diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.html b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.html
index 18c06025f8..40a90b760f 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.html
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.html
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ limitations under the License.
           _builder: Object,
           _groups: Array,
           _layers: Array,
+          _showTabs: Boolean,
         },
 
         get diffElement() {
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@ limitations under the License.
           this._layers = [
             this.$.syntaxLayer,
             this._createIntralineLayer(),
+            this._createTabIndicatorLayer(),
             this.$.rangeLayer,
           ];
 
@@ -102,6 +104,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 
         render: function(comments, prefs) {
           this.$.syntaxLayer.enabled = prefs.syntax_highlighting;
+          this._showTabs = !!prefs.show_tabs;
 
           // Stop the processor (if it's running).
           this.$.processor.cancel();
@@ -330,6 +333,31 @@ limitations under the License.
           };
         },
 
+        _createTabIndicatorLayer: function() {
+          var show = (function() { return this._showTabs; }).bind(this);
+          return {
+            addListener: function() {},
+            annotate: function(el, line) {
+              // If visible tabs are disabled, do nothing.
+              if (!show()) { return; }
+
+              // Find and annotate the locations of tabs.
+              var split = line.text.split('\t');
+              if (!split) { return; }
+              for (var i = 0, pos = 0; i < split.length - 1; i++) {
+                // Skip forward by the length of the content
+                pos += split[i].length;
+
+                GrAnnotation.annotateElement(el, pos, 1,
+                    'style-scope gr-diff tab-indicator');
+
+                // Skip forward by one tab character.
+                pos++;
+              }
+            },
+          };
+        },
+
         /**
          * In pages with large diffs, creating the first comment thread can be
          * slow because nested Polymer elements (particularly
diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.js b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.js
index 2090e98e1a..670885a21f 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.js
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder.js
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@
     for (var i = 0; i < split.length - 1; i++) {
       offset += split[i].length;
       width = tabSize - (offset % tabSize);
-      result += split[i] + this._getTabWrapper(width, this._prefs.show_tabs);
+      result += split[i] + this._getTabWrapper(width);
       offset += width;
     }
     if (split.length) {
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@
     return result;
   };
 
-  GrDiffBuilder.prototype._getTabWrapper = function(tabSize, showTabs) {
+  GrDiffBuilder.prototype._getTabWrapper = function(tabSize) {
     // Force this to be a number to prevent arbitrary injection.
     tabSize = +tabSize;
     if (isNaN(tabSize)) {
@@ -511,9 +511,6 @@
     }
 
     var str = '<span class="style-scope gr-diff tab ';
-    if (showTabs) {
-      str += 'withIndicator';
-    }
     str += '" style="';
     // TODO(andybons): CSS tab-size is not supported in IE.
     str += 'tab-size:' + tabSize + ';';
diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder_test.html b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder_test.html
index 187a5cd5da..af44629698 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder_test.html
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff-builder/gr-diff-builder_test.html
@@ -414,6 +414,117 @@ limitations under the License.
       });
     });
 
+    suite('tab indicators', function() {
+      var sandbox;
+      var element;
+      var layer;
+
+      setup(function() {
+        sandbox = sinon.sandbox.create();
+        element = fixture('basic');
+        element._showTabs = true;
+        layer = element._createTabIndicatorLayer();
+      });
+
+      teardown(function() {
+        sandbox.restore();
+      });
+
+      test('does nothing with empty line', function() {
+        var line = {text: ''};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.isFalse(annotateElementStub.called);
+      });
+
+      test('does nothing with no tabs', function() {
+        var str = 'lorem ipsum no tabs';
+        var line = {text: str};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.textContent = str;
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.isFalse(annotateElementStub.called);
+      });
+
+      test('annotates tab at beginning', function() {
+        var str = '\tlorem upsum';
+        var line = {text: str};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.textContent = str;
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.equal(annotateElementStub.callCount, 1);
+        var args = annotateElementStub.getCalls()[0].args;
+        assert.equal(args[0], el);
+        assert.equal(args[1], 0, 'offset of tab indicator');
+        assert.equal(args[2], 1, 'length of tab indicator');
+        assert.include(args[3], 'tab-indicator');
+      });
+
+      test('does not annotate when disabled', function() {
+        element._showTabs = false;
+
+        var str = '\tlorem upsum';
+        var line = {text: str};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.textContent = str;
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.isFalse(annotateElementStub.called);
+      });
+
+      test('annotates multiple in beginning', function() {
+        var str = '\t\tlorem upsum';
+        var line = {text: str};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.textContent = str;
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.equal(annotateElementStub.callCount, 2);
+
+        var args = annotateElementStub.getCalls()[0].args;
+        assert.equal(args[0], el);
+        assert.equal(args[1], 0, 'offset of tab indicator');
+        assert.equal(args[2], 1, 'length of tab indicator');
+        assert.include(args[3], 'tab-indicator');
+
+        args = annotateElementStub.getCalls()[1].args;
+        assert.equal(args[0], el);
+        assert.equal(args[1], 1, 'offset of tab indicator');
+        assert.equal(args[2], 1, 'length of tab indicator');
+        assert.include(args[3], 'tab-indicator');
+      });
+
+      test('annotates intermediate tabs', function() {
+        var str = 'lorem\tupsum';
+        var line = {text: str};
+        var el = document.createElement('div');
+        el.textContent = str;
+        var annotateElementStub = sandbox.stub(GrAnnotation, 'annotateElement');
+
+        layer.annotate(el, line);
+
+        assert.equal(annotateElementStub.callCount, 1);
+        var args = annotateElementStub.getCalls()[0].args;
+        assert.equal(args[0], el);
+        assert.equal(args[1], 5, 'offset of tab indicator');
+        assert.equal(args[2], 1, 'length of tab indicator');
+        assert.include(args[3], 'tab-indicator');
+      });
+    });
+
     suite('rendering', function() {
       var content;
       var outputEl;
diff --git a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff/gr-diff.html b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff/gr-diff.html
index 46612a0e74..2431fb00c0 100644
--- a/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff/gr-diff.html
+++ b/polygerrit-ui/app/elements/diff/gr-diff/gr-diff.html
@@ -152,11 +152,11 @@ limitations under the License.
       }
       .tab {
         display: inline-block;
-        position: relative;
       }
-      .tab.withIndicator {
-        color: #D68E47;
-        text-decoration: line-through;
+      .tab-indicator:before {
+        color: #C62828;
+        /* >> character */
+        content: '\00BB';
       }
     </style>
     <style include="gr-theme-default"></style>