diff --git a/test/unit/test_shapetracker.py b/test/unit/test_shapetracker.py
index 223acceb04..c19672bf0d 100644
--- a/test/unit/test_shapetracker.py
+++ b/test/unit/test_shapetracker.py
@@ -872,5 +872,46 @@ class TestRender(unittest.TestCase):
     self.assertEqual(idx.render(), "((ridx0*3)+ridx1)")
     self.assertEqual(valid.render(), "(ridx0<2)")
 
+class TestVariableReshape(unittest.TestCase):
+  def test_reshape(self):
+    st = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,))
+    st = st.reshape((Variable("i", 1, 10),))
+    assert len(st.views) == 1
+
+  def test_reshape_stride_0(self):
+    st = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,), (0,))
+    st = st.reshape((Variable("i", 1, 10).bind(3),))
+    assert len(st.views) == 1, f"multiview {st}"
+
+  def test_reshape_bound(self):
+    st = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,))
+    st = st.reshape((Variable("i", 1, 10).bind(3),))
+    assert len(st.views) == 1
+
+  def test_add(self):
+    st1 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,))
+    st2 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((Variable("i", 1, 10),))
+    st = st1+st2
+    assert len(st.views) == 1
+
+  def test_add_stride_0(self):
+    st1 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,), (0,))
+    st2 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((Variable("i", 1, 10).bind(3),), (0,))
+    st = st1+st2
+    assert len(st.views) == 1, f"multiview {st}"
+
+  def test_add_bound(self):
+    st1 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,))
+    st2 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((Variable("i", 1, 10).bind(3),))
+    st = st1+st2
+    assert len(st.views) == 1
+
+  def test_simplify(self):
+    st1 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((3,))
+    st2 = ShapeTracker.from_shape((Variable("i", 1, 10).bind(3),))
+    st = ShapeTracker((st1.views[0], st2.views[0]))
+    st = st.simplify()
+    assert len(st.views) == 1
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   unittest.main()
diff --git a/tinygrad/shape/view.py b/tinygrad/shape/view.py
index bc7ba0716c..2fb971b4cc 100644
--- a/tinygrad/shape/view.py
+++ b/tinygrad/shape/view.py
@@ -160,7 +160,11 @@ class View:
     if vm1.mask:
       if (new_vm1 := vm1.shrink(vm1.mask)) == vm1 or (merged := vm2 + new_vm1) is None: return None
       return merged.pad(tuple((b,s-e) for (b,e),s in zip(vm1.mask, vm1.shape)))
-    if not all_int(vm1.shape): return None
+    if not all_int(vm1.shape):
+      # if all strides are 0 and vm2 is unmasked, return vm1
+      if all(x == 0 for x in vm2.strides+vm1.strides) and vm2.mask is None: return vm1
+      # TODO: handle more cases
+      return None
 
     # Project vm1's offset and strides on to vm2.
     origin = unravel(vm2.shape, vm1.offset)
diff --git a/tinygrad/uop/spec.py b/tinygrad/uop/spec.py
index 3dbdc10b16..dd55b19076 100644
--- a/tinygrad/uop/spec.py
+++ b/tinygrad/uop/spec.py
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ tensor_uop_spec = buffer_spec+assign_spec+PatternMatcher([
 
   # Tensor const has a device and an unmasked ShapeTracker of stride 0
   # NOTE: variables in shape can cause multiple views in this ShapeTracker and other issues, see TestSymbolicJit.test_ones_sum
-  (UPat(Ops.CONST, src=(UPat(Ops.VIEW, name="st", src=(UPat(Ops.DEVICE),)),)), lambda st: all(v.mask is None for v in st.st.views)),
+  (UPat(Ops.CONST, src=(UPat(Ops.VIEW, name="st", src=(UPat(Ops.DEVICE),)),)),
+   lambda st: len(st.st.views) == 1 and all(v.mask is None for v in st.st.views)),
 
   # DETACH and CONTIGUOUS change how we interpret the source UOp
   # CONTIGUOUS ensures the source UOp realizes