diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_dist_tabs.pl b/test_regress/t/t_dist_tabs.pl
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..142e5eb51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_dist_tabs.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+if (!$::Driver) { use FindBin; exec("$FindBin::Bin/bootstrap.pl", @ARGV, $0); die; }
+# DESCRIPTION: Verilator: Verilog Test driver/expect definition
+#
+# Copyright 2003 by Wilson Snyder. This program is free software; you can
+# redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU
+# Lesser General Public License Version 3 or the Perl Artistic License
+# Version 2.0.
+
+my $root = "..";
+
+if (!-r "$root/.git") {
+    $Self->skip("Not in a git repository");
+} else {
+    ### Must trim output before and after our file list
+    my %warns;
+    my $prefix;
+    my $summary;
+    {
+        my $diff = `cd $root && git diff HEAD`;
+        #print "DS $diff\n" if $Debug;
+        my $file;
+        my $atab;
+        my $btab;
+        foreach my $line ((split /\n/, $diff), "+++ b/_the_end") {
+            if ($line =~ m!^\+\+\+ b/(.*)!) {
+                if ($file && !$atab && $btab) {
+                    $summary = "File modifications adds new tabs (please untabify the patch):";
+                    $warns{$file} = "File modification adds new tabs (please untabify the patch): $file";
+                }
+                # Next
+                $file = $1;
+                $atab = 0;
+                $btab = 0;
+                print " File $file\n" if $Self->{verbose};
+            }
+            elsif ($line =~ m!^[- ].*\t!) {
+                print "  Had tabs\n" if $Self->{verbose} && !$atab;
+                $atab = 1;
+            }
+            elsif ($line =~ m!^\+.*\t!) {
+                print "  Inserts tabs\n" if $Self->{verbose} && !$btab;
+                $btab = 1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if (keys %warns) {
+        # First warning lists everything as that's shown in the driver summary
+        $Self->error($summary." ",join(' ',sort keys %warns));
+        foreach my $file (sort keys %warns) {
+            $Self->error($warns{$file});
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+sub _has_tabs {
+    my $filename = shift;
+    my $contents = file_contents($filename);
+    if ($filename =~ /\.out$/) {
+        # Ignore golden files
+    } elsif ($contents =~ /[\001\002\003\004\005\006]/) {
+        # Ignore binrary files
+    } elsif ($contents =~ /\t/) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+ok(1);
+1;
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_dist_untracked.pl b/test_regress/t/t_dist_untracked.pl
index 8744818bd..839454bbf 100755
--- a/test_regress/t/t_dist_untracked.pl
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_dist_untracked.pl
@@ -14,21 +14,44 @@ if (!-r "$root/.git") {
     $Self->skip("Not in a git repository");
 } else {
     ### Must trim output before and after our file list
-    my $status = `cd $root && git ls-files -o --exclude-standard`;
-    print "ST $status\n" if $Debug;
     my %warns;
-    foreach my $file (sort split /\n/, $status) {
-	next if $file =~ /nodist/;
-	$warns{$file} = "File not in git or .gitignore: $file";
+    my $prefix;
+    my $summary;
+    {
+        my $status = `cd $root && git ls-files -o --exclude-standard`;
+        print "ST $status\n" if $Debug;
+        foreach my $file (sort split /\n/, $status) {
+            next if $file =~ /nodist/;
+            if (_has_tabs("$root/$file")) {
+                $warns{$file} = "File not in git or .gitignore (with tabs): $file";
+                $summary = "Files untracked in git or .gitignore (with tabs):"
+            } else {
+                $warns{$file} = "File not in git or .gitignore: $file";
+                $summary ||= "Files untracked in git or .gitignore:"
+            }
+        }
     }
     if (keys %warns) {
-	# First warning lists everything as that's shown in the driver summary
-	$Self->error("Files untracked in git or .gitignore: ",join(' ',sort keys %warns));
-	foreach my $file (sort keys %warns) {
-	    $Self->error($warns{$file});
-	}
+        # First warning lists everything as that's shown in the driver summary
+        $Self->error($summary." ",join(' ',sort keys %warns));
+        foreach my $file (sort keys %warns) {
+            $Self->error($warns{$file});
+        }
     }
 }
 
+sub _has_tabs {
+    my $filename = shift;
+    my $contents = file_contents($filename);
+    if ($filename =~ /\.out$/) {
+        # Ignore golden files
+    } elsif ($contents =~ /[\001\002\003\004\005\006]/) {
+        # Ignore binrary files
+    } elsif ($contents =~ /\t/) {
+        return 1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
 ok(1);
 1;