diff --git a/test/test_ops.py b/test/test_ops.py
index 46f86364f5..a6b631d85d 100644
--- a/test/test_ops.py
+++ b/test/test_ops.py
@@ -1857,6 +1857,9 @@ class TestOps(unittest.TestCase):
     helper_test_op([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=1, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=1, index=a))
     helper_test_op([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=2, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=2, index=a))
     helper_test_op([(3,4,5)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=0, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=0, index=a))
+    helper_test_op([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=-1, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=-1, index=a))
+    helper_test_op([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=-2, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=-2, index=a))
+    helper_test_op([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=-3, index=b), lambda x: x.gather(dim=-3, index=a))
     self.helper_test_exception([(4,5,6)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=0, index=torch.tensor([1], dtype=torch.int64)),
                                           lambda x: x.gather(dim=0, index=Tensor([1], dtype=dtypes.int32)), expected=(RuntimeError, AssertionError))
     self.helper_test_exception([(2,1,1)], lambda x: x.gather(dim=0, index=b),
diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index 0155a8f303..0c29a3eb70 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -1041,8 +1041,8 @@ class Tensor:
     ```
     """
     assert index.ndim == self.ndim, f"self.ndim must equal index.ndim, {self.ndim=}, {index.ndim=}"
-    assert all(s >= i for d,(s,i) in enumerate(zip(self.shape, index.shape)) if d != dim), "requires self.shape[d] >= index.shape[d] for all d != dim"
     dim = self._resolve_dim(dim)
+    assert all(s >= i for d,(s,i) in enumerate(zip(self.shape, index.shape)) if d != dim), "requires self.shape[d] >= index.shape[d] for all d != dim"
     index = index.to(self.device)
     x = self.shrink(tuple((0, i) if d != dim else None for d,i in enumerate(index.shape))).unsqueeze(-1).transpose(-1, dim)
     return ((index.unsqueeze(-1) == Tensor.arange(self.shape[dim], requires_grad=False, device=self.device)) * x).sum(-1, acc_dtype=self.dtype)