diff --git a/aiter/mla.py b/aiter/mla.py
index cef8181a7a..0b020facc2 100644
--- a/aiter/mla.py
+++ b/aiter/mla.py
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ def get_meta_param(num_kv_splits, bs, total_kv, nhead, max_seqlen_q, dtype):
         num_kv_splits = sorted(tmp, key=lambda x: x[0], reverse=True)[0][1]
 
     get_block_n_fp8 = {
+        4: 128,
+        8: 128,
         16: 128,
         32: 128,
         48: 64,
@@ -188,6 +190,18 @@ def mla_decode_fwd(
     bs = qo_indptr.shape[0] - 1
     total_kv = kv_indices.shape[0]
 
+    _head_pad_factor = 1
+    _o_unpadded = None
+    if nhead < 16 and nhead > 0 and 16 % nhead == 0:
+        _head_pad_factor = 16 // nhead
+        q = q.repeat_interleave(_head_pad_factor, dim=1)
+        _o_unpadded = o
+        nhead = 16
+        ori_nhead = 16
+        o = torch.empty(
+            total_s, nhead, v_head_dim, dtype=_o_unpadded.dtype, device=device
+        )
+
     persistent_mode = work_meta_data is not None
 
     io_transformed = False
@@ -266,6 +280,12 @@ def mla_decode_fwd(
                 and nhead in [32, 64]
             )
         ):
+            if _o_unpadded is not None:
+                _o_unpadded.copy_(o[:, ::_head_pad_factor, :])
+                return (
+                    logits.view(total_s, nhead, v_head_dim)[:, ::_head_pad_factor, :],
+                    attn_lse[:, :, ::_head_pad_factor, :],
+                )
             return logits.view(total_s, nhead, v_head_dim), attn_lse
 
         Lv = v_head_dim
@@ -495,6 +515,12 @@ def mla_decode_fwd(
                     .contiguous()
                 )
 
+    if _o_unpadded is not None:
+        _o_unpadded.copy_(o[:, ::_head_pad_factor, :])
+        if final_lse is not None:
+            final_lse = final_lse[:, ::_head_pad_factor]
+        logits = logits[:, :, ::_head_pad_factor, :]
+
     return logits, final_lse
 
 
diff --git a/aiter/ops/attention.py b/aiter/ops/attention.py
index 572c522593..f11e95cce0 100644
--- a/aiter/ops/attention.py
+++ b/aiter/ops/attention.py
@@ -916,7 +916,11 @@ def get_mla_metadata_info_v1(
         6. Shape of reduce_partial_map followed by its scalar type.
     """
 
-    assert num_head_qo % 8 == 0
+    effective_num_head = num_head_qo
+    if num_head_qo < 16 and num_head_qo > 0 and 16 % num_head_qo == 0:
+        effective_num_head = 16
+    assert effective_num_head % 8 == 0
+
     gpu = torch.cuda.current_device()
     device_properties = torch.cuda.get_device_properties(gpu)
     cu_num = device_properties.multi_processor_count
@@ -934,11 +938,11 @@ def get_mla_metadata_info_v1(
     )
 
     max_qo_tiles_per_batch = (
-        int(math.ceil(max_seqlen_qo * num_head_qo / 128))
-        if num_head_qo == 16
+        int(math.ceil(max_seqlen_qo * effective_num_head / 128))
+        if effective_num_head == 16
         or (
             get_gfx() == "gfx942"
-            and num_head_qo == 128
+            and effective_num_head == 128
             and kv_dtype == dtypes.fp8
             and q_dtype == dtypes.fp8
         )
@@ -950,7 +954,7 @@ def get_mla_metadata_info_v1(
             and max_seqlen_qo == 1
         )
         or use_qseqlen_fold
-        else int(math.ceil(max_seqlen_qo * num_head_qo / 16))
+        else int(math.ceil(max_seqlen_qo * effective_num_head / 16))
     )
     batch_size = batch_size * max_seqlen_qo if is_sparse else batch_size
     tile_cnt = batch_size * max_qo_tiles_per_batch
diff --git a/csrc/kernels/mla/metadata/v1_2_device.cuh b/csrc/kernels/mla/metadata/v1_2_device.cuh
index 81cca36aec..003a41dbc8 100644
--- a/csrc/kernels/mla/metadata/v1_2_device.cuh
+++ b/csrc/kernels/mla/metadata/v1_2_device.cuh
@@ -471,19 +471,14 @@ void get_mla_metadata_v1_2_device(const torch::Tensor& seqlens_qo_indptr, // [ba
         !natively_supported && (arch_id == "gfx950") && q_is_fp8 && kv_is_fp8 && (num_heads > 16) &&
         ((uni_seqlen_qo * (num_heads / 16) == 4) || ((num_heads == 64) && (uni_seqlen_qo == 2)));
 
