diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py b/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
index ab880c1fda..826f6139fb 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from tinygrad.codegen.expander import migrate_indexing, expander
 from tinygrad.codegen.devectorizer import load_store_folding, load_store_indexing, devectorize, pm_reduce, \
   ReduceContext, correct_load_store, pm_render
 from tinygrad.codegen.linearize import block_create, pm_blockend_merge, block_merge, pm_finalize, BlockContext
-from tinygrad.codegen.opt import pm_optimize
+from tinygrad.codegen.opt import pm_get_optimization, pm_do_optimize
 from tinygrad.codegen.opt.swizzler import view_left, view_right, fix_kernel_ops
 
 @dataclass
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ def _get_rewrites_for_renderer(opts:Renderer, linearizer:bool, _QUANTIZE, _DEVEC
   ret.extend(rewrites_for_views)
 
   # this is kernel.py
-  ret.append(RewriteStep(pm_optimize, ctx=lambda _: opts, name="optimize ast"))
+  ret.append(RewriteStep(pm_get_optimization, ctx=lambda _: opts, name="get optimization"))
+  ret.append(RewriteStep(pm_do_optimize, ctx=lambda _: opts, name="optimize ast"))
 
   if _QUANTIZE and opts.device in {"CPU", "DSP"}: ret.append(RewriteStep(pm_quant, name="quantize"))
   ret.append(RewriteStep(pm_lowerer, get_index, name="lowerer", bottom_up=True))
diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/linearize.py b/tinygrad/codegen/linearize.py
index 07706383b9..54ff2cbfc7 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/linearize.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/linearize.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import heapq
 from collections import defaultdict
 from dataclasses import dataclass, replace
 from tinygrad.uop.ops import UOp, Ops, PatternMatcher, UPat, GroupOp
-from tinygrad.helpers import dedup, all_same, flatten, getenv
+from tinygrad.helpers import dedup, all_same, flatten, BLOCK_REORDER
 
 # NOTE: any toposort should be valid here, unlike last time this isn't required, it's just for speed
 def block_reorder(lst:list[UOp]) -> list[UOp]:
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ def make_block_bottom_up(ctx:BlockContext, x:UOp):
     srcs.append(add_blockends(base_block, new_ctx, current_ctx))
 
   lst = lst[::-1]
-  if getenv("BLOCK_REORDER", 1): lst = block_reorder(lst)
+  if BLOCK_REORDER: lst = block_reorder(lst)
   bb = BasicBlock(tuple(lst), ctx=current_ctx, cnt=child_count, child_ctx=child_ctx)
   return UOp(Ops.BLOCK, src=tuple(srcs), arg=bb)
 
diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/__init__.py b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/__init__.py
index 202585f8b6..0c507c5681 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/__init__.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/__init__.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 from tinygrad.codegen.opt.kernel import Kernel
 from tinygrad.codegen.opt.heuristic import hand_coded_optimizations
-from tinygrad.uop.ops import UOp, PatternMatcher, UPat, Ops
+from tinygrad.uop.ops import UOp, PatternMatcher, UPat, Ops, KernelInfo
 from tinygrad.helpers import NOOPT, BEAM, USE_TC, getenv
 from tinygrad.renderer import Renderer
 from tinygrad.uop.spec import type_verify
@@ -19,20 +19,28 @@ def get_optimized_ast(ast:UOp, renderer:Renderer) -> UOp:
     The Ops.SINK rooted AST transformed to apply the opts and with a KernelInfo in the arg.
   """
 
+  assert ast.arg is None, "no opt if there's an arg"
   k = Kernel(ast, opts=renderer)
-  if ast.arg is not None and ast.arg.opts_to_apply is not None: k.apply_opts(ast.arg.opts_to_apply)
-  elif not NOOPT:
+  if not NOOPT:
     if not k.apply_tensor_cores(USE_TC.value): k.apply_opts(hand_coded_optimizations(k))
     if BEAM >= 1:
       from tinygrad.codegen.opt.search import beam_search, bufs_from_lin
       kb = Kernel(ast, opts=renderer)
       rawbufs = bufs_from_lin(kb, allocate=False)
       k = beam_search(kb, rawbufs, BEAM.value, bool(getenv("BEAM_ESTIMATE", 1)))
+  return ast.replace(arg=KernelInfo(opts_to_apply=tuple(k.applied_opts)))
+
+pm_get_optimization = PatternMatcher([
+  (UPat(Ops.SINK, name="ast"), lambda ctx,ast: get_optimized_ast(ast, ctx) if ast.arg is None and ast.src[0].st is not None else None),
+])
+
+def apply_opt(ast:UOp, renderer:Renderer):
+  k = Kernel(ast, opts=renderer)
+  k.apply_opts(ast.arg.opts_to_apply)
   ret = k.get_optimized_ast()
   if __debug__: type_verify(list(ret.toposort()))
   return ret
 
