diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b6e4761..baef139 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -98,6 +98,11 @@ __pypackages__/
 celerybeat-schedule
 celerybeat.pid
 
+
+out
+traces
+*.npy
+*.out
 # SageMath parsed files
 *.sage.py
 
diff --git a/jaxpm/kernels.py b/jaxpm/kernels.py
index 176e1c3..0025fa8 100644
--- a/jaxpm/kernels.py
+++ b/jaxpm/kernels.py
@@ -7,7 +7,29 @@ from jax._src import mesh as mesh_lib
 from jax.sharding import PartitionSpec as P
 
 from jaxpm.distributed import autoshmap
+from enum import Enum
 
+class PencilType(Enum):
+  NO_DECOMP = 0
+  SLAB_XY = 1
+  SLAB_YZ = 2
+  PENCILS = 3
+
+def get_pencil_type():
+  mesh = mesh_lib.thread_resources.env.physical_mesh
+  if mesh.empty:
+    pdims = None
+  else:
+    pdims = mesh.devices.shape[::-1]
+
+  if pdims == (1, 1) or pdims == None:
+    return PencilType.NO_DECOMP
+  elif pdims[0] == 1:
+    return PencilType.SLAB_XY
+  elif pdims[1] == 1:
+    return PencilType.SLAB_YZ
+  else:
+    return PencilType.PENCILS
 
 def fftk(shape, dtype=np.float32):
     """
@@ -30,10 +52,18 @@ def fftk(shape, dtype=np.float32):
                 kz.reshape([1, -1, 1]),
                 kx.reshape([1, 1, -1])) # yapf: disable
 
-    if not mesh_lib.thread_resources.env.physical_mesh.empty:
-        ky, kz, kx = get_kvec(ky, kz, kx)  # The order corresponds
+    pencil_type = get_pencil_type() 
+    # YZ returns Y pencil
+    # XY and pencils returns a Z pencil
+    # NO_DECOMP returns a X pencil
+    if pencil_type == PencilType.NO_DECOMP:
+        kx, ky, kz = get_kvec(kx, ky, kz) # Z Y X ==> X pencil
+    elif pencil_type == PencilType.SLAB_YZ:
+        kz, kx, ky = get_kvec(kz, kx, ky) # X Z Y ==> Y pencil
+    elif pencil_type == PencilType.SLAB_XY or pencil_type == PencilType.PENCILS:
+        ky, kz, kx = get_kvec(ky, kz, kx) # Z X Y ==> Z pencil
     else:
-        kx, ky, kz = get_kvec(kx, ky, kz)  # The order corresponds
+        raise ValueError("Unknown pencil type")
 
     # to the order of dimensions in the transposed FFT
     return kx, ky, kz