diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/linearizer.py b/tinygrad/codegen/linearizer.py
index 5bf1f133a1..4d829082a3 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/linearizer.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/linearizer.py
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ class Linearizer(Kernel):
   def uop_alu_idx(self, a:UOp, b, ops, ctx:Linearizer, op): return UOp.alu(op, a, (NumNode(b) if not isinstance(b, Node) else b).render(ops, ctx))
 
   # NOTE: the consts have to be cached for deduping of downstream uops to work
-  def const(self, b:ConstType, dtype:DType=dtypes.int32) -> UOp:
-    return self.uops.add(UOps.DEFINE_VAR, dtype, (), b.unbind()[0]) if isinstance(b, Variable) else UOp.const(dtype, b)
+  def const(self, b:ConstType|Variable, dtype:DType=dtypes.int32) -> UOp:
+    return self.uops.add(UOps.DEFINE_VAR, dtype, (), b) if isinstance(b, Variable) else UOp.const(dtype, b)
 
   def get_reduce_acc(self, reduceop:LazyOp):
     if reduceop.op is ReduceOps.SUM: return 0.0 if dtypes.is_float(reduceop.dtype) else 0
diff --git a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
index 3a20f2fb09..8aae1261bd 100644
--- a/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
+++ b/tinygrad/engine/schedule.py
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 import sys, pickle, atexit
 from collections import defaultdict, deque
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Tuple, List, Dict, Optional, Set, DefaultDict, Union
+from typing import Tuple, List, Dict, Optional, Set, DefaultDict, Union, get_args
 from tinygrad.ops import LoadOps, BufferOps, LazyOp, ReduceOps, ConstBuffer, MemBuffer, UNSAFE_PAD_OPS, UnaryOps
 from tinygrad.engine.graph import log_lazybuffer, realized_lazybuffer
 from tinygrad.helpers import GRAPH, DEBUG, MULTIOUTPUT, SAVE_SCHEDULE, GlobalCounters, colored, prod, dedup, all_int, merge_dicts, getenv
 from tinygrad.shape.symbolic import Variable
-from tinygrad.dtype import ImageDType, dtypes, DType
+from tinygrad.dtype import ConstType, ImageDType, dtypes, DType
 from tinygrad.lazy import LazyBuffer
 from tinygrad.shape.shapetracker import ShapeTracker
 from tinygrad.device import Buffer
@@ -56,8 +56,13 @@ def _recursive_lazyop(buf:LazyBuffer, inputs:List[LazyBuffer], outputs:Tuple[Laz
   if buf.op is LoadOps.CONST:
     unbound_st, st_var_vals = st.simplify().unbind()
     var_vals.update(st_var_vals)
-    if isinstance(buf.arg, Variable): var_vals.__setitem__(*buf.arg.unbind())
-    return LazyOp(BufferOps.CONST, (), ConstBuffer(buf.arg, buf.dtype, unbound_st))
+    if isinstance(buf.arg, Variable):
+      val, var_val = buf.arg.unbind()
+      var_vals.__setitem__(val, var_val)
+    else:
+      assert isinstance(buf.arg, get_args(ConstType)), f"cannot create ConstBuffer with value {buf.arg}"
+      val = buf.arg
+    return LazyOp(BufferOps.CONST, (), ConstBuffer(val, buf.dtype, unbound_st))
 
   # if we aren't fusing it, it's a load and we add it to the inputs
   if buf.realized is not None or (buf in realizes and buf not in outputs):
diff --git a/tinygrad/ops.py b/tinygrad/ops.py
index fc818cc939..dc9c53f987 100644
--- a/tinygrad/ops.py
+++ b/tinygrad/ops.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class MemBuffer:
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class ConstBuffer:
-  val: ConstType
+  val: ConstType | Variable
   dtype: DType
   st: ShapeTracker
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class LazyOp:
   def lazyops(self) -> List[LazyOp]: return dedup([self] + [item for x in self.src for item in x.lazyops])
   def vars(self) -> List[Variable]:
     extract_vars = [x.arg.st.vars() for x in self.lazyops if x.op in BufferOps]
-    const_vars = [x.arg.val.unbind()[0] for x in self.lazyops if x.op is BufferOps.CONST and isinstance(x.arg.val, Variable)]
+    const_vars = [x.arg.val for x in self.lazyops if x.op is BufferOps.CONST and isinstance(x.arg.val, Variable)]
     return sorted(set.union(*extract_vars, set(const_vars)), key=lambda x: str(x.expr))
 
 # **************** independent FlopCounter ****************