diff --git a/.github/workflows/benchmark.yml b/.github/workflows/benchmark.yml
index 484b5e3b..77a85160 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/benchmark.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/benchmark.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ jobs:
     # run: echo "RUN_PROCESS_REPLAY=1" >> $GITHUB_ENV
     - name: Run Stable Diffusion
       run: JIT=2 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/stable_diffusion.py --seed 0 --noshow --timing | tee sd.txt
+    - name: Run SDXL
+      run: JIT=2 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/sdxl.py --seed 0 --noshow | tee sdxl.txt
     - name: Run model inference benchmark
       run: METAL=1 python3 test/external/external_model_benchmark.py
     - name: Test speed vs torch
@@ -103,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
           matmul.txt
           matmul_half.txt
           sd.txt
+          sdxl.txt
           beautiful_mnist.txt
           train_cifar.txt
           train_cifar_half.txt
@@ -156,6 +159,8 @@ jobs:
       run: CUDA=1 PTX=1 M_START=12 M_STOP=20 M_STEP=1 N_START=6 N_STOP=10 N_STEP=1 K_START=28 K_STOP=36 K_STEP=1 HALF=1 TC_OPT=2 python3 ./extra/gemm/fuzz_matmul.py
     - name: Run Stable Diffusion
       run: NV=1 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/stable_diffusion.py --seed 0 --noshow --timing | tee sd.txt
+    - name: Run SDXL
+      run: NV=1 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/sdxl.py --seed 0 --noshow | tee sdxl.txt
     - name: Run LLaMA
       run: |
         NV=1 JIT=0 python3 examples/llama.py --gen 1 --prompt "Hello." --count 10 --temperature 0 --timing | tee llama_unjitted.txt
@@ -195,6 +200,7 @@ jobs:
           matmul_ptx.txt
           matmul_nv.txt
           sd.txt
+          sdxl.txt
           llama_unjitted.txt
           llama_jitted.txt
           llama_beam.txt
@@ -309,6 +315,8 @@ jobs:
     #  run: HSA=1 M_START=12 M_STOP=20 M_STEP=1 N_START=12 N_STOP=20 N_STEP=1 K_START=28 K_STOP=36 K_STEP=1 HALF=1 TC_OPT=2 DEBUG=2 python3 ./extra/gemm/fuzz_matmul.py
     - name: Run Stable Diffusion
       run: AMD=1 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/stable_diffusion.py --seed 0 --noshow --timing | tee sd.txt
+    - name: Run SDXL
+      run: AMD=1 THREEFRY=1 python3 examples/sdxl.py --seed 0 --noshow | tee sdxl.txt
     - name: Run LLaMA 7B
       run: |
         AMD=1 JIT=0 python3 examples/llama.py --gen 1 --prompt "Hello." --count 10 --temperature 0 --timing | tee llama_unjitted.txt
@@ -359,6 +367,7 @@ jobs:
           matmul.txt
           matmul_amd.txt
           sd.txt
+          sdxl.txt
           mixtral.txt
 
   testmoreamdbenchmark:
diff --git a/examples/sdxl.py b/examples/sdxl.py
index 7fee5ecb..0e5857e1 100644
--- a/examples/sdxl.py
+++ b/examples/sdxl.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 from tinygrad import Tensor, TinyJit, dtypes
 from tinygrad.nn import Linear, Conv2d, GroupNorm, LayerNorm, Embedding
 from tinygrad.nn.state import safe_load, load_state_dict
-from tinygrad.helpers import fetch, trange
+from tinygrad.helpers import fetch, trange, colored, THREEFRY
 from examples.stable_diffusion import ClipTokenizer, ResnetBlock, Mid, Downsample, Upsample
 import numpy as np
 
@@ -854,9 +854,10 @@ class DPMPP2MSampler:
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
+  default_prompt = "a horse sized cat eating a bagel"
   parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Run SDXL", formatter_class=argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter)
-  parser.add_argument('--steps',    type=int,   default=5, help="The number of diffusion steps")
-  parser.add_argument('--prompt',   type=str,   default="a horse sized cat eating a bagel", help="Description of image to generate")
+  parser.add_argument('--steps',    type=int,   default=10, help="The number of diffusion steps")
+  parser.add_argument('--prompt',   type=str,   default=default_prompt, help="Description of image to generate")
   parser.add_argument('--out',      type=str,   default=Path(tempfile.gettempdir()) / "rendered.png", help="Output filename")
   parser.add_argument('--seed',     type=int,   help="Set the random latent seed")
   parser.add_argument('--guidance', type=float, default=6.0, help="Prompt strength")
@@ -910,3 +911,11 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
 
   if not args.noshow:
     im.show()
+
+  # validation!
+  if args.prompt == default_prompt and args.steps == 10 and args.seed == 0 and args.guidance == 6.0 and args.width == args.height == 1024 \
+    and not args.weights and THREEFRY:
+    ref_image = Tensor(np.array(Image.open(Path(__file__).parent / "sdxl_seed0.png")))
+    distance = (((x - ref_image).cast(dtypes.float) / ref_image.max())**2).mean().item()
+    assert distance < 3e-4, colored(f"validation failed with {distance=}", "red")
+    print(colored(f"output validated with {distance=}", "green"))
diff --git a/examples/sdxl_seed0.png b/examples/sdxl_seed0.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f41b3600
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/sdxl_seed0.png differ
diff --git a/tinygrad/helpers.py b/tinygrad/helpers.py
index 51a9e346..cd9ba086 100644
--- a/tinygrad/helpers.py
+++ b/tinygrad/helpers.py
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ def fetch(url:str, name:Optional[Union[pathlib.Path, str]]=None, subdir:Optional
     with urllib.request.urlopen(url, timeout=10) as r:
       assert r.status == 200
       total_length = int(r.headers.get('content-length', 0))
-      progress_bar = tqdm(total=total_length, unit='B', unit_scale=True, desc=f"{url}: ")
+      progress_bar = tqdm(total=total_length, unit='B', unit_scale=True, desc=f"{url}: ", disable=CI)
       (path := fp.parent).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
       with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(dir=path, delete=False) as f:
         while chunk := r.read(16384): progress_bar.update(f.write(chunk))