diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py b/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
index a3b4228a3e..75157ede56 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/fuse.py
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ def _recurse_lb(buf:LazyBuffer, realizes:Dict[LazyBuffer, None], allbufs:Dict[La
   if buf.op is not MetaOps.CONST and ctx.buf_uops[buf.buffer] in ctx.realizes: realizes[buf] = None
   if buf.op in ReduceOps and buf.srcs[0].base.op is buf.op and buf.srcs[0] is not buf.srcs[0].base: double_reduces[buf] = None
   allbufs[buf] = None
-  if buf.op in MetaOps: realizes[buf] = None
   if buf.op is MetaOps.ASSIGN:
     assign_targets[(target:=buf.srcs[0])] = buf
     assert target._base is None, f"assign must be to base {target}"
diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index eaac950455..9df5e311ba 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -231,14 +231,15 @@ if getenv("RUN_PROCESS_REPLAY"):
 # **** Schedule creation and BFS toposort
 
 def realize(ctx:Dict[UOp, UOp], b:UOp, load:UOp, store:UOp) -> UOp:
-  assert b in ctx, f"trying to realize {b} while not realized"
   ctx[b] = store
   return UOp(UOps.LOAD, load.dtype, (b, load.st_arg.to_uop()))
 
 def UPatLoadStore(to_store=UPat()): return UPat.load(b:=UPat.var("b"), UPat(), UPat.store(b, UPat(), to_store, name="store"), name="load")
-break_sched = PatternMatcher([
-  (UPatLoadStore(), lambda ctx,b,store,load: realize(ctx, b, load, store) if b in ctx else None),
+do_realize = PatternMatcher([
+  # always realize meta ops
+  (UPatLoadStore(UPat((UOps.ASSIGN, UOps.CONTIGUOUS, *METAOPS.values()))), realize),
 ])
+break_sched = PatternMatcher([(UPatLoadStore(), lambda ctx,b,store,load: realize(ctx, b, load, store) if b in ctx else None),])
 
 @track_rewrites(named=True)
 def create_schedule_with_vars(outs:List[LazyBuffer]) -> Tuple[List[ScheduleItem], Dict[Variable, int]]:
@@ -249,6 +250,7 @@ def create_schedule_with_vars(outs:List[LazyBuffer]) -> Tuple[List[ScheduleItem]
   cache: Dict[LazyBuffer, UOp] = {}
   big_graph = UOp.sink(*(to_uop(x, ctx, cache) for x in outs))
   # get realizes
+  graph_rewrite(big_graph, do_realize, ctx.realizes)
   store_groups, lazybufs_to_realize, assigns = get_realizes(outs, ctx)
   # split realizes into small graphs
   graph_rewrite(big_graph, break_sched, ctx.realizes)