diff --git a/cmd/utils.go b/cmd/utils.go
index 769e421b..cc8c7e7e 100644
--- a/cmd/utils.go
+++ b/cmd/utils.go
@@ -183,6 +183,8 @@ func configureEncoder() (yqlib.Encoder, error) {
 }
 
 func createEncoder(format *yqlib.PrinterOutputFormat) (yqlib.Encoder, error) {
+	yqlib.ConfiguredXMLPreferences.Indent = indent
+
 	switch format {
 	case yqlib.JSONOutputFormat:
 		return yqlib.NewJSONEncoder(indent, colorsEnabled, unwrapScalar), nil
@@ -195,7 +197,7 @@ func createEncoder(format *yqlib.PrinterOutputFormat) (yqlib.Encoder, error) {
 	case yqlib.YamlOutputFormat:
 		return yqlib.NewYamlEncoder(indent, colorsEnabled, yqlib.ConfiguredYamlPreferences), nil
 	case yqlib.XMLOutputFormat:
-		return yqlib.NewXMLEncoder(indent, yqlib.ConfiguredXMLPreferences), nil
+		return yqlib.NewXMLEncoder(yqlib.ConfiguredXMLPreferences), nil
 	case yqlib.TomlOutputFormat:
 		return yqlib.NewTomlEncoder(), nil
 	case yqlib.ShellVariablesOutputFormat:
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_xml.go b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_xml.go
index 8212c58e..d33e2acc 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_xml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_xml.go
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ type xmlEncoder struct {
 	leadingContent string
 }
 
-func NewXMLEncoder(indent int, prefs XmlPreferences) Encoder {
+func NewXMLEncoder(prefs XmlPreferences) Encoder {
 	var indentString = ""
 
-	for index := 0; index < indent; index++ {
+	for index := 0; index < prefs.Indent; index++ {
 		indentString = indentString + " "
 	}
 	return &xmlEncoder{indentString, nil, prefs, ""}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operator_encoder_decoder.go b/pkg/yqlib/operator_encoder_decoder.go
index 68202c54..6a372c66 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operator_encoder_decoder.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operator_encoder_decoder.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func configureEncoder(format *PrinterOutputFormat, indent int) Encoder {
+
 	switch format {
 	case JSONOutputFormat:
 		return NewJSONEncoder(indent, false, false)
@@ -22,7 +23,9 @@ func configureEncoder(format *PrinterOutputFormat, indent int) Encoder {
 	case YamlOutputFormat:
 		return NewYamlEncoder(indent, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences)
 	case XMLOutputFormat:
-		return NewXMLEncoder(indent, ConfiguredXMLPreferences)
+		var xmlPrefs = ConfiguredXMLPreferences.Copy()
+		xmlPrefs.Indent = indent
+		return NewXMLEncoder(xmlPrefs)
 	case Base64OutputFormat:
 		return NewBase64Encoder()
 	case UriOutputFormat:
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
index 24e07532..7fa4182e 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/operators_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ type expressionScenario struct {
 }
 
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
-	logging.SetLevel(logging.DEBUG, "")
+	logging.SetLevel(logging.ERROR, "")
 	Now = func() time.Time {
 		return time.Date(2021, time.May, 19, 1, 2, 3, 4, time.UTC)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/xml.go b/pkg/yqlib/xml.go
index 09bb872c..28769689 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/xml.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/xml.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package yqlib
 
 type XmlPreferences struct {
+	Indent          int
 	AttributePrefix string
 	ContentName     string
 	StrictMode      bool
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ type XmlPreferences struct {
 
 func NewDefaultXmlPreferences() XmlPreferences {
 	return XmlPreferences{
+		Indent:          2,
 		AttributePrefix: "+@",
 		ContentName:     "+content",
 		StrictMode:      false,
@@ -26,4 +28,19 @@ func NewDefaultXmlPreferences() XmlPreferences {
 	}
 }
 
