diff --git a/test/unit/test_function.py b/test/unit/test_function.py
index 5f0b4b4c1f11f..5774d5bbe14be 100644
--- a/test/unit/test_function.py
+++ b/test/unit/test_function.py
@@ -213,6 +213,17 @@ def f(a:Tensor, b:Tensor) -> Tensor:
     np.testing.assert_equal(a.numpy(), [11,21,31])  # TODO: should be [1,2,3]
     np.testing.assert_equal(b.numpy(), [10,20,30])
 
+  def test_view_assign_explicit_buffer(self):
+    """view assign on an explicit param's buffer should not create implicit inputs."""
+    class State:
+      def __init__(self): self.buf = Tensor.zeros(2, 4).contiguous().realize()
+      @function(allow_implicit=False)
+      def __call__(self, x:Tensor) -> Tensor:
+        self.buf[:, 0:2].assign(x)
+        return self.buf[:, 0:2]
+    s = State()
+    np.testing.assert_equal(s(Tensor([[5., 6.], [7., 8.]])).numpy(), [[5., 6.], [7., 8.]])
+
   @unittest.expectedFailure
   def test_assign_slice(self):
     @function
diff --git a/tinygrad/apps/llm.py b/tinygrad/apps/llm.py
index cc43ef93021e4..704eba4414e8f 100644
--- a/tinygrad/apps/llm.py
+++ b/tinygrad/apps/llm.py
@@ -132,15 +132,9 @@ def _attention(self, x:Tensor, start_pos:int|UOp) -> Tensor:
     q = apply_rope(q, self.freqs_cis[start_pos:start_pos+T])
     k = apply_rope(k, self.freqs_cis[start_pos:start_pos+T])
 
-    # TODO: fix assign to behave like this
-    assigned_kv = self.cache_kv.uop.after(self.cache_kv[:, :, :, start_pos:start_pos+T, :].uop.assign(Tensor.stack(k, v).contiguous().uop))
-    tensor_assigned_kv = Tensor(assigned_kv, device=assigned_kv.device)
-    k = tensor_assigned_kv[0, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
-    v = tensor_assigned_kv[1, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
-
-    #self.cache_kv[:, :, :, start_pos:start_pos+T, :].assign(Tensor.stack(k, v))
-    #k = self.cache_kv[0, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
-    #v = self.cache_kv[1, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
+    self.cache_kv[:, :, :, start_pos:start_pos+T, :].assign(Tensor.stack(k, v))
+    k = self.cache_kv[0, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
+    v = self.cache_kv[1, :, :, 0:start_pos+T, :]
 
     # NOTE: this mask is causal_lower_right, not the causal_upper_left generated by is_casual = True
     # TODO: this if statement should be removed and it shouldn't generate extra kernels
diff --git a/tinygrad/tensor.py b/tinygrad/tensor.py
index 4f76db143328d..051f28ed5a267 100644
--- a/tinygrad/tensor.py
+++ b/tinygrad/tensor.py
@@ -312,16 +312,15 @@ def assign(self, x:Tensor|PyConst|list|tuple) -> Tensor:
     store_uop = self.uop.store(x.uop)
     base = self.uop.base
     if base.op in {Ops.BUFFER, Ops.AFTER} and self.uop is not base and not self.uop.has_buffer_identity():
-      # view assign: inner AFTER(view, STORE) for correct shape/ranging, outer AFTER(base, inner) for dependency
-      original_uop = self.uop
-      view_after = self.uop.after(store_uop)
-      assigned_base = base.after(view_after)
-      _apply_map_to_tensors({base: assigned_base}, name="Embed View Assign", walk=True)
+      # view assign: inner AFTER(view, STORE) for correct shape/ranging, outer AFTER(ib, inner) for dependency
+      # replace at the buffer-identity level (e.g. RESHAPE(BUFFER)) so @function's substitution catches it
+      ib = self.uop
+      while not ib.has_buffer_identity() and ib is not base: ib = ib.src[0]
+      assigned_ib = ib.after(self.uop.after(store_uop))
+      _apply_map_to_tensors({ib: assigned_ib}, name="Embed View Assign", walk=True)
       def replace_view_base(u:UOp) -> UOp:
-        return u.replace(src=((assigned_base if u.src[0] is base else replace_view_base(u.src[0])),)+u.src[1:])
-      ret = Tensor(replace_view_base(original_uop), device=self.device, requires_grad=self.requires_grad)
-      self.replace(self._apply_uop(lambda *_: replace_view_base(original_uop), x))
-      return ret
+        return u.replace(src=((assigned_ib if u.src[0] is ib else replace_view_base(u.src[0])),)+u.src[1:])
+      return Tensor(replace_view_base(self.uop), device=self.device, requires_grad=self.requires_grad)
     # simple assign: AFTER wraps self.uop (may be RESHAPE'd buffer) with STORE effect
     return self.replace(self._apply_uop(lambda *_: self.uop.after(store_uop), x))