diff --git a/src/buffer.cc b/src/buffer.cc
index 13aa5b00..060f55c4 100644
--- a/src/buffer.cc
+++ b/src/buffer.cc
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ Buffer::Buffer(const std::string& name, Type type,
                const String& initial_content)
     : m_name(name), m_type(type),
       m_history(1), m_history_cursor(m_history.begin()),
-      m_last_save_undo_index(0)
+      m_last_save_undo_index(0),
+      m_option_manager(GlobalOptionManager::instance())
 {
     BufferManager::instance().register_buffer(this);
     if (not initial_content.empty())
diff --git a/src/buffer.hh b/src/buffer.hh
index 83e5ffc7..fb142aec 100644
--- a/src/buffer.hh
+++ b/src/buffer.hh
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <memory>
 
 #include "line_and_column.hh"
+#include "option_manager.hh"
 
 namespace Kakoune
 {
@@ -173,6 +174,8 @@ public:
 
     const String& line_content(size_t l) const { return m_lines[l].content; }
 
+    OptionManager& option_manager() { return m_option_manager; }
+
 private:
     friend class BufferIterator;
 
@@ -210,6 +213,8 @@ private:
     size_t m_last_save_undo_index;
 
     std::vector<ModificationListener*> m_modification_listeners;
+
+    OptionManager m_option_manager;
 };
 
 inline Modification Modification::make_erase(BufferIterator begin,
diff --git a/src/filters.cc b/src/filters.cc
index 8290d6a7..9d1589f4 100644
--- a/src/filters.cc
+++ b/src/filters.cc
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ void cleanup_whitespaces(Buffer& buffer, Modification& modification)
 
 void expand_tabulations(Buffer& buffer, Modification& modification)
 {
-    const int tabstop = 8;
+    const int tabstop = buffer.option_manager()["tabstop"];
     if (modification.type == Modification::Insert and
         modification.content == "\t")
     {
diff --git a/src/highlighters.cc b/src/highlighters.cc
index eef24701..ed0fa63c 100644
--- a/src/highlighters.cc
+++ b/src/highlighters.cc
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 namespace Kakoune
 {
 
+using namespace std::placeholders;
+
 void colorize_regex_range(DisplayBuffer& display_buffer,
                           const BufferIterator& range_begin,
                           const BufferIterator& range_end,
@@ -97,13 +99,13 @@ HighlighterAndId colorize_regex_factory(Window& window,
 
     std::string id = "colre'" + params[0] + "'";
 
-    return HighlighterAndId(id, std::bind(colorize_regex, std::placeholders::_1,
+    return HighlighterAndId(id, std::bind(colorize_regex, _1,
                                           ex, fg_color, bg_color));
 }
 
-void expand_tabulations(DisplayBuffer& display_buffer)
+void expand_tabulations(Window& window, DisplayBuffer& display_buffer)
 {
-    const int tabstop = 8;
+    const int tabstop = window.option_manager()["tabstop"];
     for (auto atom_it = display_buffer.begin();
          atom_it != display_buffer.end(); ++atom_it)
     {
@@ -289,7 +291,6 @@ public:
     HighlighterAndId operator()(Window& window,
                                 const HighlighterParameters& params) const
     {
-        using namespace std::placeholders;
         return HighlighterAndId(m_id, std::bind(highlighter_func, std::ref(window), _1));
     }
 private:
@@ -310,7 +311,7 @@ void register_highlighters()
     HighlighterRegistry& registry = HighlighterRegistry::instance();
 
     registry.register_factory("highlight_selections", WindowHighlighterFactory<highlight_selections>("highlight_selections"));
-    registry.register_factory("expand_tabs", SimpleHighlighterFactory<expand_tabulations>("expand_tabs"));
+    registry.register_factory("expand_tabs", WindowHighlighterFactory<expand_tabulations>("expand_tabs"));
     registry.register_factory("number_lines", SimpleHighlighterFactory<show_line_numbers>("number_lines"));
     registry.register_factory("regex", colorize_regex_factory);
     registry.register_factory("group", highlighter_group_factory);
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 78e8ad32..488e4e33 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "filters.hh"
 #include "filter_registry.hh"
 #include "hook_manager.hh"
+#include "option_manager.hh"
 #include "context.hh"
 #include "ncurses.hh"
 
