS pgsql:postgresql_database_backup"
 
 do_pgsql_vserver() {
diff --git a/handlers/rdiff b/handlers/rdiff
index 209606d71de6f22d2445f746ad1e1344f6efe43e..08e24eb2a192c7fdab4a685456adb04e65c088a8 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff
+++ b/handlers/rdiff
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # rdiff-backup handler script for backupninja
 # requires rdiff-backup
diff --git a/handlers/rdiff.helper b/handlers/rdiff.helper
index 6df4fe2581cdb24d497c6d75e446f994c0fbab3c..fa61e3f4ee1e3904a3c14f3af011e0cfe74af5cf 100644
--- a/handlers/rdiff.helper
+++ b/handlers/rdiff.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 HELPERS="$HELPERS rdiff:incremental_remote_filesystem_backup"
 
 declare -a rdiff_includes
diff --git a/handlers/sh b/handlers/sh
index f9f19260f95cff5fe776945e28215a47a9a52d7d..a2b64b98449f48893829c63bdf224b283242ee36 100644
--- a/handlers/sh
+++ b/handlers/sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; 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 26afafde504e4da30cf97b92d2a2c5cc7e405fcb..891b8e9574d207b8a539e8b6d6331cc570149987 100644
--- a/handlers/svn
+++ b/handlers/svn
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 #
 # this handler will backup subversion repostitories.
 #
diff --git a/handlers/sys b/handlers/sys
index dd49a3e308af2d834685d85d4e99d75f5177c7ba..94f76cf369c9016c555c3c52544607dc4551dad5 100755
--- a/handlers/sys
+++ b/handlers/sys
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; 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 2d48ea5d94b04eb7c50e282c98512d379d080463..21e53707e8452fc02445e92cbf19444b015f8efb 100644
--- a/handlers/sys.helper
+++ b/handlers/sys.helper
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+
 HELPERS="$HELPERS sys:general_hardware_and_system_info"
 
 sys_wizard() {
diff --git a/handlers/trac b/handlers/trac
index 54279241dfa96697dcd365b42760e5d00ea9f62e..fb5052c1392c97e45aecde0022afe80aba38a4b8 100644
--- a/handlers/trac
+++ b/handlers/trac
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; 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 9330902e0bfcd97721deb29011e8ffa73972315b..5db2ff12ecf45cdb36a79ac60d62018011c8f5b8 100755
--- a/src/backupninja.in
+++ b/src/backupninja.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!@BASH@
-# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 3; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; 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 e39e79f13339c9d1c517966960470c718943f06f..e191f60ce9528274ab4e84632519e68e7a3330f9 100755
--- a/src/ninjahelper.in
+++ b/src/ninjahelper.in
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!@BASH@
+# -*- mode: sh; sh-basic-offset: 8; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*-
 
 ####################################################
 ## Functions