-    if(use_qseqlen_fold && (num_heads == 64) && (uni_seqlen_qo == 2))
-    {
-        qk_seqlen_ratio = num_heads / 32;
-        num_heads       = 32;
-        uni_seqlen_qo *= qk_seqlen_ratio;
-    }
-    else if(use_qseqlen_fold && (uni_seqlen_qo * (num_heads / 16) == 4))
+    const bool pad_to_qh16 = (!natively_supported) && (num_heads < 16) &&
+                              (num_heads > 0) && (16 % num_heads == 0);
+
+    if(pad_to_qh16)
     {
-        qk_seqlen_ratio = num_heads / 16;
-        num_heads       = 16;
-        uni_seqlen_qo *= qk_seqlen_ratio;
+        num_heads = 16;
     }
-    else if(!natively_supported && (num_heads % 16 == 0))
+    else if((natively_supported == false) && (num_heads % 16 == 0))
     {
         qk_batch_ratio = num_heads / 16;
         num_heads      = 16;
diff --git a/op_tests/test_mla.py b/op_tests/test_mla.py
index e81121b36f..a3ee519888 100644
--- a/op_tests/test_mla.py
+++ b/op_tests/test_mla.py
@@ -458,13 +458,15 @@ def test_absorb_decode_fp8():
     err = None
     us_asm_decode = 1e12
     if (dtype == torch.bfloat16 and kvtype == torch.bfloat16) and nhead in [
+        4,
+        8,
         16,
         32,
         64,
         128,
     ]:
         err, us_asm_decode = test_absorb_decode_bf16()
-    elif kvtype == dtypes.fp8 and nhead in [16, 128]:
+    elif kvtype == dtypes.fp8 and nhead in [4, 8, 16, 128]:
         err, us_asm_decode = test_absorb_decode_fp8()
 
     ret["decode:err"] = err
@@ -573,10 +575,10 @@ def test_absorb_decode_fp8():
     "-n",
     "--nhead",
     type=dtypes.str2tuple,
-    choices=[(16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (128, 1), (128, 2), (128, 4)],
+    choices=[(4, 1), (16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (128, 1), (128, 2), (128, 4)],
     nargs="*",
     const=None,
-    default=[(16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (128, 1), (128, 2)],
+    default=[(4, 1), (16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (128, 1), (128, 2)],
     help="""Number of nhead and decode_qlen.
     e.g.: -n 16,1""",
 )
diff --git a/op_tests/test_mla_persistent.py b/op_tests/test_mla_persistent.py
index 6427616f04..95ef956ac3 100644
--- a/op_tests/test_mla_persistent.py
+++ b/op_tests/test_mla_persistent.py
@@ -1702,7 +1702,7 @@ def test_absorb_decode_3buffer():
     type=dtypes.str2tuple,
     nargs="*",
     const=None,
-    default=[(16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (48, 1), (128, 2)],
+    default=[(4, 1), (16, 1), (16, 2), (16, 4), (48, 1), (128, 2)],
     help="""Number of heads.
     e.g.: -n 16,1""",
 )
diff --git a/op_tests/test_mla_sparse.py b/op_tests/test_mla_sparse.py
index a699ae0573..76a5c1c3ad 100644
--- a/op_tests/test_mla_sparse.py
+++ b/op_tests/test_mla_sparse.py
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@
 torch.set_printoptions(sci_mode=False)
 
 # current supported case in ps decode MLA: mtp == 0, 1, 2, 3 (decode_qlen = 1, 2, 3, 4)
-# qdtype bf16, kdtype bf16: nhead16
-# qdtype fp8, kdtype fp8: nhead16, nhead128
+# qdtype bf16, kdtype bf16: nhead4, nhead8, nhead16
+# qdtype fp8, kdtype fp8: nhead4, nhead8, nhead16, nhead128
 # qdtype fp8, kdtype bf16: nhead16
 
 
@@ -722,7 +722,7 @@ def test_sparse_mla_fp8():
     "--nhead",
     type=dtypes.str2tuple,
     nargs="*",
-    default=[(16, 2), (48, 1), (128, 2)],
+    default=[(4, 1), (8, 1), (16, 2), (48, 1), (128, 2)],
     help="""Number of heads.
     e.g.: -n 16,1""",
 )