diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 01f7968..27464f9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 Create up-to-date [harpoon2] information to be used in a status-line
 
 ## TOC
+
 <!--toc:start-->
 - [Harpoonline](#harpoonline)
   - [Demo](#demo)
@@ -13,8 +14,8 @@ Create up-to-date [harpoon2] information to be used in a status-line
     - [Using mini.deps and mini.statusline](#using-minideps-and-ministatusline)
   - [Configuration](#configuration)
     - [Formatters](#formatters)
-      - [The "short" builtin](#the-short-builtin)
       - [The "extended" builtin](#the-extended-builtin)
+      - [The "short" builtin](#the-short-builtin)
       - [Customize a builtin](#customize-a-builtin)
       - [Use a custom formatter](#use-a-custom-formatter)
   - [Harpoon lists](#harpoon-lists)
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ The following configuration is implied when calling `setup` without arguments:
 ---@class HarpoonLineConfig
 Harpoonline.config = {
   ---@type string|nil
-  icon = '󰀱',
+  icon = '󰀱', -- Disable with empty string
 
   -- Harpoon:list() retrieves the default list: The name of that list is nil.
   -- default_list_name: Configures the display name for the default list.
@@ -158,21 +159,6 @@ Scenario's:
 - A: 3 marks, the current buffer is not harpooned
 - B: 3 marks, the current buffer is harpooned on mark 2
 
-#### The "short" builtin
-
-Add to the config: `{ formatter = 'short'}`
-
-```lua
----@class HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsShort
-H.builtin_options_short = {
-  inner_separator = '|',
-}
-```
-
-Output A: :anchor:  `[3]`
-
-Output B: :anchor:  `[2|3]`
-
 #### The "extended" builtin
 
 This is the default formatter.
@@ -180,10 +166,18 @@ This is the default formatter.
 ```lua
 ---@class HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsExtended
 H.builtin_options_extended = {
+
+  -- An indicator corresponds to a position in the harpoon list
   indicators = { '1', '2', '3', '4' },
   active_indicators = { '[1]', '[2]', '[3]', '[4]' },
-  empty_slot = '·', -- interpunct, or middledot,
-  more_marks_indicator = '…', -- horizontal elipsis
+  separator = ' ', -- how to separate the indicators
+
+  -- 1 More indicators than items in the harpoon list:
+  empty_slot = '·', -- a middledot. Disable with empty string
+
+  -- 2 Less indicators than items in the harpoon list
+  more_marks_indicator = '…', -- a horizontal elipsis. Disable with empty string
+  more_marks_active_indicator = '[…]', -- Disable with empty string
 }
 ```
 
@@ -191,6 +185,21 @@ Output A: :anchor:  `1 2 3 ·`
 
 Output B: :anchor:  `1 [2] 3 ·`
 
+#### The "short" builtin
+
+Add to the config: `{ formatter = 'short'}`
+
+```lua
+---@class HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsShort
+H.builtin_options_short = {
+  inner_separator = '|',
+}
+```
+
+Output A: :anchor:  `[3]`
+
+Output B: :anchor:  `[2|3]`
+
 #### Customize a builtin
 
 ```lua
@@ -199,15 +208,16 @@ local Harpoonline = require("harpoonline")
 local opts = {
   indicators = { "j", "k", "l", "h" },
   active_indicators = { "<j>", "<k>", "<l>", "<h>" },
+  empty_slot = "", -- disabled
 }
 Harpoonline.setup({
   custom_formatter = Harpoonline.gen_override("extended", opts),
 })
 ```
 
-Output A: :anchor:  `j k l ·`
+Output A: :anchor:  `j k l`
 
-Output B: :anchor:  `j <k> l ·`
+Output B: :anchor:  `j <k> l`
 
 #### Use a custom formatter
 
@@ -257,14 +267,17 @@ See the example recipe for NvChad.
 This plugin supports working with multiple harpoon lists.
 The list in use when Neovim is started is assumed to be the default list
 
