diff --git a/compiler/can/src/constraint.rs b/compiler/can/src/constraint.rs
index 193782daf5..983f4cba21 100644
--- a/compiler/can/src/constraint.rs
+++ b/compiler/can/src/constraint.rs
@@ -125,7 +125,10 @@ impl Constraints {
             Type::EmptyRec => EitherIndex::from_left(Self::EMPTY_RECORD),
             Type::EmptyTagUnion => EitherIndex::from_left(Self::EMPTY_TAG_UNION),
             Type::Variable(var) => {
-                let index: Index<Variable> = Index::push_new(&mut self.variables, var);
+                // that's right, we use the variable's integer value as the index
+                // that way, we don't need to push anything onto a vector
+                let index: Index<Variable> = Index::new(var.index());
+
                 EitherIndex::from_right(index)
             }
             other => {
diff --git a/compiler/solve/src/solve.rs b/compiler/solve/src/solve.rs
index e0afc00962..37783d98cc 100644
--- a/compiler/solve/src/solve.rs
+++ b/compiler/solve/src/solve.rs
@@ -890,8 +890,8 @@ fn either_type_index_to_var(
             type_to_var(subs, rank, pools, _alias_map, typ)
         }
         Err(var_index) => {
-            let var = constraints.variables[var_index.index()];
-            var
+            // we cheat, and  store the variable directly in the index
+            unsafe { Variable::from_index(var_index.index() as _) }
         }
     }
 }