diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/search.py b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/search.py
index c2dc093e67..20e45c9a46 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/search.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/search.py
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
-from typing import cast
 import functools, math, time, multiprocessing, traceback, signal, atexit
 from dataclasses import replace
 from tinygrad.uop.ops import sym_infer, AxisType, pyrender
 from tinygrad.device import Device, Buffer, Compiler
-from tinygrad.helpers import prod, flatten, DEBUG, CACHELEVEL, diskcache_get, diskcache_put, getenv, Context, colored, time_to_str
+from tinygrad.helpers import prod, flatten, DEBUG, CACHELEVEL, diskcache_get, diskcache_put, getenv, Context, colored, time_to_str, unwrap
 from tinygrad.helpers import IGNORE_BEAM_CACHE
 from tinygrad.codegen.opt import Opt, OptOps, KernelOptError
 from tinygrad.tensor import Tensor
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ def _time_program(p:ProgramSpec, lib:bytes, var_vals:dict[str, int], rawbufs:lis
       if hasattr(dev:=Device[p.device], 'invalidate_caches'): dev.invalidate_caches()
       else:
         with Context(DEBUG=0, BEAM=0, CAPTURING=0, TRACK_MATCH_STATS=0): Tensor.ones(1024,1024).contiguous().realize(do_update_stats=False)
-    tms.append(cast(float, car(input_bufs, var_vals, wait=True))*factor)
+    tms.append(unwrap(car(input_bufs, var_vals, wait=True))*factor)
     if early_stop is not None and early_stop < min(tms): break
   return tms
 
@@ -168,7 +167,7 @@ def beam_search(s:Scheduler, rawbufs:list[Buffer], amt:int, allow_test_size=True
           raise
         timed.append((candidates[i], min(tms)))
         if BEAM_DEBUG > 1:
-          print(f"{time.perf_counter() - st:7.2f}s: {i:5d} {len(cast(list, p.uops)):5d} uops",
+          print(f"{time.perf_counter() - st:7.2f}s: {i:5d} {len(unwrap(p.uops)):5d} uops",
                 f"{time_to_str(compile_et, w=12)} compile/{time_to_str(timed[-1][1], w=12)} run",
                 f"      {len(timed):4d}/{len(candidates):4d}         {timed[-1][0].colored_shape()}")
         elif DEBUG >= 2:
diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/realize.py b/tinygrad/engine/realize.py
index 50458a533a..177f327380 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/realize.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/realize.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import time, pprint, random, itertools, math
 from dataclasses import dataclass, replace, field
 from tinygrad.helpers import all_same, colored, DEBUG, GlobalCounters, ansilen, BEAM, NOOPT, all_int, CAPTURING, Metadata, TRACEMETA, TracingKey
 from tinygrad.helpers import DEVECTORIZE, time_to_str, VALIDATE_WITH_CPU, getenv, cpu_profile, PROFILE, ProfilePointEvent, cpu_events, prod, Context
+from tinygrad.helpers import unwrap
 from tinygrad.uop.ops import Ops, PatternMatcher, UOp, UPat, sym_infer, graph_rewrite, print_uops, track_rewrites, KernelInfo, pyrender
 from tinygrad.device import Device, Buffer
 from tinygrad.renderer import Renderer, ProgramSpec, Estimates
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ class ExecItem:
   fixedvars: dict[str, int] = field(default_factory=dict)
   def run(self, _var_vals:dict[str, int]|None=None, wait=False, jit=False, do_update_stats=True) -> float|None:
     var_vals = self.fixedvars if _var_vals is None else (_var_vals|self.fixedvars)
-    bufs = [cast(Buffer, x) for x in self.bufs] if jit else [cast(Buffer, x).ensure_allocated() for x in self.bufs]
+    bufs = [unwrap(x) for x in self.bufs] if jit else [unwrap(x).ensure_allocated() for x in self.bufs]
     if PROFILE:
       payload = {"metadata":self.metadata, "var_vals":var_vals, "bufs":[b.trace_num for b in bufs], "name":self.prg.display_name}
       payload["outputs"], payload["inputs"] = (self.prg.p.outs, self.prg.p.ins) if isinstance(self.prg, CompiledRunner) else ([0], [1])
diff --git a/tinygrad/runtime/ops_null.py b/tinygrad/runtime/ops_null.py
index 07f5494ca7..5ff75b2da9 100644
--- a/tinygrad/runtime/ops_null.py
+++ b/tinygrad/runtime/ops_null.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import functools
-from typing import cast
 from tinygrad.device import Compiled, Compiler, Allocator
 from tinygrad.engine.jit import MultiGraphRunner
 from tinygrad.renderer.cstyle import Renderer, CStyleLanguage
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@ class NullGraph(MultiGraphRunner):
 class NullDevice(Compiled):
   def __init__(self, device:str):
     renderer:functools.partial|type[Renderer]
-    match cast(str, EMULATE.value):
+    match str(EMULATE.value):
       case "AMD": renderer = functools.partial(AMDLLVMRenderer, "gfx1100")
       case "AMD_RDNA4": renderer = functools.partial(AMDLLVMRenderer, "gfx1201")
       case "": renderer = NullRenderer
diff --git a/tinygrad/schedule/rangeify.py b/tinygrad/schedule/rangeify.py
index fb7443a858..376689294d 100644
--- a/tinygrad/schedule/rangeify.py
+++ b/tinygrad/schedule/rangeify.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-from typing import cast
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 import itertools
 from tinygrad.dtype import dtypes, PtrDType, ImageDType, AddrSpace
@@ -573,5 +572,5 @@ def get_rangeify_map(sink:UOp) -> dict[UOp, UOp]:
     assert s.tag is not None
     for a in s.tag:
       if a is None: continue
-      becomes_map[uop_list[cast(int, a)]] = s.replace(tag=None)
+      becomes_map[uop_list[int(a)]] = s.replace(tag=None)
   return becomes_map