+**Important**:
+
 The plugin needs to be notified when switching to another list
 using its custom `HarpoonSwitchedList` event:
 
 ```lua
-local list_name = nil -- starts with the default
+ -- Starts with the default. Use this variable in harpoon:list(list_name)
+local list_name = nil
 
 vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>J", function()
-  -- toggle between the current list and list "custom"
+  -- toggle between the default list and list "custom"
   list_name = list_name ~= "custom" and "custom" or nil
   vim.api.nvim_exec_autocmds("User",
     { pattern = "HarpoonSwitchedList", modeline = false, data = list_name })
diff --git a/lua/harpoonline/init.lua b/lua/harpoonline/init.lua
index 7b98d06..df99e4a 100644
--- a/lua/harpoonline/init.lua
+++ b/lua/harpoonline/init.lua
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ end
 ---@class HarpoonLineConfig
 Harpoonline.config = {
   -- suitable icons: "󰀱", "", "󱡅"
-  ---@type string|nil
-  icon = '󰀱',
+  ---@type string
+  icon = '󰀱', -- An empty string disables showing the icon
 
   -- Harpoon:list() retrieves the default list: The name of that list is nil.
   -- default_list_name: Configures the display name for the default list.
@@ -109,10 +109,17 @@ H.builtin_options_short = {
 
 ---@class HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsExtended
 H.builtin_options_extended = {
+  -- An indicator corresponds to a position in the harpoon list
   indicators = { '1', '2', '3', '4' },
   active_indicators = { '[1]', '[2]', '[3]', '[4]' },
-  empty_slot = '·', -- interpunct, or middledot,
-  more_marks_indicator = '…', -- horizontal elipsis
+  separator = ' ', -- how to separate the indicators
+
+  -- 1 More indicators than items in the harpoon list:
+  empty_slot = '·', -- middledot. Disable with empty string
+
+  -- 2 Less indicators than items in the harpoon list
+  more_marks_indicator = '…', -- horizontal elipsis. Disable with empty string
+  more_marks_active_indicator = '[…]', -- Disable with empty string
 }
 
 -- Helper functionality =======================================================
@@ -123,7 +130,7 @@ H.setup_config = function(config)
   vim.validate({ config = { config, 'table', true } })
   config = vim.tbl_deep_extend('force', vim.deepcopy(H.default_config), config or {})
 
-  vim.validate({ icon = { config.icon, 'string', true } })
+  vim.validate({ icon = { config.icon, 'string' } })
   vim.validate({ default_list_name = { config.default_list_name, 'string' } })
   vim.validate({ formatter = { config.formatter, 'string' } })
   vim.validate({ custom_formatter = { config.custom_formatter, 'function', true } })
@@ -232,15 +239,27 @@ H.update = function()
   if on_update then on_update() end
 end
 
+---@param data HarpoonLineData
+---@return string
+H.make_icon_and_name = function(data)
+  local icon = H.get_config().icon
+  local has_icon = icon ~= ''
+  return string.format(
+    '%s%s%s',
+    has_icon and icon or '',
+    has_icon and ' ' or '',
+    data.list_name and data.list_name or H.get_config().default_list_name
+  )
+end
+
 ---@param data HarpoonLineData
 ---@param opts HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsShort
 ---@return string
 H.builtin_short = function(data, opts)
-  local icon = H.get_config().icon
+  local icon_and_name = H.make_icon_and_name(data)
   return string.format(
-    '%s%s[%s%d]',
-    icon and string.format('%s ', icon) or '',
-    data.list_name and data.list_name or H.get_config().default_list_name,
+    '%s[%s%d]',
+    icon_and_name,
     data.buffer_idx and string.format('%s%s', data.buffer_idx, opts.inner_separator) or '',
     data.list_length
   )
@@ -250,33 +269,36 @@ end
 ---@param opts HarpoonlineBuiltinOptionsExtended
 ---@return string
 H.builtin_extended = function(data, opts)
-  --          ╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
-  --          │             credits letieu/harpoon-lualine              │
-  --          ╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
-  local icon = H.get_config().icon
-  local prefix = string.format(
-    '%s%s',
-    icon and string.format('%s ', icon) or '',
-    data.list_name and data.list_name or H.get_config().default_list_name
-  )
+  -- build prefix
+  local show_empty_slots = opts.empty_slot and opts.empty_slot ~= ''
+  local show_prefix = show_empty_slots or data.list_length > 0
+  local prefix = ''
+  if show_prefix then
+    prefix = H.make_icon_and_name(data)
+    prefix = prefix ~= '' and prefix .. ' ' or prefix
+  end
 
-  local nr_of_indicators = #opts.indicators
-  local indicator
+  -- build slots
+  local nr_of_slots = #opts.indicators
   local status = {}
-  for i = 1, nr_of_indicators do
-    if i > data.list_length then
-      indicator = opts.empty_slot
-    elseif data.buffer_idx and data.buffer_idx == i then
-      indicator = opts.active_indicators[i]
+  for i = 1, nr_of_slots do
+    if i > data.list_length then -- more slots then ...
+      if show_empty_slots then table.insert(status, opts.empty_slot) end
+    elseif i == data.buffer_idx then
+      table.insert(status, opts.active_indicators[i])
     else
-      indicator = opts.indicators[i]
+      table.insert(status, opts.indicators[i])
     end
-    table.insert(status, indicator)
   end
-  if (data.list_length > nr_of_indicators) and opts.more_marks_indicator then
-    table.insert(status, opts.more_marks_indicator)
+
+  -- add more marks indicator
+  if data.list_length > nr_of_slots then -- more marks then...
+    local ind = opts.more_marks_indicator
+    if nr_of_slots < data.buffer_idx then ind = opts.more_marks_active_indicator end
+    if ind and ind ~= '' then table.insert(status, ind) end
   end
-  return prefix .. ' ' .. table.concat(status, ' ')
+
+  return prefix .. table.concat(status, opts.separator)
 end
 
 return Harpoonline