@@ -918,6 +919,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
     HighlighterRegistry highlighter_registry;
     FilterRegistry      filter_registry;
     GlobalHookManager   hook_manager;
+    GlobalOptionManager option_manager;
 
     run_unit_tests();
 
diff --git a/src/option_manager.cc b/src/option_manager.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e326fc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/option_manager.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#include "option_manager.hh"
+
+#include <sstream>
+
+namespace Kakoune
+{
+
+std::string int_to_str(int value)
+{
+    std::ostringstream oss;
+    oss << value;
+    return oss.str();
+}
+
+GlobalOptionManager::GlobalOptionManager()
+    : OptionManager()
+{
+    (*this)["tabstop"] = 8;
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/src/option_manager.hh b/src/option_manager.hh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b88ac73e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/option_manager.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+#ifndef option_manager_hh_INCLUDED
+#define option_manager_hh_INCLUDED
+
+#include "utils.hh"
+#include "exception.hh"
+
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+namespace Kakoune
+{
+
+struct option_not_found : public runtime_error
+{
+    option_not_found(const std::string& name)
+        : runtime_error("option not found: " + name) {}
+};
+
+std::string int_to_str(int value);
+
+class Option
+{
+public:
+    Option() {}
+    explicit Option(int value) : m_value(int_to_str(value)) {}
+    explicit Option(const std::string& value) : m_value(value) {}
+
+    Option& operator=(int value) { m_value = int_to_str(value); return *this; }
+    Option& operator=(const std::string& value) { m_value = value; return *this; }
+
+    operator int() const { return atoi(m_value.c_str()); }
+    operator std::string() const { return m_value; }
+private:
+    std::string m_value;
+};
+
+class OptionManager
+{
+public:
+    OptionManager(OptionManager& parent)
+        : m_parent(&parent) {}
+
+    Option& operator[] (const std::string& name)
+    {
+        auto it = m_options.find(name);
+        if (it != m_options.end())
+            return it->second;
+        else if (m_parent)
+            return (*m_parent)[name];
+        else
+            return m_options[name];
+    }
+
+    const Option& operator[] (const std::string& name) const
+    {
+        auto it = m_options.find(name);
+        if (it != m_options.end())
+            return it->second;
+        else if (m_parent)
+            return (*m_parent)[name];
+        else
+            throw option_not_found(name);
+    }
+
+private:
+    OptionManager()
+        : m_parent(nullptr) {}
+    // the only one allowed to construct a root option manager
+    friend class GlobalOptionManager;
+
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, Option> m_options;
+    OptionManager* m_parent;
+};
+
+class GlobalOptionManager : public OptionManager,
+                            public Singleton<GlobalOptionManager>
+{
+public:
+    GlobalOptionManager();
+};
+
+
+}
+
+#endif // option_manager_hh_INCLUDED
diff --git a/src/window.cc b/src/window.cc
index 2a0b2a86..84503ca4 100644
--- a/src/window.cc
+++ b/src/window.cc
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ namespace Kakoune
 Window::Window(Buffer& buffer)
     : Editor(buffer),
       m_position(0, 0),
-      m_dimensions(0, 0)
+      m_dimensions(0, 0),
+      m_option_manager(buffer.option_manager())
 {
     HighlighterRegistry& registry = HighlighterRegistry::instance();
 
diff --git a/src/window.hh b/src/window.hh
index 9105d04a..7e77c6ee 100644
--- a/src/window.hh
+++ b/src/window.hh
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "highlighter.hh"
 #include "highlighter_group.hh"
 #include "hook_manager.hh"
+#include "option_manager.hh"
 
 namespace Kakoune
 {
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ public:
 
     HighlighterGroup& highlighters() { return m_highlighters; }
 
-    HookManager& hook_manager() { return m_hook_manager; }
+    HookManager&   hook_manager()   { return m_hook_manager; }
+    OptionManager& option_manager() { return m_option_manager; }
 
 private:
     friend class Buffer;
@@ -57,6 +59,7 @@ private:
     HighlighterGroup m_highlighters;
 
     HookManager      m_hook_manager;
+    OptionManager    m_option_manager;
 };
 
 }