diff --git a/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee b/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
index 6b8719add..a41bbd7f1 100644
--- a/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/editor-spec.coffee
@@ -1804,6 +1804,51 @@ describe "Editor", ->
           expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(1)').text()).toBe "that#{cr}#{eol}"
           expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:last').text()).toBe "#{eol}"
 
+    describe "when config.editor.showIndentGuide is set to true", ->
+      it "adds an indent-guide class to each leading whitespace span", ->
+        editor.attachToDom()
+
+        expect(config.get("editor.showIndentGuide")).toBeFalsy()
+        config.set("editor.showIndentGuide", true)
+        expect(editor.showIndentGuide).toBeTruthy()
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(0) .indent-guide').length).toBe 0
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(1) .indent-guide').length).toBe 1
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(1) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '  '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(2) .indent-guide').length).toBe 2
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(2) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '    '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(3) .indent-guide').length).toBe 2
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(3) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '    '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(4) .indent-guide').length).toBe 2
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(4) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '    '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(5) .indent-guide').length).toBe 3
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(5) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '      '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(6) .indent-guide').length).toBe 3
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(6) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '      '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(7) .indent-guide').length).toBe 2
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(7) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '    '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(8) .indent-guide').length).toBe 2
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(8) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '    '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(9) .indent-guide').length).toBe 1
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(9) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '  '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(10) .indent-guide').length).toBe 1
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(10) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '  '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(11) .indent-guide').length).toBe 1
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(11) .indent-guide').text()).toBe '  '
+
+        expect(editor.renderedLines.find('.line:eq(12) .indent-guide').length).toBe 0
+
   describe "gutter rendering", ->
     beforeEach ->
       editor.attachToDom(heightInLines: 5.5)
diff --git a/src/app/editor.coffee b/src/app/editor.coffee
index 842539291..47f676d89 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/editor.coffee
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ class Editor extends View
   @configDefaults:
     fontSize: 20
     showInvisibles: false
+    showIndentGuide: false
     autosave: false
     autoIndent: true
     autoIndentOnPaste: false
@@ -191,6 +192,7 @@ class Editor extends View
         'editor:move-line-down': @moveLineDown
         'editor:duplicate-line': @duplicateLine
         'editor:undo-close-session': @undoDestroySession
+        'editor:toggle-indent-guide': => config.set('editor.showIndentGuide', !config.get('editor.showIndentGuide'))
 
     documentation = {}
     for name, method of editorBindings
@@ -330,6 +332,11 @@ class Editor extends View
       cr: '\u00a4'
     @resetDisplay()
 
+  setShowIndentGuide: (showIndentGuide) ->
+    return if showIndentGuide == @showIndentGuide
+    @showIndentGuide = showIndentGuide
+    @resetDisplay()
+
   checkoutHead: -> @getBuffer().checkoutHead()
   setText: (text) -> @getBuffer().setText(text)
   getText: -> @getBuffer().getText()
@@ -346,6 +353,7 @@ class Editor extends View
 
   configure: ->
     @observeConfig 'editor.showInvisibles', (showInvisibles) => @setShowInvisibles(showInvisibles)
+    @observeConfig 'editor.showIndentGuide', (showIndentGuide) => @setShowIndentGuide(showIndentGuide)
     @observeConfig 'editor.invisibles', (invisibles) => @setInvisibles(invisibles)
     @observeConfig 'editor.fontSize', (fontSize) => @setFontSize(fontSize)
     @observeConfig 'editor.fontFamily', (fontFamily) => @setFontFamily(fontFamily)
@@ -1110,13 +1118,34 @@ class Editor extends View
 
   buildLineElementsForScreenRows: (startRow, endRow) ->
     div = document.createElement('div')
-    div.innerHTML = @buildLinesHtml(@activeEditSession.linesForScreenRows(startRow, endRow))
+    div.innerHTML = @buildLinesHtml(startRow, endRow)
     new Array(div.children...)
 
-  buildLinesHtml: (screenLines) ->
-    screenLines.map((line) => @buildLineHtml(line)).join('\n\n')
+  buildLinesHtml: (startRow, endRow) ->
+    lines = @activeEditSession.linesForScreenRows(startRow, endRow)
+    htmlLines = []
+    screenRow = startRow
+    for line in @activeEditSession.linesForScreenRows(startRow, endRow)
+      htmlLines.push(@buildLineHtml(line, screenRow++))
+    htmlLines.join('\n\n')
 
