diff --git a/torch/_functorch/_aot_autograd/graph_capture.py b/torch/_functorch/_aot_autograd/graph_capture.py
index 91af2933cc28..132cf335b387 100644
--- a/torch/_functorch/_aot_autograd/graph_capture.py
+++ b/torch/_functorch/_aot_autograd/graph_capture.py
@@ -468,12 +468,16 @@ def aot_dispatch_autograd_graph(
     # a fake tensor. Unlikely.
     # See Note: [Fake Modules and AOTAutograd]
     torch._dynamo.utils.assert_no_fake_params_or_buffers(fx_g)
+
+    # Have to copy before eliminate_dead_code otherwise the
+    # fw node match might be erased
+    copy_fwd_metadata_to_bw_nodes(fx_g)
+
     fx_g.graph.eliminate_dead_code()
     if not aot_config.disable_functionalization:
         # There should be *NO* mutating ops in the graph at this point.
         assert_functional_graph(fx_g.graph)
 
-    copy_fwd_metadata_to_bw_nodes(fx_g)
     fx_g.recompile()
 
     # TODO: in AOTAutograd, we create metadata like _indices_of_inps_to_detach to detect