Index: pluginconf/__init__.py
==================================================================
--- pluginconf/__init__.py
+++ pluginconf/__init__.py
@@ -366,12 +366,12 @@
         src = rx.header.sub("", src)
         src = rx.comment.search(src)
         if not src:
             log.warning("Couldn't read source meta information: %s", filename)
             return meta
-        src = src.group(0)
-        src = rx.hash.sub("", src).strip()
+        src = src[1] or src[2] or src[3] or src[4]
+        src = rx.hash(src).sub("", src).strip()
 
     # Split comment block
     if src.find("\n\n") > 0:
         src, meta["doc"] = src.split("\n\n", 1)
 
@@ -471,41 +471,61 @@
     do better; but is likely overkill.
     """
 
     header = re.compile(r"""
         (\A (
-            \#! \s+ /.+ |                      # shebang
+            \#! \s+ /.+ |                        # shebang
             <\?php .*
         ) $)+
     """, re.M | re.X)
     comment = re.compile(r"""
-        (^ [ ]{0,4} \# .*\n)+ |                # general
-        (^ [ ]{0,4} // .*\n)+ |                # C++-style
-        /\* [\s\S]+? \*/ |                     # C-multiline
-        <\# [\s\S]+? \#> | \{\# [\s\S]+? \#\}  # PS/Perl
+        ((?:^ [ ]{0,4} (\#|//) .*\n)+) |         # general
+        /\*+ ([\s\S]+?) \*/ |                    # C-multiline
+        <\# ([\s\S]+?) \#>  |                    # PS
+        \{- ([\s\S]+?) -\}                       # Haskell
     """, re.M | re.X)
-    hash = re.compile(r"""
-        (^ [ ]{0,4} [#*/]{1,2} [ ]{0,3})
+    hash_det = re.compile(r"""
+        ^ ([ \t]*) ([#*/]*) ([ ]*) [\w-]*:       # determine indent, craft strip regex
     """, re.M | re.X)
     keyval = re.compile(r"""
-        ^([\w-]+):(.*$(?:\n(?![\w-]+:).+$)*)   # plain key:value lines
+        ^ ([\w-]+) : ( .*$                       # plain key:value lines
+            (?: \n(?![\w-]+:) .+$ )*             # continuation lines sans ^xyz:
+        )
     """, re.M | re.X)
     config = re.compile(r"""
-        \{ ((?: [^\{\}]+ | \{[^\}]*\} )+) \}   # JSOL/YAML scheme {...} dicts
-        | \< (.+?) \>                          # old <input> HTML style
+        \{ ((?: [^\{\}]+ | \{[^\}]*\} )+) \}     # JSOL/YAML scheme {...} dicts
+        | \< (.+?) \>                            # old <input> HTML style
     """, re.X)
     options = re.compile(r"""
-        ["':$]?   (\w*)  ["']?                 # key or ":key" or '$key'
-        \s* [:=] \s*                           # "=" or ":"
+        ["':$]?   (\w*)  ["']?                   # key or ":key" or '$key'
+        \s* [:=] \s*                             # "=" or ":"
      (?:  "  ([^"]*)  "
-       |  '  ([^']*)  '                        #  "quoted" or 'singl' values
-       |     ([^,]*)                           #  or unquoted literals
+       |  '  ([^']*)  '                          #  "quoted" or 'singl' values
+       |     ([^,]*)                             #  or unquoted literals
      )
     """, re.X)
-    select_dict = re.compile(r"(\w+)\s*[=:>]+\s*([^=,|:]+)")
-    select_list = re.compile(r"\s*([^,|;]+)\s*")
+    select_dict = re.compile(r"""
+        (\w+) \s* [=:>]+ \s* ([^=,|:]+)          # key=title | k2=t2
+    """, re.X)
+    select_list = re.compile(r"""
+        \s*([^,|;]+)\s*                          # alt | lists
+    """, re.X)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def hash(src):
+        """ find first comment to generate consistent strip regex for following lines """
+        m = rx.hash_det.search(src)
+        if not m:# or not m[2]:
+            return re.compile("^ ? ?[#*/]{0,2} ?}", re.M) # fallback
+        hash_rx = "^"
+        if m[1]:  # indent
+            hash_rx += m[1] + "{0,2}"   # +- 1 in length?
+        if m[2]:  # hash
+            hash_rx += "[" + m[2] + "]{1,%s}" % (len(m[2]) + 1)
+        if m[3]:  # space
+            hash_rx += m[3] + "{0,2}"
+        return re.compile(hash_rx, re.M)
 
 
 # ArgumentParser options conversion
 # ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
 def argparse_map(opt):

Index: test/config_altsyntax.py
==================================================================
--- test/config_altsyntax.py
+++ test/config_altsyntax.py
@@ -33,20 +33,40 @@
 def multiline_ps1():
     ps1_style= """
     <#
      # api: cpp
      # title: second
-    version: 2.1
+     # version: 2.1
      # category: nonpython
      #
-     # Won't work without hashes
+     # Didn't work without hashes
      #>
     """
     print(_parse(ps1_style))
     assert _parse(ps1_style).version == "2.1"
-    # requires adapting the continuation line detection (including spaced points)
-    # and detecting multiline markers, and stripping them (end up in doc else)
+    # Required adapting the continuation line detection (including spaced points).
+    # Multiline enclosures contents are now captured, thus trailign #> or */ stripped.
+    ps1_style= """
+    <#
+       api: cpp
+       title: second
+       version: 2.2
+       category: nonpython
+       config: {name:x}
+       {name:y}
+       priority: bad
+     
+       Didn't work without hashes
+     #>
+    """
+    # Notably will only work with up to 3 spaces. Acceptable format constraint,
+    # but makes continuation less readable
+    print(_parse(ps1_style))
+    assert _parse(ps1_style).version == "2.2"
+    assert len(_parse(ps1_style).config) == 2
+    assert _parse(ps1_style).priority == "bad"
+    # should still migrate to hash() detection and regex generation
 
 def indent_cpp():
     cpp_style= """
     // api: cpp
     // title: third

ADDED   test/config_hashdet.py
Index: test/config_hashdet.py
==================================================================
--- test/config_hashdet.py
+++ test/config_hashdet.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# title: rx.hash
+# description: format consistency checks
+# version: 0.1
+#
+# new rx.hash() should still allow some minor variances
+
+import pytest
+from pluginconf import rx
+
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("_in,_out", [
+    ["  var: y",       "^  {0,2}"],
+    ["   var: y",      "^   {0,2}"],
+    ["        var: y", "^        {0,2}"],
+])
+def spaces(_in, _out):
+    assert rx.hash(_in).pattern == _out
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("_in,_out", [
+    [" # var: y",      r"^ {0,2}[#]{1,2} {0,2}"],
+    [" ## var: y",     r"^ {0,2}[##]{1,3} {0,2}"],
+    [" // var: y",     r"^ {0,2}[//]{1,3} {0,2}"],
+    ["   **   var: y", r"^   {0,2}[**]{1,3}   {0,2}"],
+    ["  /*  var: y",   r"^  {0,2}[/*]{1,3}  {0,2}"],
+])
+def hashvary(_in, _out):
+    assert rx.hash(_in).pattern == _out
+