diff --git a/ring_attention_pytorch/ring_flash_attention_cuda.py b/ring_attention_pytorch/ring_flash_attention_cuda.py
index e0ffc37..da101d2 100644
--- a/ring_attention_pytorch/ring_flash_attention_cuda.py
+++ b/ring_attention_pytorch/ring_flash_attention_cuda.py
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ def forward(
         max_lookback_seq_len: Optional[int],
         ring_size: Optional[int]
     ):
-        assert not exists(mask), 'key padding mask is not supported yet for ring flash attn cuda'
+        assert not (not causal and exists(mask)), 'key padding mask is not supported yet for ring flash attn cuda'
 
         assert all([t.is_cuda for t in (q, k, v)]), 'inputs must be all on cuda'
 
@@ -561,11 +561,15 @@ def forward(
                 bias = bias,
                 softmax_scale = softmax_scale,
                 causal_mask_diagonal = causal_mask_diagonal,
-                return_normalized_output = is_last,
+                return_normalized_output = False,
                 load_accumulated = not is_first
             )
 
         lse = lse[..., :q_seq_len]
+        m = m[..., :q_seq_len]
+
+        o_scale = torch.exp(m - lse)
+        o.mul_(rearrange('b h n -> b n h 1', o_scale))
 
         ctx.args = (
             causal,
@@ -643,6 +647,16 @@ def backward(ctx, do):
         receive_kv_and_dkv = None
         receive_mask = None
 
+        # hack for special causal mask for striped ring attention without having to modify cuda
+
+        if causal and striped_ring_attn:
+            # this is a hack that should also mask out the diagonal
+            # https://github.com/Dao-AILab/flash-attention?tab=readme-ov-file#21-change-behavior-of-causal-flag
+            q = pad_at_dim(q, (0, 1), dim = 1)
+            o = pad_at_dim(o, (0, 1), dim = 1)
+            do = pad_at_dim(do, (0, 1), dim = 1)
+            lse = pad_at_dim(lse, (0, 1), dim = -1)
+
         for (ring_rank, _), ((kv_and_dkv, mask), (receive_kv_and_dkv, receive_mask)) in ring_pass_fn(kv_and_dkv, mask, receive_buffers = (receive_kv_and_dkv, receive_mask), max_iters = max_ring_passes, ring_size = ring_size):
 
             kv, dk, dv = kv_and_dkv
@@ -655,6 +669,8 @@ def backward(ctx, do):
             # determine whether to do causal mask or not
             # depends on whether it is striped attention, as well as current machine rank vs ring rank
 
+            n = row_length
+
             if causal or not exists(mask):
 
                 block_causal = False
@@ -665,12 +681,7 @@ def backward(ctx, do):
                         block_causal = True
 
                         if get_rank() < ring_rank:
-                            # this is a hack that should also mask out the diagonal
-                            # https://github.com/Dao-AILab/flash-attention?tab=readme-ov-file#21-change-behavior-of-causal-flag
-                            q = pad_at_dim(q, (0, 1), dim = 1)
-                            o = pad_at_dim(o, (0, 1), dim = 1)
-                            do = pad_at_dim(do, (0, 1), dim = 1)
-                            lse = pad_at_dim(lse, (0, 1), dim = -1)
+                            n += 1
                     else:
                         block_causal = get_rank() == ring_rank
 
@@ -681,15 +692,15 @@ def backward(ctx, do):
 
                 if need_accum:
                     ring_dq, ring_dk, ring_dv, *_ = _flash_attn_backward(
-                        dout = do,
-                        q = q,
+                        dout = do[:, :n],
+                        q = q[:, :n],
                         k = k,
                         v = v,
-                        out = o,
-                        softmax_lse = lse,
-                        dq = torch.zeros_like(q),
-                        dk = torch.zeros_like(k),
-                        dv = torch.zeros_like(v),
+                        out = o[:, :n],
+                        softmax_lse = lse[..., :n],
+                        dq = torch.empty_like(q[:, :n]),
+                        dk = torch.empty_like(k),
+                        dv = torch.empty_like(v),
                         dropout_p = 0.,
                         softmax_scale = softmax_scale,
                         causal = block_causal,
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 8addce9..4925e60 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 setup(
   name = 'ring-attention-pytorch',
   packages = find_packages(exclude=[]),
-  version = '0.2.25',
+  version = '0.2.27',
   license='MIT',
   description = 'Ring Attention - Pytorch',
   author = 'Phil Wang',