diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index ba8104215e..8b8a064eb6 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class ScheduleItem:
 
 # *** DAG transformation: List[LazyBuffer] -> ScheduleItem ***
 
-def _recursive_lazyop(buf:LazyBuffer, inputs:List[LazyBuffer], outputs:Tuple[LazyBuffer, ...], var_vals:Dict[Variable, int], st:ShapeTracker,
+def _recursive_lazyop(buf:LazyBuffer, inputs:Dict[LazyBuffer, int], outputs:Tuple[LazyBuffer, ...], var_vals:Dict[Variable, int], st:ShapeTracker,
                       realizes:Dict[LazyBuffer, None], assign_targets:Dict[LazyBuffer, LazyBuffer],
                       reduce_info:Dict[LazyBuffer, Tuple[ShapeTracker, Tuple[int, ...]]], cache) -> LazyOp:
   """recursively create a lazyop"""
@@ -58,16 +58,13 @@ def _recursive_lazyop(buf:LazyBuffer, inputs:List[LazyBuffer], outputs:Tuple[Laz
     unbound_st, st_var_vals = st.simplify().unbind()
     var_vals.update(st_var_vals)
     if buf in assign_targets:
-      # can only assign to contiguous read+write buffer
-      if not unbound_st.contiguous:
-        # we also allow masked views. if it has a single view and it's equal when you shrink a contig, it's fine
-        if not (len(unbound_st.views) == 1 and unbound_st.views[0].mask is not None and
-            ShapeTracker.from_shape(unbound_st.shape).shrink(unbound_st.views[0].mask) == unbound_st.shrink(unbound_st.views[0].mask)):
-          raise RuntimeError("self operand of augmented assign must be contiguous.\nhelp: consider using .contiguous():\n"
-                             +colored("   - a += a.T\n", "red")+colored("   + a += a.T.contiguous()", "green"))
-      return LazyOp(BufferOps.LOAD, (), MemBuffer(outputs.index(assign_targets[buf]), buf.dtype, unbound_st))
-    if buf not in inputs: inputs.append(buf)
-    return LazyOp(BufferOps.LOAD, (), MemBuffer(len(outputs)+inputs.index(buf), buf.dtype, unbound_st))
+      # we also allow masked views. if it has a single view and it's equal when you shrink a contig, it's fine
+      if unbound_st.contiguous or (len(unbound_st.views) == 1 and unbound_st.views[0].mask is not None and\
+          ShapeTracker.from_shape(unbound_st.shape).shrink(unbound_st.views[0].mask) == unbound_st.shrink(unbound_st.views[0].mask)):
+        return LazyOp(BufferOps.LOAD, (), MemBuffer(outputs.index(assign_targets[buf]), buf.dtype, unbound_st))
+      raise RuntimeError("self operand of augmented assign must be contiguous.\nhelp: consider using .contiguous():\n"
+                         +colored("   - a += a.T\n", "red")+colored("   + a += a.T.contiguous()", "green"))
+    return LazyOp(BufferOps.LOAD, (), MemBuffer(len(outputs)+inputs.setdefault(buf, len(inputs)), buf.dtype, unbound_st))
 
   # if a CONTIGUOUS or ASSIGN made it all the way here, just skip it
   if buf.op in {MetaOps.CONTIGUOUS, MetaOps.ASSIGN}:
@@ -126,7 +123,7 @@ def _lower_lazybuffer(outs:List[LazyBuffer], realizes:Dict[LazyBuffer, None]):
   assign_targets = {x.srcs[1]:x for x in outs if x.op is MetaOps.ASSIGN}
   cache: Dict[Tuple[LazyBuffer, ShapeTracker], LazyOp] = {}
   ast: List[LazyOp] = []
-  inputs: List[LazyBuffer] = []
+  inputs: Dict[LazyBuffer, int] = {}
   reduce_info: Dict[LazyBuffer, Tuple[ShapeTracker, Tuple[int, ...]]] = {}
   seen_ops: Dict[Tuple[LazyBuffer, ShapeTracker], None] = {}
   for i, out in enumerate(outs):
@@ -137,7 +134,7 @@ def _lower_lazybuffer(outs:List[LazyBuffer], realizes:Dict[LazyBuffer, None]):
     output_view, vv = output_view.simplify().unbind()
     if vv: var_vals.update(vv)
     ast.append(LazyOp(BufferOps.STORE, (lop, ), MemBuffer(i, out.dtype, output_view)))
-  return LazyOp(MetaOps.KERNEL, tuple(ast)), inputs, var_vals, dedup([x[0].metadata for x in cache if x[0].metadata and x[0] not in inputs])
+  return LazyOp(MetaOps.KERNEL, tuple(ast)), list(inputs), var_vals, dedup([x[0].metadata for x in cache if x[0].metadata and x[0] not in inputs])
 
 # *** DAG creation: decide which LazyBuffers should realize ***