diff --git a/required/tools/verbatim.dtx b/required/tools/verbatim.dtx
index aee1aa163..d099ee07f 100644
--- a/required/tools/verbatim.dtx
+++ b/required/tools/verbatim.dtx
@@ -545,17 +545,21 @@
 % \begin{macro}{\@vobeyspaces}
 % \changes{v1.5}{1993/10/11}{Changed definition to not use \cs{gdef}.}
 % \changes{v1.1a}{1989/10/16}{\cs{@vobeyspaces} added.}
-% \changes{v1.5v}{20230/10/06}{\cs{@vobeytabs} added when available (gh/1160)}
 %    The macro |\@vobeyspaces| causes spaces in the input
 %    to be printed as spaces in the output.
 %    \begin{macrocode}
 \begingroup
- \catcode`\ =\active%
-  \@ifl@t@r\fmtversion{2023-11-01}%
-     {\def\x{\def\@vobeyspaces{\catcode`\ \active\let \@xobeysp
-                               \@vobeytabs}}}%
-     {\def\x{\def\@vobeyspaces{\catcode`\ \active\let \@xobeysp}}}%
- \expandafter\endgroup\x
+\catcode`\ =\active%
+%    \end{macrocode}
+%    Because space is active we can't indent the following code
+%    nicely---we would then get the spaces at the beginning of the
+%    line as the third and fourth argument to \cs{@ifl@t@r}.
+% \changes{v1.5v}{20230/10/06}{\cs{@vobeytabs} added when available (gh/1160)}
+%    \begin{macrocode}
+\@ifl@t@r\fmtversion{2023-11-01}%
+{\def\x{\def\@vobeyspaces{\catcode`\ \active\let \@xobeysp\@vobeytabs}}}%
+{\def\x{\def\@vobeyspaces{\catcode`\ \active\let \@xobeysp}}}%
+\expandafter\endgroup\x
 %    \end{macrocode}
 % \end{macro}
 %