diff --git a/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/utils.rs b/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/utils.rs
index 5874ebdebbc..94969d45e81 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/utils.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/utils.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use std::borrow::Cow;
+
 use crate::items::HasItem;
 use crate::rewrite;
 use crate::visitor::{FmtVisitor, Shape};
@@ -143,7 +145,7 @@ impl HasItem for Param {
     fn format(self, visitor: &FmtVisitor, shape: Shape) -> String {
         let pattern = visitor.slice(self.pattern.span());
         let visibility = match self.visibility {
-            Visibility::Public => "pub ",
+            Visibility::Public => "pub",
             Visibility::Private => "",
             Visibility::DataBus => "call_data",
         };
@@ -152,6 +154,7 @@ impl HasItem for Param {
             pattern.to_string()
         } else {
             let ty = rewrite::typ(visitor, shape, self.typ);
+            let visibility = append_space_if_nonempty(visibility.into());
             format!("{pattern}: {visibility}{ty}")
         }
     }
@@ -183,6 +186,15 @@ pub(crate) fn last_line_contains_single_line_comment(s: &str) -> bool {
     s.lines().last().map_or(false, |line| line.contains("//"))
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn append_space_if_nonempty(mut string: Cow<str>) -> Cow<str> {
+    if !string.is_empty() {
+        let inner = string.to_mut();
+        inner.push(' ');
+    }
+
+    string
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn last_line_used_width(s: &str, offset: usize) -> usize {
     if s.contains('\n') {
         last_line_width(s)
diff --git a/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/visitor/item.rs b/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/visitor/item.rs
index 1825a6e05b0..28aad3c551f 100644
--- a/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/visitor/item.rs
+++ b/tooling/nargo_fmt/src/visitor/item.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@ use noirc_frontend::{
 
 use crate::{
     rewrite::{self, UseTree},
-    utils::{last_line_contains_single_line_comment, last_line_used_width, FindToken},
+    utils::{
+        append_space_if_nonempty, last_line_contains_single_line_comment, last_line_used_width,
+        FindToken,
+    },
     visitor::expr::{format_seq, NewlineMode},
 };
 
@@ -119,9 +122,12 @@ impl super::FmtVisitor<'_> {
                 result.push_str("distinct ");
             }
 
-            if let Visibility::Public = func.def.return_visibility {
-                result.push_str("pub ");
-            }
+            let visibility = match func.def.return_visibility {
+                Visibility::Public => "pub",
+                Visibility::DataBus => "return_data",
+                Visibility::Private => "",
+            };
+            result.push_str(&append_space_if_nonempty(visibility.into()));
 
             let typ = rewrite::typ(self, self.shape(), func.return_type());
             result.push_str(&typ);
diff --git a/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/expected/databus.nr b/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/expected/databus.nr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..60934b60b2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/expected/databus.nr
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+fn main(x: pub u8, y: call_data u8) -> return_data u32 {}
+
diff --git a/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/input/databus.nr b/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/input/databus.nr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..60934b60b2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tooling/nargo_fmt/tests/input/databus.nr
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+fn main(x: pub u8, y: call_data u8) -> return_data u32 {}
+