diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/editorconfig-c.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/editorconfig-c.el
index d7f1635..1046f65 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/editorconfig-c.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/editorconfig-c.el
@@ -27,4 +27,28 @@ Debug warning is suppressed if SUPPRESS is non-nil."
 
 (kotct/editorconfig-check-for-core kotct/editorconfig-suppress-core-not-found-warning)
 
+(defvar kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props
+  t
+  "If not false-y, warn when editing a file with no editorconfig properties
+applying, indicating that the user is stuck with Emacs' default style for the
+active buffer.")
+
+(defun kotct/check-editorconfig-props (props)
+  "Warn the user if a file is being edited with EditorConfig active but no
+properties were applied.
+
+The argument PROPS is a property hash table provided by the EditorConfig
+package, and contains key-value pairs corresponding to the user's configured
+style for the current buffer.  If this hash table is empty, no properties were
+applied to the buffer, so the user is at the whims of Emacs' default style for
+the active mode, which may not be desirable."
+
+  (if kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props
+      (let ((fn (buffer-file-name))
+            (bn (buffer-name)))
+        (if (and fn (= 0 (hash-table-count props)))
+            (message (format "EditorConfig mode is active for buffer %s, but no properties were applied." bn))))))
+
+(add-hook #'editorconfig-after-apply-functions #'kotct/check-editorconfig-props)
+
 (provide 'editorconfig-c)
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/indentation.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/indentation.el
index d4defdb..a58eaeb 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/indentation.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/indentation.el
@@ -1,44 +1,3 @@
-;; set the default tab width to 4 chars
-;; this is the reference variable for the tab width
-(setf global-tab-width 4)
-
-;; define automated tab-setting system
-(defvar kotct/tab-variable-setters
-  '((global-tab-width . setf))
-  "An alist of symbols representing variables and the method
-used to set them to the tab width 
-(almost always either setf or setq-default).")
-
-(defmacro kotct/setf-tab (var)
-  "Set the variable VAR to the tab width and keep it updated
-if the tab width changes."
-  `(progn
-     (setf ,var global-tab-width)
-     (setf kotct/tab-variable-setters (cons  '(,var . setf) kotct/tab-variable-setters))))
-
-(defmacro kotct/setq-default-tab (var)
-  "Set default value of the variable VAR to the tab width 
-and keep it updated if the tab width changes."
-  `(progn
-     (setq-default ,var global-tab-width)
-     (setf kotct/tab-variable-setters (cons '(,var . setq-default) kotct/tab-variable-setters))))
-
-(defmacro kotct/set-tab-width (width)
-  "Set `global-tab-width' and all other associated tab width
-variables in `kotct/tab-variable-setters' to WIDTH."
-  (cons 'progn
-        (mapcar (lambda (pair) (list (cdr pair) (car pair) width))
-                kotct/tab-variable-setters)))
-
-(kotct/setq-default-tab tab-width)
-(kotct/setf-tab smie-indent-basic)
-
-;; Set the base indent variable.
-(kotct/setf-tab standard-indent)
-
-;; by default, don't use tabs
-(setq-default indent-tabs-mode nil)
-
 ;; when you hit DEL on a tab, delete the whole tab, don't convert to spaces
 (setf backward-delete-char-untabify-method nil)
 
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/c.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/c.el
index 9ca9bd7..4737c8b 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/c.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/c.el
@@ -3,10 +3,4 @@
 ;; set style to linux
 (setf c-default-style "linux")
 
-;; use tab-width for indentation
-(kotct/setf-tab c-basic-offset)
-
-;; use smart tabs
-(smart-tabs-insinuate 'c)
-
 (provide 'c)
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/fish.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/fish.el
index 5c6c742..bd8187f 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/fish.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/fish.el
@@ -1,11 +1,3 @@
 (require 'fish-mode)
 
-(smart-tabs-add-language-support fish fish-mode-hook
-  ((fish-indent-line . standard-indent)
-   (fish-indent-region . standard-indent)))
-
-(smart-tabs-insinuate 'fish)
-
-(add-hook 'fish-mode-hook (lambda () (setf indent-tabs-mode t)))
-
 (provide 'fish)
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/java.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/java.el
index d4d330e..edf8446 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/java.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/java.el
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
 ;; TODO: implement IDE-like java editing
 
-(smart-tabs-insinuate 'java)
-
 (provide 'java)
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/ruby.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/ruby.el
index 760be20..e0eff61 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/ruby.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/ruby.el
@@ -1,20 +1,5 @@
 (require 'indentation)
 
