diff --git a/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx b/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
index c0c38b7..fc424eb 100644
--- a/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
+++ b/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
@@ -389,10 +389,7 @@ def open_uri(uri,
             sep = tobytes(qualifiers[b"sep"][0][0])
         else:
             try:
-                sep = config["obi"]["sep"]
-                if sep == '\\t':   # dirty workaround for flake8(?) issue that reads '\t' as '\'+'t' when parsing the option value
-                    sep = '\t'
-                sep = tobytes(sep)
+                sep = tobytes(config["obi"]["sep"])
             except KeyError:
                 sep=None
         
@@ -568,6 +565,6 @@ def open_uri(uri,
         
         entry_count = -1
         if input:
-            entry_count = count_entries(file, format)
+            entry_count = count_entries(file, format, header)
         
         return (file, iseq, objclass, urib, entry_count)
diff --git a/python/obitools3/utils.pxd b/python/obitools3/utils.pxd
index eeb1266..5c4672e 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/utils.pxd
+++ b/python/obitools3/utils.pxd
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from obitools3.dms.capi.obitypes cimport obitype_t, index_t
 
 cpdef bytes format_uniq_pattern(bytes format)
-cpdef int count_entries(file, bytes format)
+cpdef int count_entries(file, bytes format, bint header)
 
 cdef obi_errno_to_exception(index_t line_nb=*, object elt_id=*, str error_message=*)
 
diff --git a/python/obitools3/utils.pyx b/python/obitools3/utils.pyx
index 28c1367..e2e3e18 100755
--- a/python/obitools3/utils.pyx
+++ b/python/obitools3/utils.pyx
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ cpdef bytes format_uniq_pattern(bytes format):
         return None
 
 
-cpdef int count_entries(file, bytes format):
+cpdef int count_entries(file, bytes format, bint header):
     
     try:
         sep = format_uniq_pattern(format)
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ cpdef int count_entries(file, bytes format):
             total_count += len(re.findall(sep, mmapped_file))
             if format != b"ngsfilter" and format != b"tabular" and format != b"embl" and format != b"genbank" and format != b"fastq":
                 total_count += 1 # adding +1 for 1st entry because separators include \n (ngsfilter and tabular already count one more because of last \n)
+            if format == b"tabular" and header: # not counting header as an entry
+                total_count -= 1
             
     except:
         if len(files) > 1: