diff --git a/xls/passes/narrowing_pass.cc b/xls/passes/narrowing_pass.cc
index ced3b9234f..181996eb73 100644
--- a/xls/passes/narrowing_pass.cc
+++ b/xls/passes/narrowing_pass.cc
@@ -863,11 +863,6 @@ class NarrowVisitor final : public DfsVisitorWithDefault {
     bool is_one = leading_ones != 0;
     int64_t known_leading = is_one ? leading_ones : leading_zeros;
     int64_t required_bits = bit_count - known_leading;
-    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_lhs, MaybeNarrow(lhs, required_bits));
-    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_rhs, MaybeNarrow(rhs, required_bits));
-    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_sub,
-                         sub->function_base()->MakeNode<BinOp>(
-                             sub->loc(), new_lhs, new_rhs, Op::kSub));
     if (is_one) {
       // XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(
       //     Node * all_ones,
@@ -880,6 +875,11 @@ class NarrowVisitor final : public DfsVisitorWithDefault {
       // known-negative results. Until we do though this is dead code.
       return NoChange();
     }
+    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_lhs, MaybeNarrow(lhs, required_bits));
+    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_rhs, MaybeNarrow(rhs, required_bits));
+    XLS_ASSIGN_OR_RETURN(Node * new_sub,
+                         sub->function_base()->MakeNode<BinOp>(
+                             sub->loc(), new_lhs, new_rhs, Op::kSub));
     XLS_RETURN_IF_ERROR(
         sub->ReplaceUsesWithNew<ExtendOp>(new_sub, bit_count, Op::kZeroExt)
             .status());
diff --git a/xls/passes/narrowing_pass_test.cc b/xls/passes/narrowing_pass_test.cc
index 74e5d75e08..3e0c5e2f8f 100644
--- a/xls/passes/narrowing_pass_test.cc
+++ b/xls/passes/narrowing_pass_test.cc
@@ -119,6 +119,26 @@ TEST_P(NarrowingPassSemanticsTest, NarrowSub) {
   TestNarrowedIsEquivalent(fb);
 }
 
+TEST_P(NarrowingPassTest, NoChangeIsNoChangeWithMaybeNarrowableSubNegative) {
+  if (analysis() == NarrowingPass::AnalysisType::kBdd) {
+    GTEST_SKIP() << "BDD Unable to determine sign of subtraction";
+  }
+  // Regression test for issue where we added nodes but the pass reported no
+  // changes were made.
+  auto p = CreatePackage();
+  FunctionBuilder fb(TestName(), p.get());
+  auto x = fb.Param("x", p->GetBitsType(4));
+  auto y = fb.Param("y", p->GetBitsType(4));
+  auto x_wide = fb.ZeroExtend(x, 32);
+  // y_wide is always larger than x
+  auto y_wide = fb.ZeroExtend(fb.Concat({fb.Literal(UBits(1, 1)), y}), 32);
+  fb.Subtract(x_wide, y_wide);
+  XLS_ASSERT_OK_AND_ASSIGN(Function * f, fb.Build());
+  int64_t num_nodes = f->node_count();
+  ASSERT_THAT(Run(p.get()), IsOkAndHolds(false));
+  EXPECT_EQ(f->node_count(), num_nodes);
+}
+
 TEST_P(NarrowingPassTest, NarrowableSubPositive) {
   if (analysis() == NarrowingPass::AnalysisType::kBdd) {
     GTEST_SKIP() << "BDD Unable to determine sign of subtraction";