diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 36abf16747..2cbf05d384 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 Thu Apr 10 18:54:03 CEST 2008 Jim Meyering <meyering@redhat.com>
 
+	ensure that no C source file uses TABs for indentation
+	* Makefile.maint (sc_TAB_in_indentation): New rule.
+
 	Convert TAB-based indentation in C sources to use only spaces.
 	Done using this command (also includes .c.in and .h.in files):
 	for i in $(g ls-files|grep -E '\.[ch](\.in)?$'|grep -v gnulib); do
diff --git a/Makefile.maint b/Makefile.maint
index a357d7470e..4e41134575 100644
--- a/Makefile.maint
+++ b/Makefile.maint
@@ -287,6 +287,17 @@ sc_trailing_blank:
 	  { echo '$(ME): found trailing blank(s)'			\
 		1>&2; exit 1; } || :
 
+# Ensure that no C source file uses TABs for indentation.
+# Also match *.h.in files, to get libvirt.h.in.
+# Exclude files in gnulib, since they're imported.
+sc_TAB_in_indentation:
+	@grep -lE '^ *	' /dev/null					\
+	     $$($(VC_LIST_EXCEPT)					\
+	        | grep -E '\.[ch](\.in)?$$'				\
+	        | grep -v '^gnulib/') &&				\
+	  { echo '$(ME): found TAB(s) use for indentation; use spaces'	\
+		1>&2; exit 1; } || :
+
 # Match lines like the following, but where there is only one space
 # between the options and the description:
 #   -D, --all-repeated[=delimit-method]  print all duplicate lines\n