-pm_optimize = PatternMatcher([
-  (UPat(Ops.SINK, name="ast"), lambda ctx,ast:
-   get_optimized_ast(ast, ctx) if (ast.arg is None or ast.arg.opts_to_apply is not None) and ast.src[0].st is not None else None),
+pm_do_optimize = PatternMatcher([
+  (UPat(Ops.SINK, name="ast"), lambda ctx,ast: apply_opt(ast, ctx) if ast.arg is not None and ast.arg.opts_to_apply is not None else None),
 ])
diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/heuristic.py b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/heuristic.py
index 3fa0ffd5e9..40b3a9d3cc 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/opt/heuristic.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/opt/heuristic.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def hand_coded_optimizations(k:Kernel) -> list[Opt]:
           return k.applied_opts
 
   # are we grouping? (requires local shape support)
-  if resolve(prod(k.sts[0].shape[i] for i in k.upcastable_dims) <= 2048, False):
+  if resolve(prod(k.output_shape[i] for i in k.upcastable_dims) <= 2048, False):
     for sz in [16]:
       try:
         k.apply_opt(Opt(OptOps.GROUPTOP, 0, sz))
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ def hand_coded_optimizations(k:Kernel) -> list[Opt]:
   # potentially do more upcasts of non reduce axes based on a heuristic
   is_dsp = k.opts is not None and k.opts.device == "DSP"
   upcasted_axis: set[int] = set()
-  while resolve(prod(k.sts[0].shape[i] for i in k.upcastable_dims) >= 1024):
+  while resolve(prod(k.output_shape[i] for i in k.upcastable_dims) >= 1024):
     xb_choices = []
     # consider all upcastable axes with 3 or 4 upcast (128 on the DSP)
     for axis, upcast_amount in itertools.product(k.upcastable_dims, ([128] if not len(upcasted_axis) else []) if is_dsp else [3,4]):
diff --git a/tinygrad/helpers.py b/tinygrad/helpers.py
index 6ba80fa52a..00865bad7a 100644
--- a/tinygrad/helpers.py
+++ b/tinygrad/helpers.py
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ FUSE_ARANGE, FUSE_CONV_BW = ContextVar("FUSE_ARANGE", 1), ContextVar("FUSE_CONV_
 SPLIT_REDUCEOP, NO_MEMORY_PLANNER, RING = ContextVar("SPLIT_REDUCEOP", 1), ContextVar("NO_MEMORY_PLANNER", 0), ContextVar("RING", 1)
 PICKLE_BUFFERS, PROFILE, LRU = ContextVar("PICKLE_BUFFERS", 1), ContextVar("PROFILE", getenv("VIZ")), ContextVar("LRU", 1)
 CACHELEVEL, IGNORE_BEAM_CACHE, DEVECTORIZE = ContextVar("CACHELEVEL", 2), ContextVar("IGNORE_BEAM_CACHE", 0), ContextVar("DEVECTORIZE", 1)
-DISABLE_COMPILER_CACHE = ContextVar("DISABLE_COMPILER_CACHE", 0)
+DISABLE_COMPILER_CACHE, BLOCK_REORDER = ContextVar("DISABLE_COMPILER_CACHE", 0), ContextVar("BLOCK_REORDER", 1)
 DONT_REALIZE_EXPAND, DONT_GROUP_REDUCES = ContextVar("DONT_REALIZE_EXPAND", 0), ContextVar("DONT_GROUP_REDUCES", 0)
 QUANTIZE, VALIDATE_WITH_CPU, DISABLE_FAST_IDIV = ContextVar("QUANTIZE", 0), ContextVar("VALIDATE_WITH_CPU", 0), ContextVar("DISABLE_FAST_IDIV", 0)
 CORRECT_DIVMOD_FOLDING, FUSE_OPTIM = ContextVar("CORRECT_DIVMOD_FOLDING", 0), ContextVar("FUSE_OPTIM", 0)