-  buildLineHtml: (screenLine) ->
+  buildEmptyLineHtml: (screenRow) ->
+    if not @mini and @showIndentGuide
+      indentation = 0
+      while --screenRow >= 0
+        bufferRow = @activeEditSession.bufferPositionForScreenPosition([screenRow]).row
+        bufferLine = @activeEditSession.lineForBufferRow(bufferRow)
+        unless bufferLine is ''
+          indentation = Math.ceil(@activeEditSession.indentLevelForLine(bufferLine))
+          break
+
+      if indentation > 0
+        indentationHtml = "<span class='indent-guide'>#{_.multiplyString(' ', @activeEditSession.getTabLength())}</span>"
+        return _.multiplyString(indentationHtml, indentation)
+
+    return '&nbsp;' unless @showInvisibles
+
+  buildLineHtml: (screenLine, screenRow) ->
     scopeStack = []
     line = []
 
@@ -1153,7 +1182,8 @@ class Editor extends View
     invisibles = @invisibles if @showInvisibles
 
     if screenLine.text == ''
-      line.push("&nbsp;") unless @showInvisibles
+      html = @buildEmptyLineHtml(screenRow)
+      line.push(html) if html
     else
       firstNonWhitespacePosition = screenLine.text.search(/\S/)
       firstTrailingWhitespacePosition = screenLine.text.search(/\s*$/)
@@ -1164,6 +1194,7 @@ class Editor extends View
           invisibles: invisibles
           hasLeadingWhitespace: position < firstNonWhitespacePosition
           hasTrailingWhitespace: position + token.value.length > firstTrailingWhitespacePosition
+          hasIndentGuide: @showIndentGuide
         ))
 
         position += token.value.length
diff --git a/src/app/token.coffee b/src/app/token.coffee
index 5a7c677ed..fa3f0dc6b 100644
--- a/src/app/token.coffee
+++ b/src/app/token.coffee
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ class Token
   isOnlyWhitespace: ->
     not /\S/.test(@value)
 
-  getValueAsHtml: ({invisibles, hasLeadingWhitespace, hasTrailingWhitespace})->
+  getValueAsHtml: ({invisibles, hasLeadingWhitespace, hasTrailingWhitespace, hasIndentGuide})->
+    invisibles ?= {}
     html = @value
       .replace(/&/g, '&amp;')
       .replace(/"/g, '&quot;')
@@ -70,26 +71,29 @@ class Token
       .replace(/</g, '&lt;')
       .replace(/>/g, '&gt;')
 
-    if invisibles
-      if @isHardTab and invisibles.tab
-        html = html.replace(/^./, "<span class='invisible hard-tab'>#{invisibles.tab}</span>")
-      else if invisibles.space
-        if hasLeadingWhitespace
-          html = html.replace /^[ ]+/, (match) ->
-            "<span class='invisible leading-whitespace'>#{match.replace(/./g, invisibles.space)}</span>"
-        if hasTrailingWhitespace
-          html = html.replace /[ ]+$/, (match) ->
-            "<span class='invisible trailing-whitespace'>#{match.replace(/./g, invisibles.space)}</span>"
+    if @isHardTab
+      html = html.replace /^./, (match) ->
+        classes = []
+        classes.push('invisible') if invisibles.tab
+        classes.push('indent-guide') if hasIndentGuide
+        classes.push('hard-tab')
+        match = invisibles.tab ? match
+        "<span class='#{classes.join(' ')}'>#{match}</span>"
     else
-      if @isHardTab
-        html = html.replace /^./, (match) ->
-          "<span class='hard-tab'>#{match}</span>"
-      else
-        if hasLeadingWhitespace
-          html = html.replace /^[ ]+/, (match) ->
-            "<span class='leading-whitespace'>#{match}</span>"
-        if hasTrailingWhitespace
-          html = html.replace /[ ]+$/, (match) ->
-            "<span class='trailing-whitespace'>#{match}</span>"
+      if hasLeadingWhitespace
+        html = html.replace /^[ ]+/, (match) ->
+          classes = []
+          classes.push('invisible') if invisibles.space
+          classes.push('indent-guide') if hasIndentGuide
+          classes.push('leading-whitespace')
+          match = match.replace(/./g, invisibles.space) if invisibles.space
+          "<span class='#{classes.join(' ')}'>#{match}</span>"
+      if hasTrailingWhitespace
+        html = html.replace /[ ]+$/, (match) ->
+          classes = []
+          classes.push('invisible') if invisibles.space
+          classes.push('trailing-whitespace')
+          match = match.replace(/./g, invisibles.space) if invisibles.space
+          "<span class='#{classes.join(' ')}'>#{match}</span>"
 
     html
diff --git a/static/editor.css b/static/editor.css
index 13ed33b71..b75743fb0 100644
--- a/static/editor.css
+++ b/static/editor.css
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@
   font-style: normal !important;
 }
 
+.editor .indent-guide {
+  opacity: 0.2;
+  display: inline-block;
+  box-shadow: inset 1px 0px;
+}
+
 .editor .vertical-scrollbar {
   position: absolute;
   right: 0;