diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 3f5191bd8b..72f5e2421f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -264,8 +264,8 @@ jobs:
       run: python -c "from tinygrad import Device; assert Device.DEFAULT == 'CPU', Device.DEFAULT"
     - name: Run unit tests
       run: CPU=1 python -m pytest -n=auto test/unit/ --durations=20
-    - name: Check SPEC=1
-      run: SPEC=1 python3 test/test_tiny.py
+    - name: Check SPEC=2
+      run: SPEC=2 python3 test/test_tiny.py
     - name: Run targetted tests on NULL backend
       run: NULL=1 python3 -m unittest test.test_multitensor.TestMultiTensor.test_data_parallel_resnet_train_step test/device/test_null.py
     # TODO: too slow
diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py b/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
index b2b6b9aa94..99416e44c7 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from tinygrad.helpers import QUANTIZE, DEVECTORIZE, TRANSCENDENTAL
+from tinygrad.helpers import QUANTIZE, DEVECTORIZE, TRANSCENDENTAL, SPEC
 from tinygrad.uop.ops import PatternMatcher, graph_rewrite, UOp, pm_lower_index_dtype
 from tinygrad.uop.spec import type_verify, program_spec
 from tinygrad.renderer import Renderer
@@ -102,5 +102,5 @@ def full_rewrite(sink:UOp, ren:Renderer|None=None) -> list[UOp]:
   full_sink = full_rewrite_to_sink(sink, ren, optimize=sink.tag is None)
   assert len(full_sink.ranges) == 0, "all ranges must end by the sink"
   lst = linearize(full_sink)
-  if __debug__: type_verify(lst, program_spec)
+  if SPEC: type_verify(lst, program_spec)
   return lst
diff --git a/tinygrad/helpers.py b/tinygrad/helpers.py
index 6c0fb1cb13..fe5af45099 100644
--- a/tinygrad/helpers.py
+++ b/tinygrad/helpers.py
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ EMULATE = ContextVar("EMULATE", "")
 CPU_COUNT = ContextVar("CPU_COUNT", max(1, len(os.sched_getaffinity(0)) if hasattr(os, "sched_getaffinity") else (os.cpu_count() or 1)))
 CPU_LLVM, CPU_LVP, AMD_LLVM = ContextVar("CPU_LLVM", 0), ContextVar("CPU_LVP", 0), ContextVar("AMD_LLVM", 1)
 VIZ = PROFILE = ContextVar("VIZ", 0)
-SPEC = ContextVar("SPEC", 0)
+SPEC = ContextVar("SPEC", 1)
 # TODO: disable by default due to speed
 IGNORE_OOB = ContextVar("IGNORE_OOB", 1)
 PCONTIG = ContextVar("PCONTIG", 0)  # partial contiguous in rangeify
diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index c26360852d..57bd08ab2e 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from typing import Callable, ClassVar, Sequence, cast, get_args, Literal, Suppor
 from tinygrad.dtype import DType, DTypeLike, dtypes, ImageDType, ConstType, least_upper_float, least_upper_dtype, sum_acc_dtype, to_dtype, truncate
 from tinygrad.dtype import _from_np_dtype, _to_np_dtype
 from tinygrad.helpers import argfix, make_tuple, flatten, prod, all_int, round_up, merge_dicts, argsort, getenv, all_same, fully_flatten, dedup
-from tinygrad.helpers import IMAGE, WINO, Metadata, TRACEMETA, ceildiv, fetch, polyN, DEBUG, is_numpy_ndarray, FUSE_ATTENTION
+from tinygrad.helpers import IMAGE, WINO, Metadata, TRACEMETA, ceildiv, fetch, polyN, DEBUG, is_numpy_ndarray, FUSE_ATTENTION, SPEC
 from tinygrad.helpers import suppress_finalizing
 from tinygrad.gradient import compute_gradient
 from tinygrad.uop.mathtraits import MathTrait
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ class Tensor(MathTrait):
     big_sink = UOp.sink(*[x.uop for x in (self,)+lst])
 
     # verify Tensors match the spec
-    if __debug__: type_verify(list(big_sink.toposort()), tensor_spec)
+    if SPEC: type_verify(list(big_sink.toposort()), tensor_spec)
 
     if any(isinstance(x._device, tuple) for x in big_sink.toposort()):
       _apply_map_to_tensors(get_multi_map(big_sink), "Apply Multi Map")
diff --git a/tinygrad/uop/ops.py b/tinygrad/uop/ops.py
index 18502fbfd8..f6328ffea1 100644
--- a/tinygrad/uop/ops.py
+++ b/tinygrad/uop/ops.py
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class UOpMetaClass(type):
     if _buffer is not None:
       assert op is Ops.BUFFER, f"trying to set Buffer {_buffer} for {op}"
       buffers[created] = _buffer
-    if SPEC:
+    if SPEC > 1:
       from tinygrad.uop.spec import full_spec
       with Context(IGNORE_OOB=1): ret = full_spec.rewrite(created)
       if cast(bool|None, ret) is not True: raise RuntimeError(f"SPEC ISSUE {ret}: {created}")