+func (p *XmlPreferences) Copy() XmlPreferences {
+	return XmlPreferences{
+		Indent:          p.Indent,
+		AttributePrefix: p.AttributePrefix,
+		ContentName:     p.ContentName,
+		StrictMode:      p.StrictMode,
+		KeepNamespace:   p.KeepNamespace,
+		UseRawToken:     p.UseRawToken,
+		ProcInstPrefix:  p.ProcInstPrefix,
+		DirectiveName:   p.DirectiveName,
+		SkipProcInst:    p.SkipProcInst,
+		SkipDirectives:  p.SkipDirectives,
+	}
+}
+
 var ConfiguredXMLPreferences = NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go b/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
index c3eca8d1..40e8e384 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/xml_test.go
@@ -619,9 +619,9 @@ func testXMLScenario(t *testing.T, s formatScenario) {
 	case "", "decode":
 		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences), NewYamlEncoder(4, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences)), s.description)
 	case "encode":
-		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, ConfiguredXMLPreferences)), s.description)
+		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences)), s.description)
 	case "roundtrip":
-		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, ConfiguredXMLPreferences)), s.description)
+		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences)), s.description)
 	case "decode-keep-ns":
 		prefs := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 		prefs.KeepNamespace = true
@@ -637,7 +637,7 @@ func testXMLScenario(t *testing.T, s formatScenario) {
 	case "roundtrip-skip-directives":
 		prefs := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 		prefs.SkipDirectives = true
-		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefs)), s.description)
+		test.AssertResultWithContext(t, s.expected, mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(prefs)), s.description)
 	case "decode-error":
 		result, err := processFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(NewDefaultXmlPreferences()), NewYamlEncoder(2, false, ConfiguredYamlPreferences))
 		if err == nil {
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ func testXMLScenario(t *testing.T, s formatScenario) {
 			test.AssertResultComplexWithContext(t, s.expectedError, err.Error(), s.description)
 		}
 	case "encode-error":
-		result, err := processFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, NewDefaultXmlPreferences()))
+		result, err := processFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(NewDefaultXmlPreferences()))
 		if err == nil {
 			t.Errorf("Expected error '%v' but it worked: %v", s.expectedError, result)
 		} else {
@@ -721,12 +721,12 @@ func documentXMLDecodeKeepNsScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
 	writeOrPanic(w, "will output\n")
 	prefs := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 	prefs.KeepNamespace = false
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefs))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(prefs))))
 
 	prefsWithout := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 	prefs.KeepNamespace = true
 	writeOrPanic(w, "instead of\n")
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefsWithout), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefsWithout))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefsWithout), NewXMLEncoder(prefsWithout))))
 }
 
 func documentXMLDecodeKeepNsRawTokenScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
@@ -747,13 +747,13 @@ func documentXMLDecodeKeepNsRawTokenScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario)
 	prefs := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 	prefs.UseRawToken = false
 
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefs))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(prefs))))
 
 	prefsWithout := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 	prefsWithout.UseRawToken = true
 
 	writeOrPanic(w, "instead of\n")
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefsWithout), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefsWithout))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefsWithout), NewXMLEncoder(prefsWithout))))
 }
 
 func documentXMLEncodeScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
@@ -771,7 +771,7 @@ func documentXMLEncodeScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
 	writeOrPanic(w, "```bash\nyq -o=xml sample.yml\n```\n")
 	writeOrPanic(w, "will output\n")
 
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, ConfiguredXMLPreferences))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewYamlDecoder(ConfiguredYamlPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences))))
 }
 
 func documentXMLRoundTripScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ func documentXMLRoundTripScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
 	writeOrPanic(w, "```bash\nyq '.' sample.xml\n```\n")
 	writeOrPanic(w, "will output\n")
 
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(2, ConfiguredXMLPreferences))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences), NewXMLEncoder(ConfiguredXMLPreferences))))
 }
 
 func documentXMLSkipDirectivesScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
@@ -809,7 +809,7 @@ func documentXMLSkipDirectivesScenario(w *bufio.Writer, s formatScenario) {
 	prefs := NewDefaultXmlPreferences()
 	prefs.SkipDirectives = true
 
-	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(2, prefs))))
+	writeOrPanic(w, fmt.Sprintf("```xml\n%v```\n\n", mustProcessFormatScenario(s, NewXMLDecoder(prefs), NewXMLEncoder(prefs))))
 }
 
 func TestXMLScenarios(t *testing.T) {