diff --git a/ext/ReactantCUDAExt.jl b/ext/ReactantCUDAExt.jl
index 69c273c865..a4f0543268 100644
--- a/ext/ReactantCUDAExt.jl
+++ b/ext/ReactantCUDAExt.jl
@@ -352,7 +352,9 @@ function ka_with_reactant(ndrange, workgroupsize, obj, args...)
 
     # figure out the optimal workgroupsize automatically
     if KA.workgroupsize(obj) <: KA.DynamicSize && workgroupsize === nothing
-        if !Reactant.Compiler.PartitionKA[] || raising()
+        if !Reactant.Compiler.PartitionKA[] ||
+            raising() ||
+            Reactant.Compiler.backend() in ("cpu", "tpu")
             threads = prod(ndrange)
         else
             config = CUDA.launch_configuration(kernel.fun; max_threads=prod(ndrange))
diff --git a/src/Compiler.jl b/src/Compiler.jl
index 73595dec7b..c3924c899e 100644
--- a/src/Compiler.jl
+++ b/src/Compiler.jl
@@ -700,6 +700,38 @@ function raising!(f, is_raising::Bool)
     end
 end
 
+function activate_backend!(backend::String)
+    stack = get!(task_local_storage(), :reactant_backend) do
+        String[]
+    end
+    push!(stack, backend)
+    return nothing
+end
+
+function deactivate_backend!(backend::String)
+    key = :reactant_backend
+    backend === last(task_local_storage(key)) ||
+        error("Deactivating wrong Reactant backend context")
+    return pop!(task_local_storage(key))
+end
+
+function backend(; throw_error::Bool=true)
+    key = :reactant_backend
+    if !(haskey(task_local_storage(), key) && !Base.isempty(task_local_storage(key)))
+        throw_error && error("No Reactant backend context")
+    end
+    return last(task_local_storage(key)::Vector{String})
+end
+
+function backend!(f, backend::String)
+    activate_backend!(backend)
+    try
+        return f()
+    finally
+        deactivate_backend!(backend)
+    end
+end
+
 function compile_mlir!(
     mod,
     f,
@@ -747,12 +779,14 @@ function compile_mlir!(
     end
     is_raising = raise isa String || raise
     activate_raising!(is_raising)
+    activate_backend!(backend)
 
     mlir_fn_res = try
         Reactant.TracedUtils.make_mlir_fn(
             f, args, fn_kwargs, "main", true; input_shardings, runtime
         )
     finally
+        deactivate_backend!(backend)
         deactivate_raising!(is_raising)
         deactivate_sdycache!(sdycache)
         deactivate_callcache!(callcache)