diff --git a/test/external/process_replay/process_replay.py b/test/external/process_replay/process_replay.py
index 6e7e7370bc..4d9b03c385 100755
--- a/test/external/process_replay/process_replay.py
+++ b/test/external/process_replay/process_replay.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 # compare kernels created by HEAD against master
-import difflib, pickle, multiprocessing, os, logging, sqlite3
+import difflib, pickle, multiprocessing, os, logging, sqlite3, requests, io, zipfile
 from typing import List
 from tinygrad.codegen.kernel import Kernel
+from tinygrad.device import Device
 from tinygrad.helpers import Context, ContextVar, colored, db_connection, VERSION, getenv, tqdm
 from tinygrad.ops import LazyOp
 
@@ -12,7 +13,9 @@ MAX_DIFF_PCT = getenv("PROCESS_REPLAY_MAX_DIFF_PCT", 20)
 TABLE_NAME = f"process_replay_{getenv('GITHUB_RUN_ID', 'HEAD')}_{VERSION}"
 REF_TABLE_NAME = f"process_replay_master_{VERSION}"
 ASSERT_DIFF = getenv("ASSERT_PROCESS_REPLAY", int((k:="[run_process_replay]") in os.getenv("COMMIT_MESSAGE", k) or k in os.getenv("PR_TITLE", k)))
-SKIP_PROCESS_REPLAY = (k:="[skip_process_replay]") in os.getenv("COMMIT_MESSAGE", "") or k in os.getenv("PR_TITLE", "") or REF == "master"
+if REF == "master": ASSERT_DIFF = False
+COMPARE_SCHEDULE = getenv("COMPARE_SCHEDULE", int((k:="[compare_schedule]") in os.getenv("COMMIT_MESSAGE", k) or k in os.getenv("PR_TITLE", k)))
+SKIP_PROCESS_REPLAY = (k:="[skip_process_replay]") in os.getenv("COMMIT_MESSAGE", "") or k in os.getenv("PR_TITLE", "")
 early_stop = multiprocessing.Event()
 logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO, format='%(message)s')
 
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ def process_replay(offset:int, ref_schedule:List[LazyOp]):
       if ASSERT_DIFF: raise e
       continue
     # try compare
-    if getenv("COMPARE_SCHEDULE") and ast not in ref_schedule:
+    if COMPARE_SCHEDULE and ast not in ref_schedule:
       with Context(**{k:v for k,v in ctx.items() if k in ContextVar._cache and k != "DEBUG"}):
         print(opts.render(name, Kernel(ast, opts=opts).linearize().uops))
       continue
@@ -61,25 +64,47 @@ def process_replay(offset:int, ref_schedule:List[LazyOp]):
   cur.close()
 
 def get_ref_schedule(offset:int, ref_schedule):
-  conn = db_connection()
+  conn = sqlite3.connect("/tmp/process_replay/process_replay.db")
   cur = conn.cursor()
   cur.execute(f"SELECT val FROM '{REF_TABLE_NAME}' LIMIT ? OFFSET ?", (PAGE_SIZE, offset))
   for row in cur.fetchall(): ref_schedule.append(pickle.loads(row[0])[0])
+  conn.commit()
+  cur.close()
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
   if SKIP_PROCESS_REPLAY:
     logging.info("skipping process replay.")
     exit(0)
-  conn = db_connection()
-  cur = conn.cursor()
   ref_schedule = multiprocessing.Manager().list()
-  if getenv("COMPARE_SCHEDULE"):
-    row_count = cur.execute(f"select count(*) from '{REF_TABLE_NAME}'").fetchone()[0]
+  # *** download the reference schedule
+  if COMPARE_SCHEDULE:
+    logging.info("fetching process replay reference")
+    # TODO: make this run_id dynamic
+    run_id = "10093148840"
+    name = f"process_replay_{Device.DEFAULT.lower()}.db" # TODO: onnx and openpilot is matrix.task
+    url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{os.getenv('GITHUB_REPOSITORY', 'tinygrad/tinygrad')}/actions/runs/{run_id}/artifacts?name={name}"
+    headers = {
+      "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.getenv('GITHUB_TOKEN')}",
+      "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json", "X-GitHub-Api-Version": "2022-11-28"
+    }
+    res = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
+    assert res.status_code == 200, f"download failed {res.status_code} {res.json()}"
+    download_url = res.json()["artifacts"][0]["archive_download_url"]
+    res = requests.get(download_url, headers=headers)
+    assert res.status_code == 200, f"download failed {res.status_code}"
+    with io.BytesIO(res.content) as zip_content:
+      with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_content, "r") as zip_ref: zip_ref.extractall("/tmp/process_replay/")
+    ref_conn = sqlite3.connect("/tmp/process_replay/process_replay.db")
+    row_count = ref_conn.execute(f"select count(*) from '{REF_TABLE_NAME}'").fetchone()[0]
     processes = []
     for i in tqdm(range(0, row_count, PAGE_SIZE)):
       processes.append(p:=multiprocessing.Process(target=get_ref_schedule, args=(i, ref_schedule)))
       p.start()
     for p in processes: p.join()
+    ref_conn.close()
+  conn = db_connection()
+  cur = conn.cursor()
+  # *** run the comparison
   try: row_count = cur.execute(f"select count(*) from '{TABLE_NAME}'").fetchone()[0]
   except sqlite3.OperationalError:
     logging.warning(f"{TABLE_NAME} isn't accessible in master, did DB_VERSION change?")