-;; Set ruby-indent-level to global-tab-width
-(kotct/setq-default-tab ruby-indent-level)
-
-;; Add Smart Tabs language support for Ruby using the
-;; `smart-tabs-add-language-support' macro.
-(smart-tabs-add-language-support ruby ruby-mode-hook
-  ((ruby-indent-line . ruby-indent-level)
-   (ruby-indent-level . ruby-indent-level)))
-
-;; Apply Ruby language support to Smart Tabs.
-(smart-tabs-insinuate 'ruby)
-
-;; Use tabs mode in Ruby by default.
-(setf ruby-indent-tabs-mode t)
-
 ;; Don't use SMIE because SMIE sucks.
 (setf ruby-use-smie nil)
 
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/rust.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/rust.el
index d2df13b..0c6d820 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/rust.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/rust.el
@@ -1,18 +1,5 @@
 (require 'indentation)
 
-;; Set `rust-indent-offset' to the `global-tab-width' value.
-(kotct/setq-default-tab rust-indent-offset)
-
-;; Add language support for Rust.
-(smart-tabs-add-language-support rust rust-mode-hook
-  ((rust-mode-indent-line . rust-indent-offset)))
-
-;; Use `indent-tabs-mode' in `rust-mode'
-(add-hook 'rust-mode-hook (lambda () (setf indent-tabs-mode t)))
-
-;; Turn on Rust support in Smart Tabs.
-(smart-tabs-insinuate 'rust)
-
 ;; Don't indent `where' clauses in Rust.
 (setf rust-indent-where-clause nil)
 
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/sh.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/sh.el
index 250e03d..b48eae3 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/sh.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/sh.el
@@ -1,12 +1,5 @@
 (require 'indentation)
 
-;; Synchronize `sh-basic-offset' and `sh-indentation' to the global tab size
-(kotct/setf-tab sh-basic-offset)
-(kotct/setf-tab sh-indentation)
-
-;; Always use indent-tabs-mode in sh-mode
-(add-hook 'sh-mode-hook (lambda () (setf indent-tabs-mode t)))
-
 ;; Indent case labels at the same level as the case statement
 (setf sh-indent-for-case-label 0)
 
diff --git a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/web-c.el b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/web-c.el
index c9ff96a..9d8960f 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/web-c.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/lisp/code/languages/web-c.el
@@ -19,6 +19,4 @@
 (setf web-mode-enable-control-block-indentation nil)
 (setf web-mode-script-padding 0)
 
-(add-hook 'web-mode-hook (lambda () (setf indent-tabs-mode t)))
-
 (provide 'web-c)
diff --git a/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/editorconfig-c-test.el b/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/editorconfig-c-test.el
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..537d697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/editorconfig-c-test.el
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+(kotct/load-corresponding)
+
+(describe "kotct/check-editorconfig-props"
+  (before-each
+    (spy-on #'message))
+  (describe "on a file with no corresponding editorconfig props"
+    (describe "when kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props is truthy"
+      (it "prints a warning"
+        (let* ((kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props t)
+                (temp-file-name (make-temp-file "tests"))
+                (temp-file-buffer (create-file-buffer temp-file-name)))
+          (progn
+            (with-current-buffer temp-file-buffer
+              (setf buffer-read-only t)
+              (set-visited-file-name temp-file-name)
+              (expect (buffer-file-name) :to-equal temp-file-name)
+              (expect #'message :to-have-been-called)
+              (expect #'message :to-have-been-called-with
+                (format "EditorConfig mode is active for buffer %s, but no properties were applied." (buffer-name))))))))
+
+    (describe "when kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props is not truthy"
+      (it "doesn't print a warning"
+        (let* ((kotct/warn-on-editorconfig-with-no-props nil)
+                (temp-file-name (make-temp-file "tests"))
+                (temp-file-buffer (create-file-buffer temp-file-name)))
+          (progn
+            (with-current-buffer temp-file-buffer
+              (setf buffer-read-only t)
+              (set-visited-file-name temp-file-name)
+              (expect (buffer-file-name) :to-equal temp-file-name)
+              (expect #'message :not :to-have-been-called))))))))
diff --git a/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/languages/sh-test.el b/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/languages/sh-test.el
index 5f1e489..fde3ed7 100644
--- a/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/languages/sh-test.el
+++ b/.emacs.d/test/lisp/code/languages/sh-test.el
@@ -3,10 +3,6 @@
 (kotct/load-corresponding)
 
 (describe "sh config"
-  (it "adds a tab variable setter for `sh-basic-offset'"
-    (expect (assoc 'sh-basic-offset kotct/tab-variable-setters) :to-be-truthy))
-  (it "adds a tab variable setter for `sh-indentation'"
-    (expect (assoc 'sh-indentation kotct/tab-variable-setters) :to-be-truthy))
   (it "sets the indentation for case labels to 0"
     (expect sh-indent-for-case-label :to-be 0))
   (it "sets the indentation for case alts to be one level"