diff --git a/lib/Tools/components b/lib/Tools/components
--- a/lib/Tools/components
+++ b/lib/Tools/components
@@ -1,146 +1,150 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
 # Author: Makarius
 #
 # DESCRIPTION: resolve Isabelle components
 
 
 ## diagnostics
 
 PRG="$(basename "$0")"
 
 function usage()
 {
   echo
   echo "Usage: isabelle $PRG [OPTIONS] [COMPONENTS ...]"
   echo
   echo "  Options are:"
   echo "    -I           init user settings"
   echo "    -R URL       component repository (default \$ISABELLE_COMPONENT_REPOSITORY)"
   echo "    -a           resolve all missing components"
   echo "    -l           list status"
   echo
   echo "  Resolve Isabelle components via download and installation."
   echo "  COMPONENTS are identified via base name."
   echo
   echo "  ISABELLE_COMPONENT_REPOSITORY=\"$ISABELLE_COMPONENT_REPOSITORY\""
   echo
   exit 1
 }
 
 function fail()
 {
   echo "$1" >&2
   exit 2
 }
 
 
 ## process command line
 
 #options
 
 INIT_SETTINGS=""
 COMPONENT_REPOSITORY="$ISABELLE_COMPONENT_REPOSITORY"
 ALL_MISSING=""
 LIST_ONLY=""
 
 while getopts "IR:al" OPT
 do
   case "$OPT" in
     I)
       INIT_SETTINGS="true"
       ;;
     R)
       COMPONENT_REPOSITORY="$OPTARG"
       ;;
     a)
       ALL_MISSING="true"
       ;;
     l)
       LIST_ONLY="true"
       ;;
     \?)
       usage
       ;;
   esac
 done
 
 shift $(($OPTIND - 1))
 
 
 # args
 
 [ "$#" -eq 0 -a -z "$INIT_SETTINGS" -a -z "$ALL_MISSING" -a -z "$LIST_ONLY" ] && usage
 
 if [ -z "$ALL_MISSING" ]; then
   splitarray ":" "$@"
 else
   splitarray ":" "$ISABELLE_COMPONENTS_MISSING" "$@"
 fi
 declare -a SELECTED_COMPONENTS=("${SPLITARRAY[@]}")
 
 
 ## main
 
 splitarray ":" "$ISABELLE_COMPONENTS"; declare -a AVAILABLE_COMPONENTS=("${SPLITARRAY[@]}")
 splitarray ":" "$ISABELLE_COMPONENTS_MISSING"; declare -a MISSING_COMPONENTS=("${SPLITARRAY[@]}")
 
 if [ -n "$INIT_SETTINGS" ]; then
   SETTINGS="$ISABELLE_HOME_USER/etc/settings"
   SETTINGS_CONTENT='init_components "$ISABELLE_COMPONENTS_BASE" "$ISABELLE_HOME/Admin/components/main"'
   if [ -e "$SETTINGS" ]; then
     echo "User settings file already exists!"
     echo
     echo "Edit \"$SETTINGS\" manually"
     echo "and add the following line near its start:"
     echo
     echo "  $SETTINGS_CONTENT"
     echo
   else
     echo "Initializing \"$SETTINGS\""
     mkdir -p "$(dirname "$SETTINGS")"
-    echo "$SETTINGS_CONTENT" > "$SETTINGS"
+    {
+      echo "#-*- shell-script -*- :mode=shellscript:"
+      echo
+      echo "$SETTINGS_CONTENT"
+    } > "$SETTINGS"
   fi
 elif [ -n "$LIST_ONLY" ]; then
   echo
   echo "Available components:"
   for NAME in "${AVAILABLE_COMPONENTS[@]}"; do echo "  $NAME"; done
   echo
   echo "Missing components:"
   for NAME in "${MISSING_COMPONENTS[@]}"; do echo "  $NAME"; done
 else
   for NAME in "${SELECTED_COMPONENTS[@]}"
   do
     BASE_NAME="$(basename "$NAME")"
     FULL_NAME=""
     for X in "${AVAILABLE_COMPONENTS[@]}" "${MISSING_COMPONENTS[@]}"
     do
       [ -z "$FULL_NAME" -a "$BASE_NAME" = "$(basename "$X")" ] && FULL_NAME="$X"
     done
     if [ -z "$FULL_NAME" ]; then
       echo "Ignoring irrelevant component \"$NAME\""
     elif [ -d "$FULL_NAME" ]; then
       echo "Skipping existing component \"$FULL_NAME\""
     else
       if [ ! -e "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz" ]; then
         REMOTE="$COMPONENT_REPOSITORY/${BASE_NAME}.tar.gz"
         type -p curl > /dev/null || fail "Cannot download files: missing curl"
         echo "Getting \"$REMOTE\""
         mkdir -p "$(dirname "$FULL_NAME")"
         curl --fail --silent --location "$REMOTE" > "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz.part" || \
           fail "Failed to download \"$REMOTE\""
         if perl -e "exit((stat('${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz.part'))[7] == 0 ? 0 : 1);"
         then
           rm -f "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz.part"
         else
           mv "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz.part" "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz"
         fi
       fi
       if [ -e "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz" ]; then
         echo "Unpacking \"${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz\""
         tar -C "$(dirname "$FULL_NAME")" -x -f "${FULL_NAME}.tar.gz" || exit 2
       fi
     fi
   done
 fi