The following code is indented properly: top(x, { a: 1, b: 2 }) Removing the hash literal curly braces, however, breaks the indentation: top(1, a: 1, b: 2) Ideally the code would be indented like this for consistency's sake: top(1, a: 1, b: 2) I'm not sure, however, that we can do this for the Ruby 1.9 syntax, because a and b might very well be keyword args. On the other hand there's no ambiguity when using =>: top(1, :a => 1, :b => 2) top(1, :a => 1, :b => 2) In GNU Emacs 24.3.50.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin13.0.0, NS apple-appkit-1265.00) of 2014-03-04 on bozhidar-home.local Windowing system distributor `Apple', version 10.3.1265 Configured using: `configure --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/emacs/HEAD --without-dbus --enable-locallisppath=/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp --infodir=/usr/local/Cellar/emacs/HEAD/share/info/emacs --without-gnutls --with-ns --disable-ns-self-contained' Important settings: locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix Major mode: Ruby Minor modes in effect: subword-mode: t ruby-tools-mode: t inf-ruby-minor-mode: t diff-auto-refine-mode: t guru-mode: t erc-truncate-mode: t erc-spelling-mode: t erc-list-mode: t erc-menu-mode: t erc-autojoin-mode: t erc-ring-mode: t erc-networks-mode: t erc-pcomplete-mode: t erc-track-mode: t erc-match-mode: t erc-button-mode: t erc-fill-mode: t erc-stamp-mode: t erc-netsplit-mode: t erc-irccontrols-mode: t erc-noncommands-mode: t erc-move-to-prompt-mode: t erc-readonly-mode: t global-flycheck-mode: t flycheck-mode: t which-function-mode: t flx-ido-mode: t ido-ubiquitous-mode: t winner-mode: t global-undo-tree-mode: t undo-tree-mode: t whitespace-mode: t global-anzu-mode: t anzu-mode: t projectile-global-mode: t projectile-mode: t flyspell-mode: t shell-dirtrack-mode: t volatile-highlights-mode: t global-hl-line-mode: t recentf-mode: t savehist-mode: t show-smartparens-global-mode: t show-smartparens-mode: t smartparens-mode: t global-auto-revert-mode: t delete-selection-mode: t prelude-global-mode: t prelude-mode: t tooltip-mode: t electric-indent-mode: t mouse-wheel-mode: t menu-bar-mode: t file-name-shadow-mode: t global-font-lock-mode: t font-lock-mode: t auto-composition-mode: t auto-encryption-mode: t auto-compression-mode: t size-indication-mode: t column-number-mode: t line-number-mode: t transient-mark-mode: t Recent input: C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-k S t r i n g s-/ s-/ s-/ C s-/ t o s _ s SPC w i t h SPC a r g u m e n t s SPC s h o u l d SPC n o t SPC t r i g g e r SPC a n SPC o f e n f e n s e . SPC C-a C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-e C-c C-c P P l l q C-h C-a q s-r t e s t C-n C-n C-n C-n C-a C-k C-k C-k C-k C-k C-k C-k t o p ( , 1 , SPC 2 , SPC 3 , SPC : : a b : a : SPC 1 , C-j : b : SPC 2 C-e C-p C-p C-n C-e C-b C-b C-b C-b C-d SPC = > C-n C-b C-b C-b SPC = > C-a C-p C-p C-n C-n C-p C-p C-n C-e C-b C-b C-b C-b C-b C-b C-b C-b C-f { C-d C-SPC SPC SPC C-n C-b SPC } C-p C-p C-n C-a C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-f C-d C-d C-d C-d C-d C-d C-n C-y C-a C-SPC C-e M-w C-p C-p C-p C-b C-b C-b a a : N C-n C-f C-f C-f C-f b : SPC 2 C-e C-e M-x r e p o r t e m a c s Recent messages: Reverting buffer `cider/README.md'. [3 times] Saving file /Users/bozhidar/projects/test.rb... Wrote /Users/bozhidar/projects/test.rb Mark set Indenting region...done Mark activated Source files should end with a newline (\n). Auto-saving...done Saving file /Users/bozhidar/projects/test.rb... Wrote /Users/bozhidar/projects/test.rb Load-path shadows: /Users/bozhidar/.emacs.d/elpa/flycheck-20140107.305/.dir-locals hides /usr/local/Cellar/emacs/HEAD/share/emacs/24.3.50/lisp/gnus/.dir-locals /Users/bozhidar/.emacs.d/elpa/tabulated-list-20120406.2251/tabulated-list hides /usr/local/Cellar/emacs/HEAD/share/emacs/24.3.50/lisp/emacs-lisp/tabulated-list Features: (shadow sort mail-extr emacsbug sendmail hippie-exp superword subword ruby-tools inf-ruby ruby-mode-expansions smartparens-ruby ruby-mode smie jka-compr rst eieio-opt speedbar sb-image ezimage dframe yaml-mode ffap url-parse url-vars executable misearch multi-isearch mule-util magit-key-mode magit view epa derived epg epg-config diff-mode git-rebase-mode git-commit-mode server log-edit message rfc822 mml mml-sec mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 rfc2047 rfc2045 ietf-drums mailabbrev mail-utils gmm-utils mailheader pcvs-util add-log vc-git markdown-mode noutline outline rainbow-mode color rainbow-delimiters elisp-slime-nav guru-mode prelude-key-chord key-chord prelude-xml nxml-mode-expansions html-mode-expansions smartparens-html rng-nxml rng-valid rng-loc rng-uri rng-parse nxml-parse rng-match rng-dt rng-util rng-pttrn nxml-ns nxml-mode nxml-outln nxml-rap nxml-util nxml-glyph nxml-enc xmltok prelude-scheme prelude-ruby prelude-perl prelude-org prelude-js prelude-erc erc-truncate erc-autoaway erc-spelling erc-notify erc-log erc-list erc-menu erc-join erc-ring erc-networks erc-pcomplete erc-track erc-match erc-button erc-fill erc-stamp erc-netsplit erc-goodies erc erc-backend erc-compat prelude-emacs-lisp prelude-css prelude-common-lisp slime-autoloads prelude-clojure prelude-lisp prelude-c prelude-programming flycheck help-mode rx f which-func imenu prelude-ido smex flx-ido flx ido-ubiquitous warnings ido prelude-osx exec-path-from-shell prelude-global-keybindings prelude-editor winner undo-tree diff esh-var esh-io esh-cmd esh-opt esh-ext esh-proc esh-arg eldoc esh-groups eshell esh-module esh-mode esh-util re-builder whitespace browse-kill-ring midnight ediff-merg ediff-wind ediff-diff ediff-mult ediff-help ediff-init ediff-util ediff dired-x dired anzu projectile pkg-info find-func grep compile s bookmark pp expand-region text-mode-expansions er-basic-expansions expand-region-custom expand-region-core flyspell ispell tramp tramp-compat auth-source gnus-util mm-util mail-prsvr password-cache tramp-loaddefs trampver shell pcomplete comint ansi-color format-spec etags ring volatile-highlights hl-line windmove recentf tree-widget wid-edit savehist saveplace diminish smartparens-config smartparens autorevert filenotify delsel prelude-mode easy-mmode edmacro kmacro prelude-core epl advice help-fns dash thingatpt prelude-ui zenburn-theme prelude-packages finder-inf ace-jump-mode-autoloads ack-and-a-half-autoloads diminish-autoloads elisp-slime-nav-autoloads flx-autoloads eieio byte-opt bytecomp byte-compile cconv eieio-core grizzl-autoloads ido-ubiquitous-autoloads key-chord-autoloads logito-autoloads info easymenu move-text-autoloads rainbow-delimiters-autoloads rainbow-mode-autoloads request-autoloads cl-macs gv caml-autoloads volatile-highlights-autoloads yaml-mode-autoloads package cl cl-loaddefs cl-lib time-date tooltip electric uniquify ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel ns-win tool-bar dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list newcomment lisp-mode prog-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu font-core frame cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese hebrew greek romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer nadvice loaddefs button faces cus-face macroexp files text-properties overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote make-network-process cocoa ns multi-tty emacs)